Vancouver has got it all. Ocean? Forests? Flowers? City? It is all within a half hour distance. I also enjoyed strolling through the Gabled neighborhood homes. It’s seriously amazing. I’m convinced I’m ready to move there. This blog includes the top Must-See sites in Vancouver along with restaurant recommendations and a Travel FAQ.
Stanley Park
If you love any part about nature you will love Stanley Park! Stanley Park is a small peninsula in Northeast Vancouver filled with various trees, trails, and lagoons and surrounded by Vancouver Harbour and the English Bay. There are also various animals that can be seen on the grounds such as birds in the trees or sea life at the on-site aquarium. You can take a horse-drawn carriage to explore the park, rent a bike, or walk for miles like we did.
There is a 6 mile trail, Seawall walk, that takes you around the peninsula at the edge of the water. Here you can find Sawish Rock!
Cody and I went through the park instead of around it stopping at fields with cherry blossoms, Lost Lagoon, Beaver’s Lake, and going into the forest on Lover’s Trail. Stanley Park map can be found HERE.
Everything about Stanley Park was gorgeous and peaceful. We spent around 4 hours here but didn’t stop at the aquarium or eat there or even explore all of it. An entire day or even multiple days can be spent here. If money allowed, I would have liked to rent a bike and ride it around Seawall Walk.
Downtown Vancouver
You can find this Steam clock on the corner of Beatty and Georgia. It is one of six working steam clocks in the entire world and likely the second ever constructed.
Make your way down to Burrard Street to find the Marine Building, an art-deco skyscraper most notably features as “The Daily Planet” in Smallville and “Baxter Building” in Fantastic Four. It is named the “Marine Building” due to its ornate sea decor on the inside and out and tinted with sea foam green.
Other notable buildings in Vancouver are Hotel Europe, a flatiron building, and Trump International Hotel, a twisting tower.
Downtown Vancouver is filled with Restaurants and Bars. I particularly liked Thierry, an extravagant dessert cafe. I went there the night of my birthday and ordered a slice of, Gateaux Cassis, a chocolate and raspberry mousse cake topped with chocolate meringue. It was delicious and a lot of fun. It reminded me of Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego.
VanDusen Botanical Garden
After visiting Butchart Gardens in Victoria, I didn’t think any other Garden could compare. I didn’t have high expectations for VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver but it was surprisingly large and still absolutely beautiful.
My favorite was the cute hedge maze that was fairly difficult to navigate. If money allowed, I would have LOVED to buy the picnic basket option from cafe and go have a nice picnic in the garden near the pond.
Travel FAQ
Stay:
We stayed at an Airbnb to cut costs. Vancouver Airbnbs fill up a lot quicker than Victoria’s and it is rare to find one without a shared bathroom! I would recommend booking over a month before your trip.
USE THE LINK BELOW TO EARN $55 OFF YOUR FIRST AIRBNB:
https://www.airbnb.com/c/leannah584?currency=USD
Travel:
Flight: AirCanada.
Bus: The bus system is a little weirder. You have to get a new compass card every day from London Drug store, or at the airport or ferry it is slightly inconvenient. This loads a day pass for $10 and can take you just about anywhere in Vancouver. I wasted money on buying an online reloadable one but you have to have a Canadian address to reload it. Since it is more populated bus rides take longer than in Victoria. Another option we considered was Zipcar, there are convenient Zipcar locations there. Uber and Lyft is not yet available in BC.
Ferry: To get from Vancouver to Victoria, and vice versa, we took a Ferry which is $17/person.
If you are completely running on public transportation you will also have to take a few busses with separate bus tickets for the Victoria system and the Vancouver system.
