Vancouver Must See's

[jo-v]

Spending some time pre/post cruise in Vancouver.

Please help with sites and activities we should not miss.

Trying to determine how many days we should spend.

Also looking at 3 days/2 nights over to Victoria. I saw a

day trip to Whistler that looked interesting.

[mirrajay]

Answering questions like this are always hard without knowing what someone likes or dislikes, but in Vancouver, there is a very "trendy" area with tons of shopping on Robson Street that I have to check out every time I am in Vancouver, but thats b/c I love to shop :) There is also the steam clock that a lot of people seem to enjoy just to say they have seen it, I guess. Its in Gastown which is a very nice area to walk around.

You can also go to the Lookout at Harbour Centre which is Vancouver's version of the Space Needle (the best way to describe it). You can see wonderful views of the city and the water from there. One warning though: I have this thing about glass elevators (I HATE THEM) and thats how you get up to the top of this very tall structure, so that part was torturous for me, but some people like that kind of stuff :)

 

I have never been over to Whistler so I cant give any info on that...Are you saying you are going to stay 3 days in Victoria and then want to spend some days in Vancouver as well? If thats the case, then I would say 2 or 3 days in Vancouver should be sufficient.

 

Have fun!

[jo-v]

Thank you - you have been very helpful. I have been looking at Grayline Double Decker hop on and off for Vancouver or the Vancouver Trolley Company. Grayline also has day trips to Whistler I am interested in exploring. Anyone have any experiences with any of these?

[Cruise_More_Often]

We stayed in Vancouver three nights following our cruise in early May. We took the seabus over to North Vancouver, then the city bus up to Grouse Mountain. That was a fun trip.

 

We saved the Vancouver Trolley until our last day in town so we could see everything we had missed up til then. We stayed on Robson Street and hopped on the Trolley at one of its stops there. We got off for a walk in Stanley Park, got off at the Vancouver Museum for a visit, at Granville Island for lunch (we had already toured Granville Island [the Public Market is great]), and in Chinatown for Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden [beautiful]. We weren't impressed with Gastown.

 

Loved Vancouver! Can't wait to get back.

[grouchy]

Lots of fun and you get to see many things. You can get on and off when you like. Go for a walk in Stanley Park and Robson Street for shopping. Denman St and the Westend for people watching. Granville Island for interesting shops and good food. Have fun!

[ell52]

I ditto the Vancouver Trolley: http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/ recommendation. You can hop on and off and stay as long as you like at each stop. Great way to see a lot of the major sites.

 

Don't know if you need 3 days in Victoria - I think 1 or 2 days is enough. You could use that extra day for the day trip (or overnight) in Whistler instead. If you've enough time and you're an outdoor person who likes hiking, biking, etc, then Whistler is a must-do.

 

Another site no one has mentioned yet is the University of BC's Museum of Anthropology.

 

Ell :)

[MamaQuack]

We too loved Granville Island, Robson St., Stanley Park and Chinatown. We also are huge oyster lovers and enjoyed the numerous sushi and/or bars with raw oysters on almost every corner!!!! And everyone is so friendly and the town is so, so clean. We have been 3 times for pre cruise visits and cannot wait to return in June. Each time we increase our length of stay.

 

 

MamaQuack

[Urban trekker]

Cruise more often - will you email me at urbantrekker@lycos.com - i have some questions about your upcoming May 05 trip on the Star - I like the agenda of port stops and am considering booking it - the price looks good

 

Cheers

 

 

Dennis

[Host Caroline]

Capilano Suspension Bridge, Stanley Park, Aquarium.. and second Granville Island. The railway, air and boat museum is a neat place, very inexpensive.

[baseballmom]

Wow! Thanks for starting this post! My son and I will only have an afternoon and evening in Vancouver before sailing on Serenade of the Seas next June, and I want to cram as much into that time as possible.

 

Based on the above comments, I think we'll try to stay on or near Robson St. and take the trolley to the 2 places I really want to see: Stanley Park and Granville Island. Do you more experienced travelers think we can do that in so short a time?

