r/travel • u/AutoModerator • Nov 23 '17
Advice r/travel City Destination of the Week: Vancouver
Weekly topic thread, this week featuring the city of Vancouver. Please contribute all and any questions / thoughts / suggestions / ideas / stories about this travel destination.
This post will be archived on our wiki destinations page and linked in the sidebar for future reference, so please direct any of the more repetitive questions there.
Only guideline: If you link to an external site, make sure it's relevant to helping someone travel to this city. Please include adequate text with the link explaining what it is about and describing the content from a helpful travel perspective.
Example: We really enjoyed the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. It was $35 each, but there's enough to keep you entertained for whole day. Bear in mind that parking on site is quite pricey, but if you go up the hill about 200m there are three $15/all day car parks. Monterey Aquarium
Unhelpful: Read my blog here!!!
Helpful: My favourite part of driving down the PCH was the wayside parks. I wrote a blog post about some of the best places to stop, including Battle Rock, Newport and the Tillamook Valley Cheese Factory (try the fudge and ice cream!).
Unhelpful: Eat all the curry! [picture of a curry].
Helpful: The best food we tried in Myanmar was at the Karawek Cafe in Mandalay, a street-side restaurant outside the City Hotel. The surprisingly young kids that run the place stew the pork curry[curry pic] for 8 hours before serving [menu pic]. They'll also do your laundry in 3 hours, and much cheaper than the hotel.
Undescriptive I went to Mandalay. Here's my photos/video.
As the purpose of these is to create a reference guide to answer some of the most repetitive questions, please do keep the content on topic. If comments are off-topic any particularly long and irrelevant comment threads may need to be removed to keep the guide tidy - start a new post instead. Please report content that is:
Completely off topic
Unhelpful, wrong or possibly harmful advice
Against the rules in the sidebar (blogspam/memes/referrals/sales links etc)
8
Nov 23 '17
Going to Vancouver? You must eat at Phnom Penh!
But go early as they fill up super fast!
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is lots of fun!
1
Nov 26 '17
[deleted]
1
Nov 27 '17
Lynn Canyon is now a tourist trap as well.
When I was there last summer to hike, I couldn't even cross the bridge to start my hike because it was so loaded with tourists.
In the spring however, it could be a better option.
2
Nov 27 '17
[deleted]
1
Nov 27 '17
I suppose so, but it's lost a lot of it's allure because of how busy it has become. To me that makes it less appealing.
Going really early in the morning before the tour buses show up is the best way to try and avoid that.
6
Nov 27 '17
My thoughts on Vancouver after living there for 30 years:
Avoid hotels are they are overpriced. Vancouver has a good supply of Airbnb's, and they are mostly quite affordable. The city will also have bylaws going into effect starting April 2018 for legal short term rentals, so try and rent from those when you can. Best neighbourhoods are Kits, Fairview, Westend and Mount Pleasant.
Hostels are reasonably priced, but there aren't that many. Book in advance. The Cambie is a bit skeevy but it does have a lively bar that attracts a lot of locals and travellers. Beer is cheap.
For reasonably priced food, eat at grocery stores! Many of the local chains and Whole Foods actually have pretty affordable meals in comparison to restaurants. Food courts are also pretty good in Vancouver. The best cheap pizza place in the city is called, 'Pizza Garden'.
Rent a bike if you can to not only go through Stanley Park but to hit up the breweries on the east side. This is the best way to see them. Do not pay for an overpriced tour.
Get a Compass Card. Makes taking transit so much easier.
Do not rent a car if you are only staying in the city. Traffic can be a bit of a nightmare, especially in the summer.
If you hike, know what you're doing. Vancouver Trails is a great resource.
Gastown is the best for cool restaurants and spots to drink.
Spend some time in North Van, especially Lower Lonsdale. In the summer from May to September every Friday night they host the Shipyards Night Market which is my favourite spot to gorge on food trucks.
If you're in Vancouver in the summer, definitely venture out to Richmond for the Richmond night market especially if you're into Asian street food. It will not disappoint.
We have one nude beach called Wreck Beach on UBC campus. Even if you're not into nudity it's honestly the best beach in the city and tends to have the warmest water to swim in.
