There’s a lot to see and do in Vancouver that you just would possibly neglect to take a look at what the encircling space has to supply.
A transport hub with nice entry to the remainder of British Columbia, the West Coast metropolis is the right jumping-off level for day journeys for foodies, historical past buffs, out of doors adventurers and extra. Listed here are our prime 10 escapes from the town.
Cruise in Vancouver Harbour
Journey time: variable
If the rippling water is asking your identify, there are dozens of the way to go away the shore and hit the waves round Vancouver. Harbour Cruises’ one-hour tour meanders languidly alongside the town’s waterfront. However its half-day Indian Arm possibility is a a lot deeper tour. As the town shrinks away, you’ll be slowly enveloped in a forested, sheer-cliffed pure wonderland that looks like a Norwegian fjord.
Look out for the neighborhood of Deep Cove in your cruise – and contemplate returning for a kayak or stand-up paddleboarding journey. Deep Cove Kayak Centre presents tranquility-hugging guided excursions from right here that make you’re feeling like cities had been by no means invented.
Easy methods to get to Vancouver Harbour from Vancouver: There are lots of methods to hit the water, however Harbour Cruises may be discovered close to Devonian Harbour Park, with extra choices as you head into Stanley Park.
Benefit from the meals, artwork and beer in North Vancouver
Journey time: quarter-hour
This ocean-facing metropolis is house to Lonsdale Quay Public Market – full with meals stands and artisan boutiques – plus a once-gritty shipyard that’s been reworked in recent times with boardwalks, eating places and boutiques (a lot of them in restored manufacturing facility sheds). The spotlight is the Polygon Gallery, a dramatic modern artwork house that lures tradition followers from across the area. Beer fans are additionally enticed to North Van – there’s a clutch of microbreweries a ten-minute stroll away on East Esplanade. Additional inland is one of North Van’s prime sights, the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. It may be reached by shuttle or bus routes from downtown Vancouver.
Easy methods to get to North Vancouver from Downtown Vancouver: It’s a straightforward journey from downtown Vancouver; simply hop on the 12-minute SeaBus transit ferry from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay, and also you’ll step off in North Van.
Discover Bowen Island
Journey time: 1 hour half-hour
Cruise amid towering mountains and tree-covered islands to the beautiful Bowen Island. Step off in Comfortable Cove to discover picket boardwalks, bright-painted storefronts and forest-lined trails the place sightings of bald eagles and Bowen’s resident deer are frequent. Want extra? Comply with the path to Opa, a big historic Douglas fir that’s a spotlight for a lot of guests.
Easy methods to get to Bowen Island from Vancouver: Maybe the very best boat journey you may take on this area is the BC Ferries’ service from West Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island. The 250 specific bus from downtown Vancouver takes you on to the ferry dock, the place you may hop on a 20-minute crusing to Bowen.
Go from sea to sky in Squamish
Journey time: 1 hour
The favored Sea to Sky Gondola is a super-scenic cable automobile trip that shimmies up a forested mountainside. The realm’s different sights embrace the family-friendly Britannia Mine Museum – don’t miss the underground prepare trip – and the Railway Museum of British Columbia with its classic prepare assortment. Additionally save time for Shannon Falls Provincial Park, house to considered one of BC’s highest waterfalls.
Easy methods to get to Squamish from Vancouver: Rent a automobile for a one-hour Sea to Sky Freeway drive north of the town. The dramatic cliffside street is considered one of BC’s most spectacular routes, however it’s additionally house to a number of nice sights, principally close to the city of Squamish, lower than an hour away. If driving will not be an possibility, there are shuttles that can take you from Vancouver to Squamish, just like the BC Connector, Skylynx, and the Squamish Connector.
Deal with the slopes in Whistler
Journey time: 2 hours
An hour previous Squamish, the Sea to Sky Freeway reaches Whistler. A winter playground cherished by native and visiting ski and snowboard followers – the icicle-draped alpine village is gorgeous year-round – there are nearly as many summer season guests to this space. Do not miss the putting Audain Artwork Museum, but additionally save time to plunge into the nice open air. There are climbing and biking routes (leases obtainable) for all skills and vitality ranges, plus actions from zip-lining to river rafting. Don’t miss a trip on the eye-poppingly scenic Peak 2 Peak Gondola (glass-bottomed automobile advisable) after which inch throughout the lofty Cloudraker Skybridge, a metal suspension span with a see-through deck.
Easy methods to get to Whistler from Vancouver: Those that rent a automobile for the almost two-hour drive can have extra freedom, however just like Squamish, plenty of shuttle buses like Epic Rides and Skylynx will get you there.
