Vancouver is a city we enjoy coming back to. Between its cool, pleasant weather, delicious restaurants, and friendly locals, there’s a lot to like.

How long to stay?

Each time we’ve visited Vancouver, our stay has been somewhere in the range of 3-4 days at a time. I’d say that’s in the neighborhood of being about right. The city boasts a number of things to do within its city limits, but also offers a chance to take daytrips. If you’re not looking to take those daytrips, an extended weekend is a good amount of time here.

If you are looking to make daytrips with Vancouver as your base, you might want to extend your stay a bit longer. Some of the more popular daytrips we’ve done is venture up to Grouse Mountain for a hike or take the ferry to Victoria. Both are well worth a visit.

What we did in Vancouver

Science World

We found Science World to be a very fun, interactive science-based museum. There are several floors in this hands-on museum and an outdoor section (if weather permits). If you don’t have a car, you’d be happy to know you could easily take the light rail over here. Or, if you want a more adventurous path, you can take the colorful Aquabus across the water.

If your kids decide they want more entertainment, there is a fun (free) playground immediately outside Science World. Don’t be surprised if you end up spending more than a half day here with the kids if you do come. Our children found it quite awesome.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

One of the classic outdoors activities to do in Vancouver, the Capilano Suspension Bridge might not be for all. That’s because half the park is on the other side of a rather large suspension bridge. As you walk on it, you’ll feel the footsteps of everyone else walking on the bridge and the wind as it blows by. Those nervous by heights might find it difficult to cross. If you’re someone who feels that way, you probably shouldn’t come.

With that out of the way, we found it fun to explore the treetops. There’s also a cliff walk section that offers a little bit of a different feel. That section is pretty rigid and doesn’t sway. Unlike the Science World, this isn’t a place we’d find ourselves returning to every time we come to Vancouver, but it’s fun to try it out once.

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is quite a large park that you might end up driving through during your time in the city. You’ll find all sorts of things to do here, ranging from seeing totem poles, horse rides, playgrounds, and even a public pool. On top of that, there is the Vancouver Aquarium in the center of the park that offers a pretty decent time.

The slight downside of a park this large is it’s hard to get from one end to the other on foot. You might feel the need to take a bus to get around, but we didn’t find any free options. This is one park where it’s helpful to have a car to explore.

Visit Victoria by ferry

Unfortunately, I lost photos of Victoria to help show off its beauty. I’ve taken a bus tour that departs the central Vancouver area, drives to the ferry, then continues on to the city of Victoria. For more flexibility, bring your own car for the journey.

What is there to do here? A few things come to mind:

• The Butchart Gardens
• Craigdarroch Castle
• The Royal BC Museum
• Miniature World
• Plenty of cute shops

If you haven’t been, it’s absolutely worth a visit. But if you take a bus tour that daytrips here and returns to Vancouver in the same day, there won’t be time for everything.

Grouse Mountain

If you want some good outdoor time, you might want to check out Grouse Mountain. If you come during winter, there will be some skiing here. But there’s still stuff to see during warmer months, including riding the gondolas and hiking. If you’re coming from the downtown Vancouver area, be advised that there is a free shuttle you can take to come to the mountain. That makes it a decent choice even if you don’t have a car at your disposal.

While Jenn has been here, we haven’t yet come here with the kids. Hopefully we’ll get that chance next time!

For more on the activities we did in Vancouver along with others not mentioned above, see our dedicated post.

Where we ate in Vancouver

The Flying Pig

We visited the location in Yaletown, which has a great happy hour with plenty of options for kids. So, really, what else could you really want in a meal? We’re used to going to happy hour and not really feeling like we ate a great meal. But that wasn’t the case here. On top of great pricing, we actually enjoyed the food more than we thought.

The staff at this location was friendly and attentive. We’d love to return sometime.

The Sandbar

Located on Granville Island, The Sandbar is a popular restaurant (reservations highly recommended). Part of its popularity is simply because it’s located at Granville, which is a tourist destination that attracts hordes of people. But the restaurant itself is also a bit more than your touristy find. The food is fresh and delicious. And the kids loved the options available to them.

In all, it’s a great place to eat if you have reservations. If not, you might be in for a lengthy wait if the tourist crowds are heavy.

Joey Burrard

Full disclosure: this is a chain restaurant with locations in the United States. That being said, we enjoyed our meal (happy hour again!) in Vancouver. Not only was the meal itself a higher quality, but the prices weren’t all that bad thanks to a favorable exchange rate. If you can make it for happy hour, I’d recommend doing so as they have plenty of delicious options.

This location happened to be just a couple of blocks from our hotel on this trip, so it made for a rather convenient early dinner. We’d be down to revisit if we’re in the area again.

For more on the food we ate in Vancouver, see our dedicated post.

Where we stayed in Vancouver

JW Marriott Parq Vancouver

When we showed up, we were surprised by how clean it was. That might sound a bit odd, but the hotel is attached to a casino and I’m used to Las Vegas hotels. This was anything but that experience and stands as one of the more upscale JW’s we’ve been to in some time. The service was friendly and it was simple enough to drive where we wanted from here. It’s not quite as convenient if you don’t have a car.

If you have Platinum status or higher with Marriott, you’ll have access to the lounge. It’s simply excellent and represents one of the better Marriott lounges in North America. Plenty of food for breakfast and in the evening, and everything we ate was fresh and tasty. You won’t go hungry here!

For more information on the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver, check out our post on the hotel.

Hyatt Regency Vancouver

This hotel used to offer stellar value when it was a Category 4 hotel, but that has been somewhat muted with the change to Category 5. It’s the only Hyatt-branded hotel in the city, so Hyatt enthusiasts will have no choice but to come here. Even still, we received excellent service from the front desk and enjoyed breakfast here. Even with the bump up in award rates, we’d still recommend the property and would be open to returning.

Those looking for a hotel with a pool will be generally satisfied with the pool at this Hyatt. It’s not a full-length pool but good enough for a city hotel, especially if you have the kids with you.

For more information on the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, check out our post on the hotel.

What do you like to do in Vancouver, British Columbia?

Suggested reading:

• Other destinations we’ve visited
• Trip Introduction: Cruising the Last Frontier
• Introduction: Fun in the Pacific Northwest