For food/cafes/brewery/event info, I recommend checking out Daily Hive Vancouver. It's the most popular online publication in the city.
Lastly, if you choose to venture into the DTES, please know that it is not dangerous. It's a highly gentrified area that has a large population of homeless drug users due to our previous provincial government's inability to maintain our last mental institution, Riverview (new government is supposedly going to reopen it). Most people who are down there got kicked out of the hospital and had no place else to go. You will get asked for spare change and food a lot. Give what you can if you feel comfortable, but don't complain about "bums" or feeling in danger. One of my biggest pet peeves about tourists who come to Vancouver are the ones who book into some swank place in Gastown and then complain about all the homeless as if some dude sleeping outside in the cold while you're in a fancy apartment after eating a huge steak somehow ruined your stay. If you don't like that, stay out of the neighborhood. Leave the complaining at home. Seriously.
5
u/Scarletfevercowpox Nov 24 '17
To me, the best part of Vancouver is its close proximity to outdoor activities; hiking, going to the beach, kayaking, scuba diving, skiing and snowshoeing - among other things. Besides that, the food is good too.
Hiking: The coastal mountains (Seymour, Grouse and Cypress) are the closest and most accessible. I believe they will all have good bus and shuttle access in the winter for skiing, but in the summer maybe only Grouse can be reached by public transit. Having your own car is nice. Dog mt. is an easy 1 hr hike on Seymour with a good view. The Grouse grind on Grouse mt. is an 1hr long staircase slog, often very busy with a mediocre view at the top. However, people love (for some reason). Its kind of like a fitness test to see if you can do it/how fast you can do it. There are other, nicer trails once you are up there Grouse, plus they have other activities at the top. You have to take the gondola down, but its kind of nice too. Deep Cove is a nice little town not far from Vancouver with an easy 1.5 hr hike to Quarry rock - with a decent view too. Also a great place to kayak just around the bay, or take a couple days going up and down the Indian Arm inlet. Golden Ears park has some nice hikes as well, but I think the best hikes are the Squamish and Whistler areas. The chief is popular and medium difficulty. My favourite area is Garibaldi Provincial Park. A little ways to get there, but Garibaldi lake, Panorama Ridge and the Black Tusk are amazing all amazing. Elfin lakes is nice too, slightly closer, shorter and easier.
Going to the beach: There are pretty nice beaches around the city, especially Jericho beach and Spanish Banks. Further afield, Whiterock and Tsawwassen are nice as well. Around Jericho beach you can rent and take lessons for SUP, kayaks, windsurfing, etc.
Kayaking: Its nice to rent kayaks at false creek/granville island and go near the city, but I prefer Deep Cove - being a little bit closer to nature. Renting kayaks from MEC (and transporting it yourself) is a little cheaper. They also rent snowshoes, camping gear, etc. at pretty decent prices. Besides that, kayaking around the Gulf islands, Vancouver island or Sunshine coast is much better, but further.
Scuba Diving: I've never done it in BC, but I am told it is world class - being especially clear in the winter. I believe there are sites not far from the city, though better sites on Vancouver island, including Nanaimo and Victoria.
Skiing and snowshoeing: As mentioned, the closest and most accessible are Seymour, Grouse and Cypress. They often have decent snow, and prices are pretty reasonable - especially for beginners. Whistler is among the best, if not THE best, ski resort in the world - so even though its pricey, its definitely worth it (if you are decent enough to access most of the terrain). Snowshoeing is ok at all these locations, but probably best around whistler. Callaghan valley is popular (where you can also cross-country ski), but its also nice just to snowshoe on an easy hiking trail. Also, I'm not a mountain biker, but Whistler, Squamish and even the coastal mountains have some world class trails, for all skill levels.
Food: Vancouver has its fair share of hipster/foodie scene, in the same vein (but not nearly on par) with the likes of Portland and Seattle. But IMO the Asian options are some of the best Vancouver has to offer. Everyone should try to get some Sushi, Dim Sum, Korean BBQ, East Indian, Ramen and Pho while in Vancouver. Almost any restaurant you can find will be good, but downtown will likely have fancier options. Also, everyone should visit a Chinese bakery and a Bubble Tea cafe. Again, pretty much any store will be good and have similar price points.
