Vancouver, Canada

In March 2018, we partnered with our travel agent for a quick getaway to Canada. We spent our first three days in Whistler, and then enjoyed two days in the beautiful city of Vancouver. We mapped out all of our activities ourselves, and with Shane’s guidance in hotel and central location, were able to walk to almost everywhere! Read on to see our two-day itinerary of Vancouver!

We flew into Vancouver airport and had transportation arranged to take us to and from Whistler. Our driver dropped us off at our hotel at around 11:00 am and we left our luggage with the bell hop and hit the ground running (per usual).

Our Hotel

View from our hotel.

We stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. Our Room was a Deluxe Executive Suite Preferred View. In 2020 it permanently closed but here are some other hotel options nearby:

• Windsor Guest House

• Best Western Plus Uptown Hotel

Everything else is on the way towards Stanley Park (closer to it).

• Holiday Inn Vancouver Downtown

• Auberge Vancouver Hotel

• Hyatt Regency Vancouver

• La Grande Residence at Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver

• The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver

• Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel

• And many many more!

Stanley Park

We took a nice 43-minute walk over to Stanley Park for our first stop of the day. Our walk took us through the city but was basically a straight shot and we were able to get our bearings of the city a bit and take in our surroundings.

Image taken from www.mapquest.com

Image taken from stanley-park-map.jpg (1000×900) (dailyhive.com)

I could literally write an entire blog just dedicated to Stanley Park. We spent about 3/4 of our day here because there was so much to see and do (and we did not get to half of it).

• The park is open year round from 6am until 10pm daily.

• The park is free to visit and most of the activities are free as well!

• The park consists of 405 hectares and is the largest park in British Columbia (not Canada) and is even larger than Central Park (NYC).

• There are tons of places to park if you arriving by car. There is a large parking lot over by Stanley Park Brewing and another by Third Beach. You can purchase seasonal or annual parking passes, or October 1-March 30 it costs $2.75 CAD per hour/$7.75 CAD per day. April 1- September 30 it costs $3.75 CAD per hour/$14.25 CAD per day.

Some Activities Include:

• Guided Tours

• Rent Bikes

  • Spokes Bicycle Rentals is just outside the park and offers rentals for $12 CAD per hour and includes helmets, locks, and baskets. They also offer half and full day rentals.

• Bike/Walk/Run the Seawall

  • The views are incredible along the seawall. It goes for 5.6 miles around the park and takes about one hour to bike (but it does extend past the park if you are looking for a longer ride). It also has dedicated bike lanes.

• Guided Tour of the Park

• Ride the Stanley Park Train

  • 15 minutes on a vintage train that goes through the park. Between $7-$15 CAD.

• Explore the Trails

  • There are 17 miles to explore, and you can use google maps to navigate the lush forest of the park. Here are a few of the most popular ones:

• Visit the Aquarium (see below)

• Eat at the Teahouse

• Have a picnic in one of the many Picnic Areas

  • Shelter and cooking facilities available in some of the reservable areas.

  • Lumbermen’s Arch Picnic Area and Brockton Point Picnic Area are nice and first come first serve.

• Check out the Totem Poles near Brockton Point (see below)

• Stanley Park Waterpark (splash park)

  • Open 10a-7p seven days a week June through September. Near picnic tables, a nice grassy area, concessions, and washrooms.

• Brockton Point Lighthouse

• Stroll through the Rose Garden

  • 3500 rose bushes and free to visit!

• Ted & Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden

• Shakespeare Garden

• Rock Garden

• Check out the 9 O’clock Gun

  • Hear the cannon that goes off every evening and has for over a century.

• Tennis Courts

  • First come first serve play is allowed for 30 minutes at a time on any of their 11 courts (if someone is waiting). You can also reserve 6 of the courts for up to two hours of play in advance.

• Visit the Beaches

  • Second Beach-Sandy beach with a concession stand, a bathroom, a lifeguard during the summer months, next to paid parking, and an outdoor heated pool. The pool is 262 feet long with a children’s area and a waterslide and is open May through September.

  • Third Beach -along the seawall, next to paid parking, concessions, restrooms, and during the summer months there is a lifeguard.

• View Lions Gate Bridge

  • Best views are from Prospect Point Park

• Stanley Park Pitch & Putt Golf

  • 18 holes $15 CAD

• Try some local brews at Stanley Park Brewing

• Enjoy a horse drawn carriage through the park

  • You can enjoy a tour from any of the carriages first come first serve. The tours are an hour long and are around $50 CAD.

