Vancouver Itinerary

1. ~8:30aCoffee & a harbourside breakfast

   A flat white and a pastry on the seawall — Vancouver's coffee scene rivals the great Pacific cities, with the float planes taking off across the water.

   
2. ~9:30aCycle the Stanley Park seawall

   Rent a bike and ride the 9 km seawall around the great forested park — totem poles, the Lions Gate Bridge, beaches, and old-growth cedars, mountains across the inlet.

   
3. ~12:00pGastown & the steam clock

   The cobbled original townsite — the whistling steam clock, brick warehouses turned design shops and galleries, and the city's best cocktail bars for later.

   
4. ~1:00pA Pacific Northwest lunch

   Wild BC salmon or spot prawns at a harbourside room, or a Japadog (the famous Japanese-style hot dog) from a street cart — Vancouver's casual icon.

   
5. ~3:00pGranville Island

   Under the bridge to the public market — a food hall of BC produce, seafood, and artisan stalls, plus craft studios and a brewery, on a peninsula in False Creek.

   
6. 7:30pPublished on Main (or Kissa Tanto)Anchor table

   Vancouver's standout table — Published's refined seasonal Pacific Northwest tasting (a Canada's-100-Best fixture), or Kissa Tanto's dreamy Japanese-Italian. The marquee room; book ahead.

   

Vancouver is mountains-meet-ocean — the Stanley Park seawall is the perfect introduction, best by bike. The city's food scene is one of North America's most exciting, especially its Asian and Pacific Northwest cooking.

Day 1 in photos

1. ~9:00aCapilano Suspension Bridge

   Across the inlet to the North Shore — the swaying suspension bridge 70 m above a rainforest canyon, plus the cliffwalk and treetop walkways among the Douglas firs.

   
2. ~11:30aGrouse Mountain

   The skyride gondola up the local peak — lumberjack shows and grizzlies in summer, skiing in winter, and the whole city, sea, and islands spread out below.

   
3. ~1:30pMountain or North Shore lunch

   A peak-top lodge lunch with the view, or down in Lower Lonsdale for a craft beer and Pacific fare at the Shipyards.

   
4. ~3:30pLynn Canyon or a rainforest trail

   The free Lynn Canyon suspension bridge and swimming holes, or an easy old-growth trail — temperate rainforest minutes from downtown.

5. ~6:30pDinner back in the city

   Back across to the West End or Yaletown — sushi (Vancouver's is world-class) or a seasonal room with a BC wine.

   

The North Shore mountains are right across the harbour — Capilano and Grouse make an easy half-day in the rainforest and the heights. Vancouver's sushi is among the best outside Japan; it's worth a dinner.

Day 2 in photos

1. ~9:30aChinatown & Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden

   North America's oldest classical Chinese garden — a serene Ming-style courtyard — and the historic Chinatown around it, layered and changing.

   
2. ~11:30aMain Street or Commercial Drive

   The independent heart of the city — vintage, design, and record shops, indie coffee, and murals; Vancouver's creative, lived-in side.

   
3. ~1:00pA multicultural lunch

   Vancouver eats globally — dim sum in Richmond's famed Chinese scene if you venture south, or a Vietnamese, Persian, or Japanese spot in the city. Order beyond the obvious.

   
4. ~3:00pKitsilano & the beach

   Across to laid-back Kits — the beach with its skyline-and-mountain view, the saltwater Kitsilano Pool, and the Museum of Anthropology's superb First Nations collection nearby at UBC.

   
5. ~6:30pSunset over English Bay

   English Bay or Jericho Beach for the Pacific sunset, the freighters at anchor, and the mountains going pink — Vancouver's nightly gathering.

   

Vancouver's neighbourhoods reward wandering, and its diversity is its great food strength — eat across cultures. The UBC Museum of Anthropology is the place to understand the coast's First Nations art and history.

Day 3 in photos