Time Zone: PST, same time zone as San Francisco
Travel time from SF (one-way): ~2.5 hours
Direct flights available: Yes
Length of trip: 3 days
Last visited: March 2008
hits & misses
Hits
+ Stanley Park, and the Sea Wall
+ Granville Island
+ Asian food galore
Misses
- Chinatown
itinerary & thoughts
This is a tough one for me. Being a Vancouver native, it pains me to even *try* to boil down my hometown into 3 days. The good news is, you won't run out of things to do in 3 days, or 7 or 14. Biases aside, Vancouver is truly a world-class city. It's blessed with both mountains and the ocean, and a wonderful mosaic of diverse peoples, cultures, and cuisines. Top that off with some good ol' Canadian hospitality, and you've got yourself a perfect place to visit for any amount of time, no matter what your interests are. In keeping with the theme of this blog, I'll give you my 3-day version of my perfect Vancouver trip, but if you want more (especially detailed recommendations on food) -- check out my much longer "Vancouver Guide" and accompanying travel map. You won't regret it.
8pm - Kickstart your weekend by taking an evening flight into Vancouver. Don't forget your passport; you'll need it to get into Canada and to return to the US. Check in to the Opus Hotel, Vancouver's answer to boutiquey hip in the trendy Yaletown area of downtown. Last time I was there, I was in a "yellow" room with a fireplace, but the hotel has rooms in a bunch of different decor colours, too.
9pm - Dinner at Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown. Just a short stroll from Opus, this is one of my favourite seafood restaurants in the city. In true Pacific Northwest style, the freshest seafood is also served alongside hand-crafted sushi. The seafood tower is not to be missed -- but do try to share. :)
11pm - Time to hit the town! In Vancouver, that can mean anything from hitting up clubs in the Granville Street area downtown, returning to Opus's Elixir Bar (a hotspot to see and be seen), or grabbing a coffee. Yes, coffee. Many coffee shops (including the five gazillion Starbucks locations) are open until midnight or later, and it's perfectly normal for Vancouverites to meet up with their friends to catch up over coffee after dinner. For something a little more decadent, head check out the Chocolate Buffet at the Sutton Place Hotel (call for availability).
saturday
8am - Rise and shine and head to Granville Island. You can go by car, but it's more fun to take the False Creek Ferry from the pier near Opus which drops you off right at Granville Island on the other side of False Creek. By the way, Granville Island is not really an island -- it's just an area below the Granville Street Bridge. Check out the Public Market and eat your way through it for breakfast. The line will be long for bread at Stuart's, but grab a baguette and start munching. The Stock Market always has at least 3 different kinds of soups made fresh daily (1 meat, 1 fish, 1 veggie), as well as a lot of other soups and sauces that you can take home. Many artist studios will also be open on Saturday so you can explore and shop for some one of a kind artwork.
11:30 -I would do lunch at Bridges on the patio if the weather is nice, and then stop by at the Granville Island Brewery (yes, they give tours and tastings) for a drink before or after.
2pm - Saturday afternoon is a great time to mingle with the crowds and people watch on Robson street. It's the most famous shopping street in town, and you'll find everything from souvenir shops to recognizable chains like Zara and Armani Exchange. Don't forget to check out hometown favourite lululemon athletica for some yoga or "lifestyle" apparel. Tip: their workout pants really do work miracles, which is why every woman in Vancouver has at least one pair, and they do hemming for free.
5:30pm - Dinner at Tojo's (reservations highly recommended), considered by many to be the premier Japanese restaurant in Vancouver. The key is to secure a seat at the sushi bar and order the omakase (chef's tasting menu) -- you have less control over what you get to eat, but you'll be guaranteed to have an amazing dining experience, down to every last detail. This is not your standard sushi rolls and nigiri kind of joint! :)
8pm - If it's summer, you should check out Bard on the Beach, Vancouver's annual Shakespeare Festival held under giant tents in Vanier Park. Seating is unassigned, and locals tend to show up early to 'tag" their seats with post-it notes to get good spots. Bring your sunglasses as the sun typically sets behind the stage in the open-air tent. Another summer event to look out for is the annual Celebration of Light fireworks competition, which happens over multiple evenings in the summer.
sunday
8:30am - Yes, it's early, but you gotta go early to beat the crowds. Head to the beautiful Stanley Park, located at the edge of downtown and right on English Bay. The Sea Wall encircles the entire park and makes a *great* morning walk/jog/bike ride. Bikes can be rented easily just outside the park. Stop by the totem poles for a photo-op, or check out the Vancouver Aquarium and say hi to the beluga whales.
11:30am - Hungry? Head to Banana Leaf on Denman Street for some stellar Malaysian food. If you have enough people and the appetite to devour it, don't miss the chili crab!
1pm - Drive through Stanley Park and across the Lions Gate Bridge to North Vancouver, or "the North Shore" as locals refer to it. Head towards Lynn Canyon and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It's a harrowing experience for anyone, but the area also has some amazing hiking trails. If heights and swinging bridges aren't your thing, you can also take on the Grouse Grind
(closed in winter), a grueling uphill hike up Grouse Mountain. And finally, if you're feeling a little food coma-ed, you can always take the easy route and ride the gondola up Grouse Mountain for some amazing views of Vancouver.