Go birding on Iona Seashore
Journey time: 45 minutes
For those who’ve been that means to strive birding – a pastime that’s surged in recognition in recent times – BC’s Decrease Mainland can be a hotbed of easy-access alternatives. Ladner’s Reifel Migratory Chook Sanctuary, Delta’s Boundary Bay Regional Park and North Vancouver’s Maplewood Flats Conservation Space are all justifiably common. However Richmond’s Iona Seashore Regional Park could also be the very best of the bunch.
Stretching alongside the Fraser River shoreline, this comparatively compact inexperienced house is usually house to an enormous variety of native and visiting birds. Carry binoculars and preserve your eyes peeled for eagles, hawks, red-winged blackbirds, Anna’s hummingbirds and plenty of extra. It’s the type of back-to-nature haven that couldn’t really feel farther from the bustling streets of downtown Vancouver.
Easy methods to get to Iona Seashore from Vancouver: Positioned close to Vancouver Worldwide Airport, vacationers can drive to the park or take the Canada Line Skytrain to the airport after which take a taxi.
Pattern suds on the Port Moody beer prepare
Journey time: 1 hour
It’s no secret that BC’s craft ale scene has surged in recent times. And whereas Vancouver is studded with lip-smacking tasting rooms, you too can take an unofficial “beer prepare” out to the suburbs for a day of quaffing with the locals. Radiating alongside the road like a row of beer faucets, you’ll discover a number of intriguing breweries, every with its personal inviting tasting rooms and pleasant bars.
Easy methods to get to Port Moody from Vancouver: Hop on the SkyTrain transit service from downtown Vancouver to Moody Centre Station (it takes about 45 minutes), then stroll throughout the bridge to Murray St within the coronary heart of historic Port Moody.
Eat like a foodie in Richmond
Journey time: 20 minutes
Richmond has a modern-day pan-Asian taste that displays a neighborhood the place many locals hint their heritage to China, Korea, Vietnam and past. It’s additionally revered as the house of North America’s richest and most genuine Asian eating scene.
Begin with lunch at Parker Place, a Hong Kong-style mall with a meals courtroom like a hawker market and dishes starting from juicy pork buns to crispy Vietnamese subs. Then discover close by Aberdeen Centre’s culturally-immersive shops, stocking every little thing from Chinese language teas to quirky Japanese greenback retailer trinkets – save time for a Taiwanese shaved ice deal with within the higher flooring meals courtroom.
Take the foodie theme additional on the clamorous Richmond Night time Market. Operating Fridays to Sundays between Could and October, it’s lined with over 100 steam-shrouded meals stands. Arrive hungry and with a way of culinary curiosity and prepare for smelly tofu, dragon’s beard sweet, nori-topped Japanese fries and far more.
Easy methods to get to Richmond from Vancouver: Richmond is simple to achieve from Vancouver on the Canada Line to Bridgeport Station.
Dine on fish, chips and historical past in Steveston
Journey time: 1 hour quarter-hour
This charming fishing village fringes the large Fraser River. However its boat-bobbling wharf isn’t nearly wood-sided shops and nice fish and chip joints (we advocate Pajo’s) – there’s tons of historical past right here too. Shipbuilding and fish processing made this considered one of BC’s busiest communities within the late 1800s, and its two Nationwide Historic Websites evoke the story completely. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery tells you what working as a “slimer” in a fish plant was like, whereas displays on the Britannia Heritage Shipyard illuminate every little thing from prohibition-era rum-running to WWII Japanese internment.
Easy methods to get to Steveston from Vancouver: It’s an hour by transit from Vancouver (Canada Line SkyTrain to Richmond-Brighouse Station, then a 407 bus).
Go to the “Royal Metropolis” in New Westminster
Journey time: 25 minutes
New Westminster – aka the “Royal Metropolis” – was the area’s most important settlement earlier than Victoria took over in 1866. Begin by window-shopping on historic Columbia St, full with a go to to the landmark Anvil Centre. It’s the house of two free-entry sights: the favored New Westminster Museum and the New Media Gallery, the place avant-garde modern displays are displayed.
Just a few steps away, cross the prepare traces to the opposite aspect of the tracks and discover a restored linear park that runs alongside the Fraser River like a grass-fringed boardwalk. Search for public artwork and grand shoreline views right here – herons and cormorant sightings included. Hungry? Take a look at the meals stands on the indoor River Market close by.
Easy methods to get to New Westminster from Vancouver: It’s a 25-minute SkyTrain trip from downtown to New West.