1
u/motivatedfatty Jan 24 '24
Hi! I wonder if I could ask you about hiking. I’m currently debating whether to go to Banff for a couple of days, then Vancouver for a couple of days. Or straight to Vancouver and go hiking from there. How do you think the hiking/scenery compare?
1
u/Scarletfevercowpox Jan 28 '24
They are different. The Rockies are massive craggily mountains with wildlife and glacier lakes. Around vancouver are coastal rain forest with ocean and valley lookouts. Both are beautiful in their own way. You can find similar alpine hikes a little further outside of vancouver around Squamish/whistler, which - although not quite comparable, are pretty nice. It’s worth doing both if you are big into hiking and have lots of time (it takes at least a day travel between Banff and Vancouver). If you don’t have much time, or aren’t hardcore hikers, I would say pick one
5
Nov 24 '17 edited Nov 24 '17
The Georgia Straight is Vancouver's free weekly newspaper. It's a good resource for restaurant reviews, live music and entertainment listings. New issues come out every Thursday and are available every 2-3 blocks downtown, in hotel lobbies and some stores.
You can't get a metered taxi from the airport, fares from the airport are charged by zones. There is a map of the city posted at taxi pickup locations and your fare is a flat rate based on your destination. A trip from the airport to downtown should be around $30. Likewise, public transit fares are divided into 3 zones. Zone 1 encompasses Vancouver proper, Zone 2 has neighbouring cities like Burnaby, Richmond and North Vancouver while Zone 3 has the farther suburbs like Surrey, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge or Langley. Traveling anywhere within a zone costs the same price, traveling between 2 adjacent zones is a little more and 3 zones is the most expensive. Most of what the average tourist will want to see is within Zone 1 but Richmond is a city with a large Chinese-Canadian population that's home to some of the best Chinese food outside of Asia and Tswwassen and Horseshoe Bay are departure points for ferries to Vancouver Island. Translink has a list of bus and train routes, schedules, fares and a trip planner. Note that as of right now, Uber and other ride sharing programs aren't allowed to operate in Vancouver.
Downtown Vancouver's infrastructure is very bike friendly. Mobi is a bike sharing program with pick up and drop off points in several downtown locations. For $9.75CAD/per day you can get unlimited 30 minute rides. Enough to get from Stanley Park to Chinatown or Kitsilano Beach to the Olympic Torch. There are dedicated bike lanes on a lot of city streets and helmets are included with the bike rentals. It's important to use caution and be mindful of cars, pedestrians and other bikers though.
Victoria and Seattle are both doable day trips from Vancouver although I would recommend making either trip an overnight stay. Vancouver to Seattle by car is about a 2 hour drive but the border crossing can easily add another 2-3 hours at busy times like long weekends or if there is a football or baseball game going on in Seattle.
Likewise, going to Victoria by ferry involves a 30 minute drive from downtown Vancouver, a 90 minute ferry ride followed by another 30 minute drive into Victoria. A ticket costs $17 for a walk on or $60 for a car plus $17/person. Ferries fill up quickly on weekends, especially during the summer. Luckily BC Ferries offers reservations. There are also regular trips to several of the smaller islands along the coast.
There are a ton of medical marijuana dispensaries here. Recreational marijuana won't be legal in Canada until July 2018. Right now, they're almost all operating in a legal grey area where customers should have a doctor's permission to buy weed but nobody is really bothering to enforce anything. Some dispensaries require a membership card, others don't. There are often people openly selling weed and edibles by the Art Gallery on Robson st. between Hornby and Howe. Smoking weed in public is technically illegal and just kinda frowned on in general so if you're going to indulge, just be discreet and it's unlikely that anyone will hassle you unless you're blazing up on a crowded beach or sidewalk.
Edit - Also, the city and a lot of privately owned condos are cracking down on AirBnb hosts. A lot of people offer their condos on AirBnb in buildings that don't allow short term rentals. If a listing asks you to keep a low profile and not interact with building management or other tenants you can be pretty sure that the host isn't allowed to rent their unit out. Consider spending a few extra bucks on a proper hotel to avoid any nasty surprises.