6:30pm - Return to the city and enjoy dinner at West, Bishop's, or Lumiere -- three of the best restaurants in Vancouver (and probably in Canada). Or, if you're craving more Asian cuisine, check out Vij's for some amazing and refined Indian food. In all cases, be sure to indulge of more of the bounty that the Pacific Northwest has to offer -- salmon, seafood, and even some game.
9pm - After dinner, go over to Gastown to check out the oldest, still-powered-by-steam clock in the city. You'll also find a number of chill bars and nightspots in the Gastown area.
monday
8am - OM. Catch an early yoga class to recentre yourself at Prana Yoga, located only a few blocks from Opus. Or grab breakfast at Urban Fare (Yaletown's yuppie grocery store)-- their bakery section will make waffles made to order!
10am - Pack up, check out, and drive towards Richmond (also where the airport is located). Richmond is the reason why Chinatown is a "miss" on my list. You'll find the best Chinese foods and the freshest ingredients and markets in Richmond, a predominantly Chinese suburb, and not in Chinatown, which is really just mostly for tourists, and to be honest, pretty rundown. "Brunch" will be dimsum at Kirin, one of the most respected and high quality Chinese restaurant groups in Vancouver. (By the way, higher quality dimsum is no longer served from ladies pushing carts. All items are made to order.) It's loud, it's busy, and you won't see a lot of non-Asians there (especially on a weekday), but when in Rome, right?
12pm - Explore No. 3 Road and all of the various Chinese malls and shops. Two large ones to note are Yaohan (which has a large Japanese-focused supermarket called Osaka) and Aberdeen Centre, a brand new dazzling Asian shopping centre selling everything from massage chairs to teas. By the way, you should not attempt to bargain when shopping in any of these shopping centres.
2pm - A couple of "drive-by" destinations in Richmond:
6:30pm - Return to the city and enjoy dinner at West, Bishop's, or Lumiere -- three of the best restaurants in Vancouver (and probably in Canada). Or, if you're craving more Asian cuisine, check out Vij's for some amazing and refined Indian food. In all cases, be sure to indulge of more of the bounty that the Pacific Northwest has to offer -- salmon, seafood, and even some game.
9pm - After dinner, go over to Gastown to check out the oldest, still-powered-by-steam clock in the city. You'll also find a number of chill bars and nightspots in the Gastown area.
monday
8am - OM. Catch an early yoga class to recentre yourself at Prana Yoga, located only a few blocks from Opus. Or grab breakfast at Urban Fare (Yaletown's yuppie grocery store)-- their bakery section will make waffles made to order!
10am - Pack up, check out, and drive towards Richmond (also where the airport is located). Richmond is the reason why Chinatown is a "miss" on my list. You'll find the best Chinese foods and the freshest ingredients and markets in Richmond, a predominantly Chinese suburb, and not in Chinatown, which is really just mostly for tourists, and to be honest, pretty rundown. "Brunch" will be dimsum at Kirin, one of the most respected and high quality Chinese restaurant groups in Vancouver. (By the way, higher quality dimsum is no longer served from ladies pushing carts. All items are made to order.) It's loud, it's busy, and you won't see a lot of non-Asians there (especially on a weekday), but when in Rome, right?
12pm - Explore No. 3 Road and all of the various Chinese malls and shops. Two large ones to note are Yaohan (which has a large Japanese-focused supermarket called Osaka) and Aberdeen Centre, a brand new dazzling Asian shopping centre selling everything from massage chairs to teas. By the way, you should not attempt to bargain when shopping in any of these shopping centres.
2pm - A couple of "drive-by" destinations in Richmond:
- The Richmond Oval - the new speed skating centre that is being built for the 2010 Winter Olympics. It has an amazing "wavy" roof, one panel of which was open to public autographs a while back so that everyone in the city could "leave their mark" on this brand new building. Vancouver is thrilled and extremely proud to host the upcoming Winter Olympics, and the speed skating centre is one of only a couple new buildings that are being constructed.
- Steveston Village - although arguably past its heyday, Steveston is a popular area of local fisherman to dock and sell their catch of the day. There's also an *amazing* frozen yoghurt (that's how it's spelled everywhere else in the world) place called Timothy's, which blends fruits into your yogurt to order in fresh warm waffle cones. If it's a summer day, expect lines, even on a weekday.
4pm - Drive to the airport for the flight home. Since you have to clear US immigration and customers *before* you get on the plane in Vancouver (for any flights that fly directly into the US), be sure to budget extra time on top of what you usually would. At the duty free shop, pick up a bottle or two of Inniskillin ice wine. It's a Canadian specialty, and about half the price it would cost to buy it in the States.
the 411
stay:
- Opus - trendy
- Fairmont Hotel Vancouver - classic
- Blue Water Cafe (*****) - Brunch/Lunch/Dinner, dressy casual
- Chocolate Buffet @ the Sutton Place Hotel (****) - Dessert (only certain nights), dressy
- Granville Island Public Market (*****) - Various, casual
- Bridge's (****) - Lunch/Dinner, casual
- Tojo's (*****) - Lunch/Dinner, dressy
- Banana Leaf (****) - Lunch/Dinner, casual
- West (*****) - Lunch/Dinner, dressy
- Bishop's (*****) - Dinner only, formal
- Lumiere (*****) - Dinner only, formal
- Vij's (*****) - Lunch/Dinner, dressy casual
- Kirin (****) - Dimsum lunch/Dinner, casual
- lululemon athletica
- HBC Olympics gear store
- Roots
- Granville Island artists & vendors
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