  • You can also use the link below to pre schedule a more in depth tour.

Vancouver Aquarium

After taking in some fresh air in Stanley Park, we decided to spend a little time inside and popped into the Aquarium. This is the largest aquarium in Canada with 30 exhibits from the tropics to the arctics and around 65,000 animals.

Ticket prices vary by the day but range from $39.95 CAD-$51.95 CAD for adults and the website states that visitors and members must book tickets in advance to control the number of visitors in the Aquarium. All tickets have timed entry.

The Aquarium is open daily from 10am-5pm.

Map taken from www.vanaqua.org/visit

Besides just roaming through each exhibit and spending time observing each exciting creature, there are activities you can engage in as well.

• Touch Pools (spread out throughout and featuring different critters).

• Gift shop.

• Photo experience where you can get a souvenir photo in front of a green screen and choose from tons of fun backgrounds.

• Clownfish Cove-designed for children 8 and younger (includes touch table and reading nook).

• BBC Earth’s Shark: A 4D Experience (a 15-minute film).

• Wet Lab: (only open Saturdays and Sundays 10a-4p) allows you to touch animals like crabs, anemones, sea stars, shrimps, etc.

There were also several demonstrations and animal interactions that happened throughout the day. Check out some of the video clips below to see the penguin, dolphin, and sea lion encounters we got to experience.

TOTEM Poles

Another mile from the Aquarium (about a 14-minute walk and still inside Stanley Park) was an incredible section of the park that was full of Totem Poles. It is located at the Brockton Point Visitor Centre which is also the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people. There is also a giftshop nearby.

Gastown

After a long day of exploring, we took a cab down to Gastown to see the famous Steam Clock and to have dinner at The Flying Pig. Gastown has been designated a national historical site and is the old town of Vancouver. It is full of lovely heritage brick buildings, historic character, delightful restaurants, art galleries, tourist shops, and lots and lots to look at. It makes for a great night of wandering around and enjoying the scenery and local restaurants. You could even do a food tour in this area!

Granville Island Public Market

The next morning, we got a super early start by catching a water taxi and heading to the Granville Island Public Market.

We walked the 12 minutes (0.6 miles) to the Plaza Of Nations Aquabus Dock to hitch a ride to Granville Island. From that station, the Aquabus runs Monday through Sunday from 7:22am-8:37pm every 15 minutes. The tickets cost $7 CAD per person one way. The Aquabus took us directly to the dock between the public market and the Arts Club Theatre on Granville Island (it was perfect). If you need to park there, it is $3 CAD an hour on weekdays and $4 CAD an hour on weekends. My husband normally gets carsick, airsick, you name it, but he handled the Aquabus with no issues whatsoever and the ride was only about 10 minutes.

Photo of map taken from www.theaquabus.com

The Granville Public Market was our primary destination and it was well worth getting up early for!!

It is open 7 days a week from 9am-6pm and has around 150 independent food purveyors. There was everything from bagels and muffins, to noodles, to seafood. If you get hungry, this is a great place to go and try some fresh local food!!

We indulged in some treats from The Muffin Granny while walking the stalls (there are lots of public seats and tables as well to pop a squat).

Next, we walked around the shops and area outside known as the Net Loft Shops & Artisan District. There is everything from antiques, to art, to clothing. You can find some of Canada’s best artists and designers work in these shops and stalls. These shops are open Monday through Sunday 10am-6pm.

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

Next, we hopped in an Uber and rode over to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. It was about a 26-minute ride (7.4 miles).

• The park is open:

  • April 29-September 4 from 8:30am-7pm

  • September 5-October 12 9am-9pm

  • October 13-October 31 10am-8pm

  • They are only closed on December 25th!

• It costs $62.95 CAD per adult for a ticket if you purchase them in advance online and the ticket is for a specific day and has timed entry.

• Parking costs $8 for 3 hours, but they also have free overflow parking and there is a shuttle that runs from the overflow parking to the entrance to the Park.

• The website suggests about 2.5-3 hours to explore the whole park (and from our personal experience, we would agree with that timeframe).

• There are many public restrooms to utilize all through the park.

• There are several options for food and snacks if you get hungry while exploring:

  • Loggers Grill

  • Cliff House Restaurant (a sit-down restaurant)

  • The Cabin

• The park is open rain or shine!