4
u/8lbs6ozBebeJesus Canada Nov 25 '17 edited Nov 25 '17
In no specific order, here are my tips for Vancouver:
Go in the summer, avoid all the other seasons at all costs (unless you're going to ski). It will be SO much more enjoyable, it's really a whole different city. Sunshine makes a huge difference.
If you're in Vancouver in the winter skip the city and just carry on straight to Whistler, it is the best place on earth. Avoid weekends, and American + Canadian holidays if at all possible. If not, make sure you're on the slopes early and have packed a lunch.
Sample the local craft beers, they're so good and ordering flights of beers will make you feel like the beer connoisseur you never got to be.
Go hiking! Skip the Grouse Grind, go to Lynn Canyon if you want something close to the city or Garibaldi if you're willing to rent a car and go further out. Research potential trails and safety tips before you head out so that you know you're doing a hike suitable for you and are adequately prepared.
If it's raining and you want to spend the day inside, take the bus to UBC then wander across campus to the Museum of Anthropology. It's a really beautiful museum with cultural artifacts from around the world, definitely a great way to fill at least half a day. You can have a coffee at the little coffee shop in the museum, or a drink and a bite to eat at Koerner's Pub, then quickly hit up the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery on the way back. Once you're done there, cut through the Irving K. Barber Library to quietly witness "the Harry Potter room" and marvel at all the UBC students wallowing in despair.
Spend a day relaxing on Kits beach and soaking in Vancouver's healthy, hippie culture. I really think Kitsilano is peak Vancouver, with Whole Foods and yoga studios galore.
If you're a smoker, partake in some of BC's finest. The Cannabis Culture Vape Lounge can be pretty mindblowing if you're from somewhere where weed laws are strictly enforced.
That's all I can think of that hasn't already been said, enjoy Vancouver!
2
u/itsjacques Nov 29 '17
Two things!
I really liked grouse grind! Definitely more of a workout than a hike, and I went after a light rain. Damp ground, but not crowded. Personally I really enjoyed the trek up. Something about it was so satisfying.
Thank you for suggesting some rainy activities. I've been to Van in June/July quite a few times and it's rained every time I've gone if only for a day. Definitely would've liked some dry time activities!
1
u/8lbs6ozBebeJesus Canada Nov 30 '17
Definitely more of a workout than a hike
Admittedly I've never done the grind, but this is what it made it sound unappealing to me. I go hiking for the sake of being in nature and away from crowds of people, the exercise is secondary, so doing the grind primarily for exercise and surrounded by people wasn't my cup of tea.
As for rainy day activities, I think they are important given how most Vancouver tourism is outdoor oriented, yet it rains so much there!
1
u/motivatedfatty Jan 24 '24
How do you think the hiking in Vancouver/scenery from the city compares to Banff? Trying to decide whether to spend a couple of days in Banff then come to Vancouver, or do it all in Vancouver, and I’d like amazing views/plenty of walks
2
u/8lbs6ozBebeJesus Canada Jan 24 '24
I haven't been to Banff in over a decade and I went for a ski trip so I'm not the best equipped to provide a comprehensive comparison. It's also hard to compare the two because the coastal mountains around Vancouver are pretty different to the Rockies where Banff is.
Here's an example of what you can expect from the coastal mountains.
And here's some hikes that you might do in Banff.
(I've never watched the 2nd channel so apologies in advance if it's not great quality, I skimmed it briefly and the images looked representative of what I know of the Banff region.)
If you have the time I'd definitely suggest visiting the Rockies, as they're a totally different mountain experience than what you'll get in Vancouver. I'd budget at least a few days for it though, because it's pretty far from Vancouver and you'll want time to do some hikes. If you don't have enough time just enjoy Vancouver, there's still tons of hikes to do there and you'll never be left disappointed by the coastal mountains.
2
u/motivatedfatty Jan 25 '24
Thank you so much for such a detailed reply! It seems like the hiking in BC is just as amazing, I’m just finding it hard to ‘let go’ of the dream of visiting Banff!
