Vancouver Travel Guide
How can I spend 4 days in Vancouver? You don’t want to miss anything and are looking for the best prices? Worry not! This guide will help you plan your trip so you can enjoy your trip to the fullest. Vancouver has it all: impressive mountains, rewarding trails, ocean views, and delicious restaurants. Here is a list of recommended activities you could do:
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History
Because of its location near Fraser River and the western coast of Canada, Vancouver has always been a place to meet for trade and to settle. According to members of the First Nations, the presence of its first inhabitants dates to 8 000 to 10 000 years ago when the glaciers of the ice age began to disappear. After being discovered by Spanish Captain José Maria Narvaez in 1791 and British Captain George Vancouver in 1792, the area was settled by Europeans in 1862. The city developed rapidly upon the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in late 1885. source
The CPR had two major problems: not enough money tofundd the project and not enough workers. The problems were solved by the government sending millions of dollars to the project and employing around 15 000 Chinese workers. Many waves of immigration followed once the railway was completed. source
Budget
If you plan on renting a car, paying for parking, and having enough money for activities, I’d say it would cost you around 350$ per day.
Let’s break it down:
Vancouver budget estimation
Transportation
Vancouver has great public transportation but we decided to book a car for our stay so we could do all the activities we planned. You have no choice but to get a car or book a tour if you want to travel long distances like Capilano Bridge or even Whistler.
To get the best price, make sure to book in advance. It cost us an average of 100$ per day but you can save much more on a car by booking here. With Economybookings, if you are not too picky and take the dealer’s choice, you can get crazy specials. 44$ for a day is a great deal!
For public transportation, you can get tickets for about 10$ and include unlimited rides for the day in all buses, Skytrain, and Seabus ferries in any zone. To buy tickets: the Translink website
Top Activities
Here is a list of our recommended activities in Vancouver:
Vancouver Lookout Tower
Open from 7 am to 10 pm
The Vancouver Lookout is the best place to get an aerial view to be able to get a good idea about what Vancouver has to offer: from snowy mountains to famous landmarks and a view of the Strait of Georgia.
Built in 1977, a glass elevator brings you to the top of the tower where you can enjoy a 360-degree view of the whole area.
Price: 18.25$ for adults 13.25$ for students and children
To reserve your tickets, click here.
Visit Gastown and Downtown
As the first neighborhood of Vancouver during its early days, Gastown was named after a steamboat captain, barkeep, and seaman from Yorkshire who arrived in 1867 and opened the first saloon in the area. ‘Gassy’ Jack Deighton was known to talk a lot (known as ‘gassing’) and the area became known as Gassy’s town, changing later to Gastown. source
This area is filled with souvenir shops, breweries, restaurants, and Victorian architecture and is the perfect place to stroll around and discover the city’s charm.
If you walk a bit into Gastown, you will soon notice a famous landmark: Gastown Steam Clock which will give you a little show every quarter-hour. For more about the clock, check out this article.
Video of the Steam Clock
If you walk near the water, you will soon arrive at the Olympic Cauldron where you will find great restaurants and great ambiance to spend your evening.
Canada Place
My wife’s favorite place in Vancouver was Canada Place. We parked there and strolled enjoying the view of the bay and even got to see sea lions on a daily basis. It was also a great place to spend the evening with a great nightlife atmosphere and delicious restaurants.
If you are interested, you can do the FlyOver Experience where you get to soar to different places in Canada from the Rockies to Niagara Falls in an immersive experience where you get to feel the movement, feel the sensation, and smell nature. The regular price of the experience is from 35$ to 54$ per person but if you book with this link, you can buy tickets for cheaper.
Bloedel Conservatory and Queen Elizabeth Park
As a photographer in Vancouver, one of my favorite places for pictures was without a doubt Bloedel Conservatory. With more than 100 exotic birds and 500 exotic plants to shoot, it was a photographer’s paradise. With birds moving freely inside the giant dome, I felt like every picture was a challenge and an accomplishment. This amazing experience was worth every penny!
Here are some of the shots, I took:
The price of admission is 8.29$ for adults, about 5$ for kids, and 5.82$ for seniors.
Get a discount on your ticket if you book here
For Queen Elizabeth Park, you just need to walk behind the conservatory. The entrance is free and offers you a nice trail to admire the plants and garden. There is a cute wooden bridge that is a good place for pictures.
For a complete 4h tour of all the gardens, book this tour
It is also a great place to take pictures of the city of Vancouver with the mountains in the background.
Grandville Island Public Market
Another great stop in Vancouver is Granville Island. The Public Market is the place to be to find local products and try local food. We loved it so much, we went twice during our trip. You have to try the local beer from Granville Brewery, the lobster roll from The Lobster Man, and the donuts from Lee’s donuts.
You can spend a few hours walking the streets, visiting the shops and restaurants, and enjoying the harbor. It is a great place for sunset and gelato.
Granville Island is also the place to go for Whale Watching with Prince of Whales.
Whale Watching
My wife was so excited to see orcas. We checked the reviews and chose this company because we saw many comments saying they saw orcas that week. However, we were disappointed not to see any that day. I think that perhaps the best spot to see them would be Telegraph Cove or Victoria. Too bad! We will have to go to Vancouver again. We still got to see some wildlife like two bald eagles, three sea lions, and three humpback whales.
Booking with Prince of Whales cost us 189$ each for half a day (5 hours). The good thing about Prince of Whales is that each boat comes with a photographer and he will send you the pictures at the end of the trip for free (included with the price).
