top 10 things to do in
top 10 things to do in
Vancouver has it all – great food, incredible mountain views, beautiful shores, a cool park inside the city, and so much more. Within a 2 hour drive from the city there are literally weeks worth of activities to choose from.
Overall, we had an amazing time in Vancouver and look forward to getting back some day. In the meantime, here’s a list of our Top 10 Things to Do in Vancouver.
1. Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a great way to see Vancouver. We rented a bike and rode around the perimeter giving us different views of the city. The scenic water, bridges and trees are a great reason to take it slow when exploring Stanley Park. It is after all just over 1000 acres, so there’s a ton to see from beaches, walking trails, a train ride and even a water park. You can definitely spend an entire day enjoying the sights and activities of Stanley Park.
2. Granville Island
We really enjoyed walking around Granville Island for a few hours. It’s filled with unique shops, restaurants and plenty of art galleries. Granville Island also has a huge market if you’re looking for produce or other local goodies. It’s almost like a mini city on a small island. It’s right next to downtown Vancouver, so you can easily get there via car, cab, bus or bike. If you take your time like we did it’s a perfect place to spend a few hours between meals and you’re bound to find some art that you’ll want to buy.
3. English Bay Beach
There aren’t many major cities with a beach so close to the heart of downtown. English Bay Beach is located on the west coast of Vancouver and is the perfect place to get away from the big city for an afternoon. It also leads right to Stanley Park if you want to see them both on the same day. We had a great time walking along the water, people watching and just taking it easy. You get a great view of the bay and mountains in the distance.
4. Sea to Sky Highway
If there’s one thing we had to have on our Top 10 Things to Do in Vancouver list it’s drive the Sea to Sky Highway. You’ll see some of the most stunning views you’ve ever seen. Plan for an entire day at a laid back pace since you’re only covering about 3 hours round trip of driving.
There are so many incredible stops along the way from simple lookouts and vistas to staggering waterfalls. If you take the Sea to Sky Gondola you could even spend an entire day just hiking the trails and walking along the insane suspension bridges. Whatever you do, don’t skip this drive.
5. Lighthouse Park
We really enjoyed this short hike around the western Vancouver shoreline. The park itself is pretty big and we think you’ll enjoy any of the hikes that you choose to do. But of course the one to see if you only have a few hours is definitely the Lighthouse Viewpoint. The lighthouse has been a National Historic Site since 1870 and makes for magnificent photos.
6. Porteau Cove Park
Stop by Porteau Cove Provincial Park and you’ll be rewarded with some truly stunning views of Howe Sound and the surrounding mountains. You can also camp here and spend even more time exploring the park. For us it was absolutely worth a quick stop to take it all in and get some great photos.
7. Shannon Falls
Shannon Falls is the 3rd highest waterfall in British Columbia and it’s just a 5 minute walk from the parking lot. We’ve seen a lot of waterfalls from Iceland to Hawaii and this is one we definitely will remember.
Shannon Falls has a sleek and unique shape to it. It’s not just straight down like so many waterfalls. This quick stop is a must on the Sea to Sky Highway.
8. Brandywine Falls
A quick 10 minute walk gets you right to the base of Brandywine Falls for some incredible views of this 220ft waterfall. The water pours straight down into a vast canyon when you can walk around and get as close or as wet as you’d like. Like so many stops on the Sea to Sky Highway, Brandywine Falls is right off the main road and well worth a visit.
9. Tantalus Lookout
This is one of the best lookouts you’ll find of the Tantalus Mountain Range and it’s right off the highway. Why wouldn’t you stop here? But seriously don’t miss the sign for this lookout. It’s a view that we still think about today.
10. Sea to Sky Experience
The Sea to Sky Experience is somewhere you could easily spend an entire day enjoying. Now if you’re afraid of heights (like Josh) this may not be your cup of tea. But if you can make it up the Sea to Sky Gondola you’ll be blown away with the incredible views. There’s a staggering 300ft suspension bridge that will seriously put your fear of heights to the test plus tons of walking and hiking trails. During the winter they even have tubing, so there’s never a bad time to ride up the Gondola and be blown away.
Bonus! Take a Day Trip
If you have an extra day we highly recommend a day trip to Mount Baker. We explored this incredible mountain when driving back to Seattle from Vancouver, but it’s only 2 hours from Vancouver. You will be amazed at the views from Artist Point. It has given us some of our absolute favorite pictures we’ve ever taken. You’ll be able to get the beautiful green tree lines mixed with the pure white snow capped mountains all in the same picture. Don’t miss Picture Lake and Heather Meadows. They’re both truly incredible areas to explore.
So that’s it for our list of the Top 10 Things to Do in Vancouver. We hope you visit Vancouver yourself and see why we love it so much! Let us know in the comment section below if we can help.
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We love traveling together to see incredible places and eat as much delicious vegan food as possible. This site is our way of helping you plan your perfect trip based on our experiences.
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