Just off the Pacific Coast with amazing seafood, nature, and lots of outdoor activities, Vancouver is one of the most beautiful places I have been. We spent one week visiting in the summer and can’t wait to go back. There was plenty to do in the city, but if you have extra time, there are lots of nearby places to visit as well. We found hotels to be very expensive, but Airbnb is available in Vancouver. Just be aware there are a lot of homeless people around. They didn’t bother us, but some even a block or 2 away from where we stayed seemed a little seedy, so be sure to do your research before you book accommodations. Another thing that surprised us is that there is no rideshare options, such as uber or lyft. You have to rely on taxis, walking, or the train to get around. Parking seemed quite difficult and expensive as well, so we only rented a car when we left the city.

Things to do

Whale watching

The whale watching tour we took was my absolute favorite thing that we did while in Vancouver. Seeing them in the wild was just the most amazing thing I have ever seen, and I don’t think anyone should miss it. We decided to take a tour from Richmond, about half hour outside of downtown, because the boats have to drive less distance to find the whales usually. The company offered pickup and drop-off for a fee, however we also saw several tours leaving from Granville Island if you didn’t want to leave the city. We chose to take the tour on the zodiac boat since it was smaller, and we were so glad we did. The ride itself was worth the trip, and although we loved it, I would recommend one of the bigger boats if you have a weak stomach or have children with you. We saw both humpback and killer whales.

Granville Island

Although not a true island, Granville Island was one of our favorite neighborhoods that we visited in Vancouver. We found the easiest way to get there is to take the aquabus, which is just a small ferry that makes stops along some popular areas off False Creek. We even saw some seals swimming by the boat! There are stands where you can purchase tickets at the stops, or you can buy them once you board the ferry. On Granville Island, there was a large public market, shops, and restaurants as well as boat tours and rentals available. The public market was huge and full of both tourists and locals. There were crafts, drinks, and so many types of foods to choose from. After we walked around the market and shops, we had dinner and drinks and enjoyed the beautiful view from one of the restaurants.

Stanley Park

A huge 1000 acre park on the north side of the city, Stanley Park was a nice way to spend the day away from the tall buildings and traffic. We rented bikes and rode the entire path along the seawall (5.5 miles). Along the way, there were several small parks and play areas for children, beaches, artwork, and beautiful views. There were less crowded trails that went through the forest more too if you wanted to run or hike. Trains and horse drawn carriages go through the park if biking isn’t your thing, but it would take a very long time to walk the entire park.

Gastown

We rented an Airbnb in Vancouver’s oldest neighborhood, Gastown, for the majority of our visit. With tons of food and bar options and shopping, it was the perfect area for us to stay. The main road is Water Street, a cobblestone road where you can find the famous steaming clock and statue of Gassy Jack, Gastown’s founder. Vancouver Lookout, one of the tallest buildings in Vancouver, is also just off Water Street. You can pay a fee to go to the top for a nice view of the city. At night, the fairy lights in the trees on Water Street light up, making it especially beautiful. We found it easy to walk to Chinatown from Gastown too, which had some wonderful food. Even if you don’t stay in Gastown, it is still worth it to visit for a night out and some of the best restaurants.

Go to the Beach

There were many beaches in Vancouver to choose from if you want a day of sunbathing and relaxing. We stopped at both Sunset Beach and Kitsilano Beach, and while they were both beautiful, they had very different vibes. Sunset Beach was pretty crowed and had people playing frisbee, volleyball, and listening to music. There were many food options just off the beach. To visit Kitsilano Beach, we had to cross over the bridge. It was much quieter and less crowded, and had many people relaxing, swimming in the pool, and exercising. Both were nice, just depends what you are looking for. There are also many smaller beaches along Stanley Park that you can stop at.

What to eat

Oysters

I’m sure it is no big surprise to learn that Vancouver has wonderful seafood, which is what we spent most of our time eating. But of all the seafood, the fresh oysters were our favorite! We especially liked the Kusshi oysters.

Poutine

Canada’s national dish, no visit is complete without having poutine. It is French fries that are smothered with cheese curds and gravy. They are especially delicious after a night out.

Dungeness crab

While on the west coast, Dungeness crab is an obvious choice since this is the area where they are found. Although still pricey, we have never had it so fresh!

Itinerary

There was so much to do in Vancouver that we could have easily spent more time just staying in the city and hanging out. We happened to be visiting for one of our friends’ weddings, and the bride suggested we leave Vancouver and venture out to a nearby city called Whistler. My husband knew of Whistler because it has very good skiing in the winter. Since we were there during summer, we didn’t ski, but the town itself was well worth visiting. We had so much fun, and the views both in Whistler and on the drive up were breathtaking. The drive takes about an hour and a half, and you drive most of it on the Sea to Sky Highway. There were many viewpoints to stop at, and if you have the extra time, I strongly suggest adding Whistler to your itinerary. We decided to stop and see a Shannon Falls and to hike Stawamus Chief on our way. This was our rough schedule that we followed for the week:

Day 1- We spent the day walking around the city trying the various restaurants and relaxing on the beaches. It was a little cool to swim, but the sun was shining, and many people were out sunbathing and playing volleyball.