 

Laurie

[Cruise_More_Often]

The Trolley does loops around the downtown area and out to the Park. I think the cost would be a little much for just making the two stops. If you decide to do it, just be sure when you get off at a stop that there will be another along later to take you to your second stop. In the late afternoon, you may not be able to catch one back to your hotel. For instance, we stopped at Sun Yat Sen Garden around 4:00 and had to make sure to catch the trolley at about 4:30 to do the last loop back to our hotel on Robson.

 

However, if you are enjoying yourself, the Downtown area is not so large that a taxi will cost you that much.

 

Have fun. I think Vancouver is the most wonderful city and can hardly wait to return.

[LibLively]

The Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver is one of the best museums of its kind I've ever seen. If you're interested in art, you will see the most incredible collection of First Nations work here! It's located out of the city, but we took a cab and spent 3 hours there. We could have stayed longer....the building houses incredible masks, clothing, sculptures, beadwork, totems etc. There is an outdoor area also with very large totems and a clan house. The aquarium was also a highlight for us. We spent several hours there and participated in their "animal encounters" program where we got up close and personal with beluga whales! Fabulous! If you're interested in an encounter, you must make reservations way ahead, as they only take 4 people in each session and there are only 2 sessions a day for the whales. When we were there, they were revamping their sea otter area, so "encounters" with the otters were on hold. It will certainly be up and running before you go. It is quite expensive, but a once in a lifetime experience!!

[Just Enough]

As a former West Vancouverite, if you have a clear evening, you may want to arrange for dinner at The Salmon House on the Hill in West Vancouver. You can overlook the city from the North Shore side and have a panorama from Lion's Gate Bridge to Vancouver Island. This will require a car or taxi. It's a little far from the nearest bus route along Queens Avenue just below the Upper Levels highway.

 

Another nice place for brunch and another view is on top of Burnaby Mountain. Sorry, don't remember the name of the restaurant.

 

For some quick, easy and accessible hikes, try Lynn Canyon in Lynn Valley in North Vancouver. There is a free suspension bridge which is higher than the tourist trap at Capilano on the way up to the Grouse Mountain skyride. Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver is a flat woodland hike out to the rocks and the Atkinson Point lighthouse.

 

For North American style Chinese food, my older parents like restaurant almost opposite the dam just before the Grouse Mountain skyride parking lot.

 

For other viewpoints you could drive to Deep Cove, to the top of Mount Seymour, to the top of Cypress Bowl, to Horseshoe Bay to watch the ferries to Nanaimo and Bowen and enjoy something in one of the local pubs, Troll's or the Keg Boathouse by Sewell's marina.

 

If you do take the seabus across to Lonsdale, you have a small market, Lonsdale Quay, to wander. Take a crosstown bus to West Vancouver and get off a Park Royal south shopping centre. At the back of the shopping centre, there is a trail by the Capilano river that takes you west along the waterfront in West Vancouver. There are some quaint, but pricey boutiques to browse along Bellevue Avenue nearest the water for most of central West Vancouver (Ambleside). Also, a few nice restaurants along here and the Beach House at Dundarave pier.

 

I don't think anyone has mentioned the train excursion from North Vancouver to Squamish. This has changed since it was the Royal Hudson steam locomotive, so can't make a personal comment on value for this. Believe the BC Rail train that runs in the winter to Whistler for skiers does run outside of regular ski season, so that might be another no frills option for a day trip.

 

Think we've been long-winded enough.

 

Born in Burlington, Ontario

Grew up in West Vancouver, BC

Alma maters: University of British Columbia, York University (College Glendon), University of Western Ontario (Ecole d'ete a Trois-Pistoles, PQ), Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, University of Victoria

Lived in Toronto, Mississauga, Whitby, Ontario and now Calgary, Alberta

[Urban trekker]

The restaurant on Burnaby Mountain is called Horizons and the view can be spectacular - with binoculars you can probably see you ship far below in the harbour.

 

There is no longer any passenger train service to Whistler - the government killed it over a year ago but there are rumors that a private company may start one up again now that the BCR has been sold to CN.

 

Enjoy your visit

 

Dennis

[croftonbill]

you might want to check out STORYEUM[?SP]in gastown-a multimedia presentation-covering the evolution of british columbia.