Curator’s statement
We disembarked from our 11-day Denali Explorer Cruise Tour in Vancouver bright and early and didn’t have a flight until 11 pm. We had one day to explore Vancouver and hit all the hot spots. Here are the spots to see and the ones to skip, according to my kids (ages 17 and 19) and me.
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Things to do in Vancouver
Harbour Air seaplane
Granville Island Public Market
See! This bustling public market was full of fresh fruit, seafood, meats, sweet treats, and craft vendors. We had a picnic snack on the patio overlooking False Creek Inlet and explored some of the shops on the island.
Insider tip: Pick up a maple cheesecake from Stuart’s Bakery! If you are here for dinner, eat on the patio at the Vancouver Fish Company for great food and a sunset view!
Vancouver Chinatown
Skip! Vancouver is home to one of the oldest Chinatown neighborhoods in Canada. It is known for its traditional Asian bakeries, dim sum restaurants, food markets, and shops.
Insider tip: Chinatown BBQ is the place to eat if you go to Chinatown. It was packed. I would recommend skipping Chinatown altogether, though, as many businesses were not open when we visited.
Gastown
Skip! We made a quick stop in Gastown to see the Steam Clock. My kids (ages 17 and 19) were not impressed. It is an antique clock powered by steam, and while it’s neat to see, it’s definitely not a must.
Vancouver Lookout
See! We took the glass elevator up 553 feet for a 360-degree view of the city. It is definitely worth the stop. The views of the city from the observation deck were fantastic.
Stanley Park
See! Since we had limited time, we drove through the park, which is situated on a peninsula and surrounded by the Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park is a 400-hectare urban park with a natural rainforest. It has several lookout points, restaurants and snack bars, a totem pole park (which we stopped to explore), a seawall (which we also stopped by), hiking and biking trails, a beach, a pool, an aquarium, and more. Definitely a must-do when in Vancouver.
Harbour Air Seaplane Tour
See! To end our time in Vancouver, I surprised the kids with a seaplane tour from Coal Harbour. This was phenomenal! The 45-minute flight took us over the city and many iconic landmarks like Stanley Park, English Bay, the Lions Gate Bridge, and the North Shore Mountains. We also flew toward Whistler and over the islands of Howe Sound. I highly recommend a seaplane tour in Vancouver—it was definitely the highlight of our day.
Need to know
Renting a car to be able to explore Vancouver in a day was a great idea—it allowed us to spend as much or as little time at each point of interest as we wanted and also allowed us to hit all the hot spots. Lessons learned: Spend more time in Granville Island and Stanley Park and definitely do the seaplane tour.
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Sara Sandman
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