Book with Viator to get your ticket at 178$ instead.
Stanley Park
Stanley Park opened in 1888 and has 400 hectares of West Coast rainforest as well as beautiful view of the city. This park is open from 6 am to 10pm and is a great place to see the sunset.There are a lot of viewpoints and you could spend the whole day there exploring the park beacause it is so big.
To download Stanley Park’s map, click here.
I strongly recommend you make it to the park before 9 pm so you can witness the 9 O’clock Gun shoot. Back in the day, it was used as a time signal so everyone would adjust their time accurately.
There is also a long trail that goes all the way around the park and a great place to take pictures of the Lions Gate Bridge. You can find Vancouver Aquarium inside the park, which is Canada’s largest aquarium.
Visit the beaches
Vancouver has many beaches to discover during the summer but the most popular and the ones we recommend are Kitsilano Beach and Jericho Beach. The water can be very cold so swimmers don’t stay too long. There are lots of spots for beach volleyball, having a picnic or just relaxing by the water.
Science World
This place looks very intriguing from the outside. However, it was too expensive for our budget so we decided to skip this attraction. The tickets cost 33$ per person and the exhibition is mostly aimed at kids. They get to experience science by manipulating objects, learning about how the body works, getting to access the science lab…
Here is the official website for the tickets.
Museum of Vancouver
This building’s unique architecture is a great stop to take pictures. However, we were disappointed that the exhibit were so pricy for what they were. We weren’t impressed because we felt like we wasted our money. It tells us about the history of Vancouver and the story of the natives but the place didn’t have much to offer visually and there was not much interaction.
The Museum is open from 8 am to 5 pm and to 8 pm on Thu-Fri-Sat.
The tickets costs 20$. You can book here.
Capilano Suspension Bridge
Located 24 minutes North of Vancouver, you will find a fun day trip to enjoy adventure in nature. Venture up in the tree on a suspended bridge and elevated wooden platforms.
Expect to pay 66.95$ per adult, about 30$ for children, and 62$ for seniors.
The best price would be on the official website. Click here to buy your tickets in advance.
Once you pass the suspended bridge, there is a cantine where you can stop for a snack or ice cream, and further ahead, they have a conservation area for birds of prey and will show them out at certain hours. It’s free so you should check it out. I was delighted to see owls.
Grouse Mountain
Photo by Unma Desai on Unsplash
Grouse Mountain is a popular tourist destination to visit in Vancouver. We lacked time and the budget to go so I wish to return one day to try it out.
The gondola ticket to go on top is 75$ and there are a lot of activities available. You could go ziplining, hiking, view a bird show, go disk golfing, see brown bears and they even have shows on top of the mountain.
Here is a list of activities on the official website to see the status during your visit.
Lighthouse Park
Lighthouse park is in West Vancouver and is 75 hectares of land to hike and discover.
Open from 7 am to 10 pm, the trails bring you to magnificent viewpoints of the city and the bay.
Here is the map of the trails.
Visit Whistler
If you are ready to drive approximately 2 hours from Vancouver, Whistler would be a great destination for you. Whistler is an amazing winter destination but can be interesting during summer too. From climbing the Via Ferrata to riding the gondola and hiking to see bears, there are a lot of things to do. Here is a list of activities and the prices if you are planning a visit.
Map
Suggested Itinerary
Day 1: Discovering the city
Vancouver Lookout - Gastown - Canada Place - Downtown Vancouver
Day 2: Driving day
Capilano Suspension Bridge - Granville Island and Market - Robson Street- Stanley Park
or
Capilano Suspension Bridge - Grouse Mountain - Whistler
Day 3: Water day
Whale watching - Kitsilano Beach and Jericho Beach - Science Center - Yaletown
Day 4: Garden day
Bloedel Conservatory - Queen Elizabeth Gardens - Vancouver Museum - Canada Place
Where to stay
Best Deal
Samesun Vancouver
This hotel has free breakfast and free wifi and has excellent reviews. With its location at the heart of the city, it makes it the perfect spot to spend the night and be close to all the attractions the city has to offer.
The price per night should be around 300 to 400$.
Click on the picture to book.
Budget
Sun House
If you are looking for the cheapest place with great reviews, this is the place to check. With a score of 9.2 and 243 reviews, a room in this property will only cost you around 100$ per night. Lots of comments recommend this place for cleanliness and being close to attractions.
Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport in Richmond
This is the hotel we stayed in for our trip. The room was clean, and spacious and it was the closest to the airport. If you are planning a short trip or a transit flight, this is the place to go. It even has a training room.
Rooms cost around 300 to 350$ depending on the day you book.
Click on the picture to book.
Luxury
Located in downtown Vancouver, this luxurious hotel has everything you need: massages, a fitness center, a spa, valet parking, free wifi, a great restaurant and much more!
With more than a thousand reviews, it has an overall score of 9.2.
Rooms cost around 800-900$ per night.
Click on the picture to book.
Book a tour
Conclusion
Vancouver is my favorite big city in Canada and I enjoyed my time there. I can’t wait to go back again in a few years to do the activities I wasn’t able to do this time. It can get quite expensive so you have to budget well and keep track of your spending. I enjoyed being in the city, nature coexisting with the buildings and the combination of the water and the mountains. I can see now why people go to Vancouver and decide to stay for good.
See you later Vancouver!
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