The town is also a staging post for Greyhound routes to the north, and integral to the main road routes to Dawson Creek (for the Alaska Hwy) and Prince Rupert (for the Cassiar Hwy). The Greyhound bus terminal , well south of downtown at 1566 12th Ave (tel 564-5454 or 1-800/661-8747), is close to a handful of the town's many hotels and motels.

The best motel on the Hwy 97 strip is the big Spruceland Inn (tel 563-0102 or 1-800/663-3295; $60-80), at 1391 Central St at the junction of Hwy 97 and 15th Avenue. At the nearby Esther's Inn (tel 562-4131 or 1-800/663-6844, www.netbistro.com/esthers ; $60-80), one block off the highway at 1151 Commercial Drive (10th Ave), the price includes a swimming pool and jacuzzi. Closer to downtown is the comfortable 200-room Ramada Hotel Downtown Prince George , 444 George St (tel 563-0055 or 1-800/830-8833; $100-125). All the campsites are some way out, the best being the big Blue Spruce RV & Campground about 5km west at Kimball Road on Hwy 16 (tel 964-7272 or 964-4060; $15.50-21; April to mid-Oct), which includes a heated outdoor pool.

With food , don't expect much in the way of culinary sophistication and stick to good chains like Earl's , 1440 E Central St, or White Spot , 820 Victoria St; otherwise treat yourself to Italian and other mid-priced dishes at Da Moreno , 1493 3rd Ave (tel 564-7922), probably the best restaurant in town. Moving on , three VIA Rail (tel 1-800/561-8630) trains run weekly to Prince Rupert and Edmonton via Jasper ($71), a highly scenic journey; BC Rail runs daily trains to Vancouver in summer (3 weekly in winter; $196), but this is a far more tedious trip through almost unending forest until you reach the region around Fraser river well to the south (tel 604/984-5246 or 1-800/663-8238). Greyhound runs one bus daily to Whitehorse in the Yukon, two daily to Vancouver, and two daily to Prince Rupert.