Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver, Canada is a place I’ve heard so much about and therefore I put it on my list as a place to visit. It’s a beautiful city, surrounded by majestic mountains, blue waterways and colorful neighborhoods. Our visit exceeded my expectations. We went to Vancouver a few days prior to our Alaskan cruise. This is what we did and what we explored while in Vancouver, I can’t wait to go back.
Vancouver is often listed as one of the most livable cities in the world, and it’s easy to see why. The city boasts world-class healthcare, education, and infrastructure, and the views of the mountains and waterways just add to it’s beauty. Vancouver isn’t just pretty, it’s also smart. The city would like to become one of the greenest city in the world, and it’s well on its way. Bike lanes are everywhere, electric vehicle charging stations are common, and green buildings dominate the skyline.
Note: Links to places in this post are put in here as a convenience for the reader. We do not receive any compensation from the businesses.
We landed at the Vancouver Airport around midnight. Not a lot of people there at that time. The airport is so fun to walk through with museum quality displays as you head to baggage claim.
Some pictures from the airport:
We stayed at the Executive Hotel Le Soleil, located at 567 Hornby St, which is a quick 10 minute walk (downhill!) to the port. The area is called Canada Place, and is a very convenient place to stay for cruise travelers. Le Soleil is a boutique hotel and the rooms were spacious and very clean. We had bottled water in our room, L’Occitane toiletries in the bathroom and there was a also nespresso machine (which made my day!).
https://www.lesoleilhotels.com/vancouver/
The Alouette restaurant is located next to the hotel (easy entry via the hotel lobby) it specializes in French cuisine. We ate breakfast there every morning and the portions were hugh and the food tasted delicious.
https://www.alouettevancouver.com/
It was easy to check out and then walk down to our cruise ship. It is conveniently located so we were able to walk around and see many sights.
Hop On Hop Off Bus
This is usually a must for us when we travel. We like to get a lay of the land and see what our new city has to offer. One of the best ways is to do the hop on hop off bus, which takes you all round the city. It has numerous stops along and you can get on or get off at any stop. We bought our tickets near the cruise terminal in Canada Place, which was a short walk from our hotel. We began our journey on the bus there.
https://westcoastsightseeing.com/
Sights from the Bus
While on the bus, we drove along the main road near the water. This took us past Olympic Park, Vancouver Convention Center and Harbour Green Park.
During our bus ride, we saw a different building designs.
Stanley Park
The first and largest urban park in Vancouver, Stanley Park has it all. It boasts over 900 acres of natural West Coast rainforest along with many scenic trails. There are beautiful beaches and waterfront views along the Seawall. There is also many cultural, historical and natureal landmarks throughout the park. And it houses Canada’s largest aquarium, the Vancouver Aquarium.
Our bus stop was right near this map of the area.
There is so much to see and do in Stanley Park. We just started walking and came across a little alcove with this statue in it.
Walking down to the water, the scenery was breathtaking. There is a Stanley Park Seawall that we walked on and came across these.
Granville Island
This is a bustling arts district with a famous public market, restaurants, galleries and local crafts. You cross over Granville Island Bridge to get to it. This is one of the stops on the hop on hop off bus.
As soon as you walk across the bridge, you are greeted by this beautiful dock of boats.
We walked arounds and found many shops selling beautiful Canadian items. From wood carvings, magnets, coffee cups, walking sticks, clothes, art work – there is something for everyone. The water way is right at the beginning of the bridge and you can see the many boats docked there. You can also rent kayaks or boats and go out on the water for an adventurous afternoon on False Creek.
Walking down the street, we saw the sign for the Public Market. We couldn’t wait to go in there, it was busy and crazy! Stalls and stalls of ready to eat food, take away food, pastries, flowers, maple syrup, fruits, souvenirs etc. We found a German restaurant that served pierogies, saurkraut and sausage, so of course we had to get a plate of it and went outside to devour it. Foods we grew up on!
The pastries from Stuarts looked so good and yummy. We all picked out something and enjoyed them outside. The nanimo bars (a Canadian favorite) were delicious.
Pictures of Stuarts baked goods:
As you can probably tell, I have a sweet tooth and always head to the bakery first!
Some of the shops inside of the Public Market Place.
There are so many different shops with just about everything you want.
Walking along Granville Island we found places to shop for pets and kids:
When you are done eating, shopping and exploring, you can sit a bit:
Gastown
A short walk from Canada Place, Gastown is the city’s historic district, known for it vintage shops, cobblestone streets, gas lamps, Victorian facades and its famous Steam Clock, one of only two in the world.