• They offer history, culture, and nature talks/tours periodically.

• There are 1.8 kilometers of paved stone paths and boardwalks so comfortable walking shoes are highly recommended.

• There is also a lovely Trading Post Gift Shop that also serves ice cream and fudge.

Park map taken from www.capbridge.com

During our visit, we basically followed the map exactly.

• We started by passing through the Story Centre.

• Next, we took some fun photos and took in some culture at the Totem Poles or the Kia’palano.

• We then made our way to and across the main attraction, the Suspension Bridge.

  • The Bridge is 450 feet long and hangs 230 feet above Capilano River. If you were to put the Statue of Liberty in the canyon, the bridge could reach her shoulders.

  • The bridge now is made of steel cables, and can hold the weight of 75 adult elephants, or a fully loaded 747 airliner.

  • It can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes to cross the bridge.

• After we made it across, we meandered through the Living Forest Exhibit (1500-year-old trees).

• We briefly passed by the Birds of Raptors Ridge.

  • Every weekend in April and May, and everyday June through September, birds are brought out with their handlers for educational chats with visitors. There was not one going on while we were there, so we kept on moving.

• We made a pit stop at The Cabin and tired the park specialty Otter Balls (they were kind of like donut holes).

• After some nourishment, Ash and I explored the Treetop Adventure.

  • It is reclaimed timer framed treehouses and towering canopy platforms interconnected with seven suspension bridges.

  • The highest point is 110 feet above the forest floor.

• After the treetops, we got grounded again by walking through the Natures Edge Trail and enjoying the lovely scenery.

• We made our way back across the bridge to the Cliff Walk.

  • The walk is 30 Storeys above the Capilano River.

  • It consists of narrow walkways, stairs, and viewing platforms that are anchored to the cliff.

  • 700 feet long walk along the Capilano Canyon (the length of three and a half hockey rinks).

  • Supported by only 16 anchor points set into the cliff.

• We went in the Trading Post to check out the merchandise before catching a cab to our next destination.

Chinatown

After our morning in the forest, we decided to grab some lunch and explore Chinatown. We grabbed an Uber from the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and rode the 26 minutes (6.7 miles) back into the city. Chinatown was established in the 19th century in Vancouver and is a National Historic site.

Chinatown map image taken from www.vancouver-chinatown.com

We were starving, so after we took some photos at the Millennium gate and the Stone Lions, we walked a few blocks until we found a restaurant that had a good variety and had some lunch. After we had our fill, we wandered over to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s Park.

• The Park is next to the Classical Chinese Garden.

  • The Garden is open Wednesday-Sunday from 9:30am-4pm and costs $16 CAD per adult to visit (we had already had our fill of nature for the day and did not partake).

  • The Park is managed by the city and is free to visit.

  • The Park and gardens were actually designed together and share a lot of the same views (it was stunning).

  • The Park is also right next to the Memorial Courtyard (which we also visited).

• Some other things you can do in Chinatown are:

  • Visit and enjoy one of the many Chinese Tea shops.

  • Take photos by the Millennium Gate (established in 2002) flanked by the Stone Lions (see our photos below).

  • Stop in one of the Chinese Bakeries for a sweet or savory treat.

  • Visit the Vancouver Police Museum.

Vancouver Art Gallery

Before we caught our flight home, we decided we wanted to take in one more activity. We walked 3 minutes from the hotel (.2 miles) to the Bellaggio Cafe for breakfast and then made our way the 223 feet (1 min walk) over to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The gallery is ever evolving with constant changes to exhibits and events, but while we were there the main exhibit was Takashi Murakami and it was a true visual delight. We spent about two hours and primarily focused on this exhibit but depending on how much you appreciate art, this could be a few hour situation, or an all-day event for you.

• The gallery is open Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday 10am-5pm, Thursday and Friday 10am-8pm, and closed on Tuesdays.

• It costs $29 CAD per adult to enter the gallery, but is free for patrons 18 and under, and the first Friday of every month it is free for everyone.

• The gallery also has a shop and bistro for patrons to enjoy.

• The gallery is a not-for-profit organization supported by its members, individual donors, corporate funders, foundations, the City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

If Vancouver is on your list, I hope this helps you plan out your time. There is so much to see and do, but one of the things we loved was how close everything was, and how central we were to it all. That definitely helped us when planning so many activities into our two (and a half) days. Safe travels!!