1
u/8lbs6ozBebeJesus Canada Jan 25 '24
Hopefully you enjoy BC so much you decide to come back to Canada for a visit to Banff next time!
2
u/CityForAnts United States Nov 24 '17
I LOVE Vancouver. For the food, scenery, beautiful downtown, great public transport... it’s fantastic.
- Biking and exploring Stanley Park is a blast.
- Some of my favorite restaurants are Tojo’s (one of the top sushi places in the world, from the guy that brought sushi out of Japan), Kingyo, and Cardero’s. I’m sure there are tons of great places, but those really surprised me on my trip.
- Spend an afternoon on Granville island looking through the public market. Fresh fish and some exciting foods, as well as cool breweries and distilleries abound.
- Go brewery hopping if you are into that! I loved Storm (favorite brewery I have been to, nothing like any other brewery and definitely an experience).
2
Nov 27 '17
For great authentic Lebanese food try Nuba downtown. Super cool atmosphere so it’s nice enough for a date/romantic but chill enough to just go with friends.
Highly recommend: Hummus, baba ganouj, Makdous (stuffed eggplants), tabbouleh, najibs special cauliflower and some assorted pastries for dessert.
1
Nov 23 '17
Although the climate in Vancouver is much milder than most of the rest of Canada, it's safe to expect rain from September through about March. Temperatures rarely get below freezing, but outdoor activities can be rough if you're not adequately dressed.
1
u/jbeeeee Nov 24 '17
I’ll be there the 2nd week of December. I am a girl traveling alone. I was originally going to stay in a hostel in downtown. However, some of the comments of visitors has me wary. I want to do some urban exploring with lots of beer along the way. Any tips?
6
u/sous-ninja-pumpkin Nov 25 '17
As a local downtown is completely fine. Even the east side which is the “bad area” is completely safe in most peoples opinions. Downtown is more druggies wandering around yelling at pigeons vs actually threatening/ dangerous people.
Btw check out craft brewery they have close to 100 on tap and Main Street brewery is a solid choice for good beer.
2
u/8lbs6ozBebeJesus Canada Nov 25 '17
33 Acres and Brassneck are also great craft breweries! Definitely check those out as well.
1
u/VanhamCanuckspurs Vancouver Nov 30 '17
For bars with a good beer selection, definitely check out Alibi Room. Craft in Olympic Village is also pretty good.
For actual breweries, none of them are really located in the downtown core. The best ones IMO: Strange Fellows, Brassneck, Luppolo, Strathcona, 33 Acres, and R&B. Decent breweries that are downtown: Central City and Steamworks.
1
u/madden_guy Nov 27 '17
Samesun hostel was a great stay that I found while panicking to find a hostel at the last minute! It was right off of Granville, a great nightlife area, had friendly staff, was very clean and was a great place to meet people to hit the town with. I would definitely recommend staying there if you are looking for a lively hostel in downtown area.
1
u/acknb89 May 16 '24
This is a clothing questions - Me and my girlfriend are coming up next week from states to do a little hiking. What is one type of clothes or one piece of attire that we really must bring. I checked the weather and looks like 50s/60s. We also may do a lot of walking around the city and do a trip to Joffre. Thanks!
1
u/artbyryan Feb 14 '24
We are visiting Vancouver (from Los Angeles) for the first time during Spring Break (first week of April). We are looking to Airbnb somewhere in the city. I have read and heard about Gastown and Eastside and I got a little worried. I wanted to ask the locals (you guys) where would be a good place to get an Airbnb. I just want to feel safe when walking around during the day and also in the early evening. I found some places in Yaletown/Davie Village that look nice, but I just wanted to pick your Vancouver brains.
Thank you all in advance.
*I know this gets asked often here but most of the advice I read was from a few years ago and I wanted to see if anything has changed in recent months since the pandemic has slowed down.
26
u/ghostf4cekilla5 Nov 23 '17 edited Nov 23 '17
It's my city!! About time I get to contribute instead of lurking.
Let me know if you have any questions, i'd be happy to help.