We got off on this stop of our bus tours. Gastown is a beautiful place, with baskets of flowers lining the streets to add to it’s beauty. The shops all around sell lots of Canadian souvenirs, maple syrup and the ever popular Maple Cookies. Make sure to take some home with you. They are so good.
The streets looks lovely. Flowers, quaint stores and cobblestones makes for a wonderful part of town.
After walking around, we made our way to the Steam Clock. This clock chimes and releases steam every 15 minutes. The clock is intrictically made, and many people wait around to hear it and watch for the steam. This is the most famous of the world’s steam clocks, built in 1977, and it uses Vancouver’s downtown steam heating system to whistle every 15 minutes.
It was built by a local clockmaker and it’s powered by a steam system originally put in place to heat buildings through an underground pipeline that snakes through Downtown. Watch for the burst of steam every 15 minutes, which sets off steam whistles to the tune of Westminster chimes.
Chinatown
We drove through Chinatown on the bus tour. There are many restaurants and shops here. It has an authentic Asian feel with lanterns hanging from the trees that line the streets. Here is a picture I took from our bus:
Other things to do in Vancouver:
Capilano Suspension Bridge
This bridge takes you on a thrilling walk above a deep forest canyon. It was built in 1889, and offers you cliffside views of the canyon from the suspension bridge. There is also a cliffwalk, a U-shaped walkway that is high above the Capilano Canyon.
https://www.capbridge.com/
Vancouver Ghost Tours
Ghost tours can be fun and scary, and on this adventure the tour guides dress up in period clothes and lead you on an (semi) scary tour through downtown Vancouver. Our friends who went to Vancouver a month before us did this and said it was fun. We ran out of time to do this, but it is on Bob’s list for next time. Scary tours are not my thing.
https://www.ghostlyvancouvertours.com/
Is an observation deck more than 550 feet above the ground and is Your adventure starts with a 40-second glass elevator ride, whisking you over 550 feet up to the panoramic observation deck. From there, you’ll enjoy stunning 360° views of Vancouver’s picture-perfect sights.
The Vancouver Lookout is located at the top of one of Vancouver’s iconic landmarks, the Harbour Centre. Learn about our vibrant city from information panels located throughout the deck, or follow the complimentary self-guided audio tour.
Discover the ideal vantage point for historic Gastown, Coal Harbour, the city’s bustling downtown core, and of course the world-famous Stanley Park, all at the Vancouver Lookout.
Museum of Anthropology
The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia displays world arts and cultures, in particular works by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. It is also a major tourist destination, MOA is a research and teaching museum, where UBC courses in art, anthropology, archaeology, conservation, and museum studies are given. MOA houses close to 50,000 ethnographic objects, as well as 535,000 archaeological objects in its building alone.
Vancouver Art Gallery
The Vancouver Art Gallery is the largest public art museum in Western Canada, and it features the work of groundbreaking contemporary artists from around the world. It presents historical art of international significance, and provides a global platform for British Columbis’s dynamic artistic community.
https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/
Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain is part of the North Shore Mountains in North Vancouver. If you want to get away from city life for a bit, take a 45 minute drive to Grouse Mountain. There are plenty of things to do in this quaint, picturesque mountain top village. You can ride a cable car, ski, snowboard, hike, zipline and do lots of fun activities. Whatever you feel like doing, I’m sure you can find something here.
https://www.grousemountain.com/
Sustainability in Vancouver
Vancouver aims to be the greenest city in the world, and it shows. The city prioritizes bike lanes, electric transit, sustainable building codes, and green spaces. It’s also walkable—especially downtown and in neighborhoods like Yaletown, Gastown, and the West End.
Farmers’ markets, zero-waste cafes, and refill stations are standard here. People recycle diligently, bring their own containers, and they think about their environmental footprint. The lifestyle isn’t just trendy—it’s deeply embedded in the city’s identity.
Vancouver is also a rising hub for technology, film, and digital media, attracting talent from around the world. It is the filming location for hundreds of movies and TV shows each year. Unfortunately, we did not see any shows being filmed while we were therGrouse Mountain
Cruise
After spending a few days in Vancouver and loving it, we are on to our next adventure – an Alaskan Cruise on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. A short walk from our hotel to the cruise port and we are ready to explore the Inside Passage, glaciers and Alaskan ports.
Vancouver seems like a beautiful place to visit