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Travel guide
Vancouver
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to September (the dry season)
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Welcome
Vancouver, in a few days
Squeezed between the Pacific and the North Shore mountains, Vancouver runs an 8.8 km seawall around a 400-hectare forest park on the edge of downtown. Twenty minutes from the glass towers, a cable car climbs Grouse Mountain to 1,231 metres.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Stanley Park and the seawall free · about 2 hA 400-hectare forest of Douglas fir and red cedar, a park since 1888, circled by a flat 8.8 km seawall for walkers and cyclists.
- Afternoon · Gastown and the steam clock free · about 1 hThe city's birthplace, cobbled streets rebuilt in brick after the 1886 fire, with a 1977 steam clock that whistles on the district heating system.
🛏️ Where to sleep · The Sylvia Hotel€135 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden · about 45 minThe first Ming-style scholar's garden built outside China, finished in 1986 by 52 craftsmen from Suzhou using traditional methods, without nails or glue.
- Afternoon · Granville Island Public Market free · about 1 h 30Smoked salmon, Vancouver Island cheeses, sourdough and Fraser Valley berries in a former industrial area, a market since 1979, beside a working cement plant.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Blue Horizon Hotel€125 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Kitsilano Beach free · half a dayA long sandy beach facing the West End towers, with a heated 137-metre saltwater pool, the longest in Canada, open from mid-May to mid-September.
- Afternoon · UBC Museum of Anthropology · about 1 h 30Arthur Erickson's 1976 concrete and glass building on a cliff, where Haida, Kwakwaka'wakw and Nisga'a totem poles stand against a wall of glass.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sandman Hotel Vancouver City Centre€120 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Capilano Suspension Bridge · about 2 hA 137-metre deck hung 70 metres above the Capilano River, successor to an 1889 bridge of hemp rope and cedar planks.
- Afternoon · Grouse Mountain · half a dayA 1,231-metre peak reached by a 100-person cable car, with two orphaned grizzly bears, summer lumberjack shows and a wind turbine you can go up.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Best Western Plus Sands€140 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Poutine: chips, cheese curds and brown gravy, from Quebec but sold everywhere.
- Maple syrup: on pancakes, on bacon, on just about anything.
- Tourtière: the spiced meat pie of Quebec, eaten at Christmas and all winter.
- Pacific salmon: smoked, grilled or cooked on a cedar plank, the pride of British Columbia.
- BeaverTails: fried dough stretched flat and sugared, with a shop on Banff Avenue.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Underestimating the distances: Vancouver to Banff alone is around 850 km, so plan the driving days.
- Forgetting that sales tax is added at the till, and that restaurants expect a tip of 15 to 20%.
- Getting close to wildlife: Parks Canada asks for 100 metres from bears and 30 metres from elk.
- Leaving bookings late: Moraine Lake shuttles and park campsites fill months ahead for summer.
- Packing for summer only: mountain weather turns fast, even in July, so bring a warm layer and rain gear.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyCanadian dollar (CAD)
BudgetAbout €155 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to September (the dry season)
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingExpected, 15 to 20%
Emergency911
EntryNo visa for EU, UK and Australian passports for visits of up to six months, but you need an eTA (an electronic travel authorisation, applied for online) to arrive by air. US citizens need neither a visa nor an eTA.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/vancouver
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.