Day 2- We started our morning by heading over to Stanley park. We rented bikes and rode along the seawall path. After we returned the bikes, we walked to Vancouver Harbour and grabbed a snack while we watched the seaplanes. We spent the rest of our day exploring gastown.

Day 3- After some wedding festivities with our friends, we walked over to Yaletown, a nearby neighborhood of Vancouver. From here, we took the Aquabus over to Granville Island to visit the market and have dinner.

Day 4- We spent most of the day at our friends’ wedding.

Day 5- We started our morning with our whale watching tour! Afterwards, we hung out around Steveston, the area where our tour left from. Later we drove back into the city and explored the Chinatown area for the rest of the day.

Day 6- We woke up early in the morning to begin our drive. We took the Sea to Sky Highway out of Vancouver and stopped at Shannon falls and Stawamus Chief along the way. We spent the rest of the day and night out in Whistler.

Day 7- After breakfast, we took the peak to peak gondola up the mountain. We had lunch, visited some of the shops in town, and then rented bikes and rode to Lost Lake.

While we wouldn’t really change anything about our trip, I do have a few suggestions.

*If you are interested in whale watching, try to book it early on during your vacation in case of cancellation. Ours was cancelled twice before we were actually able to go. You can also try checking with a few companies. They all basically go to the same place for whales, but have different boats. Our original tour said the zodiac was full when we rescheduled, but the company next door had availability. *Be sure to do your research before you book accommodations and check if they have parking if you do have a car.

*If you want to stay in Vancouver but still want to hike, Grouse Mountain is much closer than where we went and supposedly still has very good views. There is a gondola that goes to the top also. The Capilano Suspension Bridge is very near too!

*If we had more time, the town of Pemberton is even farther north than Whistler but is supposed to be very beautiful as well.

Here are some places outside of the city that we visited

Shannon Falls

Our first stop on our drive to Whistler was Shannon Falls, the 3rd highest waterfall in British Columbia. It took us about 45 minutes to get there from our accommodation in Vancouver. The walk to get a nice view from the parking lot was easy and only took a few minutes. They also had bathrooms and areas that you could picnic. It was a good spot to get out of the car and stretch our legs a little. We walked just far enough to get some pictures of the falls from below, but you can keep hiking and go all the way up to Stawamus Chief or other hiking trails.

Stawamus Chief

Also known as just “the Chief”, our hike to the top definitely proved to be challenging. It a 700 meter high granite cliff with 3 different peaks you can choose to hike up. We chose to go up to the 1st peak since our friends had done this hike many times and recommended it. If you are feeling adventurous, you can go to all 3! At first, there are stairs to climb up, but as you go on, the path even has ladders and chains to help you get to the top. It took us a few hours, but once we arrived at the top the view was so worth it- even on a cloudy day like we had! If you do decide to hike up, some good shoes are a definite must! Also, I’m really bad with heights, but most of the hike up is covered by trees and rocks, so you don’t realize how high you actually are until the end.

Whistler

Just a short drive from Vancouver is the village of Whistler. While we visited in the summer, there is even more to do in the winter. The village itself was super cute with little shops, restaurants and bars. They had happy hours, bike rentals, excursions, and a surprisingly active nightlife- all with the mountains as a backdrop. During our visit, we enjoyed the nightlife, rented bikes, and went up to the peak in the gondola. We only had a few days in Whistler, but if we went back we would try the bobsled track or ziplining. In the winter, they also have dog sledding, tubing, snowmobiles, and more. Whistler actually hosted the 2010 winter Olympics, so you know the winter sports are good!

Peak 2 Peak Gondola

Since skiing wasn’t an option, we decided to take the gondola up the mountain. It is basically two separate cable cars, with a station halfway up where you have to change to the next gondola. It was quite long, very high, and some of the cabins had glass bottoms. The gondola actually holds a world record for having the longest unsupported span between the ropeway towers. When you do reach the top of the mountain, there is a restaurant, bathrooms, and some benches to rest on. We also saw some helicopter tours leaving from here which is probably super cool to do. While hanging from a rope that high up in the air is definitely not my favorite thing, the view from the top is still pretty cool. We even saw some bears climbing around on the mountain beneath our cabin! Be sure to bring a jacket with you, it got pretty cold up there.

Lost Lake

A little lake that is about a half hour walk from Whistler, Lost Lake was full of people swimming and playing games when we went. There were lots of families picnicking around the lake also. You are able to drive, but we were told parking is limited. Since it was such a nice day, we rented bicycles. The ride was only about 15 minutes and not very challenging

Hi.

Mar 10 Vancouver, Canada

Most Recent Post

Instagram

Hi.

Mar 10 Vancouver, Canada

Mar 25 Tbilisi, Georgia

Feb 21 Prague, Czech Republic

Related Posts