Vancouver Vacation in 48 Hours

Vancouver, B.C. is a beautiful city with a lot to offer. As Seattle locals, we admit to a smallll bias, but even trying to take our own personal thoughts out of the equation, we think Seattle has a small edge on Vancouver in regards to vibe and overall cool factor. Vancouver does have some things we don't, like an Olympic Village, a hockey team, and an accessible beach right downtown. Long story short, it's a sprawling city with much to do and everyone should visit at least once!

If you are looking for a fun weekend away from the U.S. of A., we definitely recommend checking out the chillest city in Canada. Here are our recommendations for 48 hours in Vancouver, B.C. 

The lovely Vancouver skyline

Friday

Whether you are driving or flying you will need to grab some dinner as soon as you get into town on Friday night. We recommend heading straight to Gastown, a hip and fun neighborhood full of great restaurants, bars, and shopping. Before you grab your dinner go see the famous steam clock on the corner of Cambie and Waters St. It's one of six in the world and every quarter hour it "chimes," shooting steam and whistles. If you aren't hungry yet, explore Gastown's many boutique shops. 

Left: Six Acres is a bar that welcomes you in, Right: Soft Peaks Salted Caramel soft serve

From there we have a few recommendations for dinner. Our favorite would be to walk down Waters St. to Six Acres. This is our favorite spot to take visitors since their menu caters to just about everyone and they have friendly service and a great central spot for people watching. Rodney's Oyster House is great for lovers of seafood and the German in us loves Bauhaus too! If you are looking for something casual, head over to the first brick and mortar location of Tacofino. This spot gained fame in Tofino as a food truck and when they finally set up shop in Vancouver a couple years ago they were welcomed by hoards of lifelong lovers of their fish tacos! 

After dinner go grab some casual dessert at Soft Peaks. Their soft serve ice cream is to die for! 

Saturday 

Alright, rise and shine -- it's going to be a busy day! First stop, Stanley Park. Our favorite way to explore Stanley Park is by bike. Stop by Spokes Bicycle Rentals and pick up your ride for the morning. Take the bike path into the park and either just explore the many trails or head around the sea wall for amazing views of the city, Burrard Inlet, English Bay, and the Lions Gate Bridge. Stanley Park is also home to the Vancouver Aquarium and we highly recommend a trip here. You could spend a whole day here exploring, but for a short weekend trip budget two hours and plan to see the highlights! They have a wonderful program to save orphaned or injured sea life so you can see amazing creatures here including beluga whales, dolphins, and sharks. Oh, and don't forget the otters and penguins, so cute! 

The dolphins getting a quick bite to eat at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Lion's Gate Bridge from Stanley Park Seawall

Capilano Suspension Bridge

After Stanley Park head to North Vancouver. It would be great to have a car over here because things are spread out, but you can get around via bus or Uber too. First things first, grab lunch. La Taqueria has the best street tacos in the city. Seriously, order as many as you can eat because they are delicious. From here, head up to your suspension bridge of choice. Most people want to experience Capilano Suspension Bridge - it's huge, it's famous, and it will be crowded. It also costs $40. If you are okay with a slightly smaller suspension bridge we recommend heading to Lynn Canyon. This park has a beautiful suspension bridge that is free to access and much less crowded. 

After you are finished swinging in the trees, catch the gondola up Grouse Mountain (you can also hike to the top, but you might hate us after). The ride itself is wonderful and at the top you have tons of options for exploring. In the warm months you'll be greeted with amazing views of the city, lots of hiking trails, and access to zip-lining and paragliding! In the winter this mountain turns into a beautiful ski resort, with good skiing, an ice skating rink, and warm fires to hang with friends. 

After you are done at Grouse Mountain you've earned another delicious meal. Vancouver is known for its Asian cuisine. Don't leave without trying at least some variety. Vij's is Vancouver's premier Indian restaurant and is a can't miss. There is often a wait, but it's worth it for the mouthwatering meats and sauces you'll experience once you're inside. Make sure to order the lamb popsicle side. Another great spot is Dinesty Dumpling House; don't leave without trying their soup dumplings. 

Sunday

Wake up and head to downtown. Twisted Fork is waiting for you with delicious brunch. If you like us at all you'll have the bloody mary and eggs benny, but the ultimate choice is your own. From here there are a few keys spots you still need to hit up to truly experience Vancouver. 

Granville Island Public Market is a wonderful market stuffed full of food, artisan goods, and fresh produce. It's definitely no Pike Place Market, but it's still a fun place to explore and shop! We also recommend a visit to Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. Regardless of the season this is a beautiful public garden to take a stroll through.

Granville Island awaits. Bring an empty stomach!

When you're ready to grab lunch walk over to Meat and Bread for a sandwich. This will put you near the waterfront. Vancouver has done a wonderful job of building out an amazing path that let's you walk the length of downtown overlooking the Burrard Inlet. The path juts out and around their stunning convention center and allows you to check out some of the great public art the city has installed. 

There are also two great museums, Museum of Vancouver and Science World. They take some time to explore, so you'll probably have to pick one or the other if your trip is short. Science World would be the obvious choice if you have kids in your group. Museum of Vancouver is great for the history buff. 

If you get through everything on this list, props to you! It will be a busy weekend. Regardless of what pace you move at or how much you see, Vancouver is a bustling, beautiful place and everyone can enjoy it. 

Seasonal things to check on when in town

Sporting Events - Vancouver has three great sports teams. Check their schedules before your trip to see if you can snag tickets. 

• MLS - Vancouver Whitecaps
• NHL - Vancouver Canucks
• CFL - BC Lions

Richmond Night Market - This amazing, sprawling market is usually open from May - October in Vancouver's neighboring town Richmond. There are over 200 retail stalls and 500 food stalls. 

Celebration of Light - Each summer Vancouver hosts this international fireworks competition spans three nights and offers some of the best firework displays you've ever seen! 

Summer Festivals and Concerts - The city comes alive in the summer months when the weather is perfect. Check this calendar to see what is going on around the city when you're visiting. 

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

This park isn't a new, unknown thing to do in the PNW, but it is a beautiful park that people of all ages can enjoy year round in Vancouver, BC. 

The Capilano Suspension Bridge was first built in 1889 (yep 1889, I definitely wouldn't have walked across this canyon before modern engineering) by a Scottish engineer. He had built a cabin on the edge of the canyon and needed a way across, so he took some rope and some wood and made himself a bridge (people were so resourceful back then). The bridge has had many owners and modifications since then; the bridge you walk across today was built in 1953. 

Now Capilano Suspension Bridge sits in the middle of a huge park and is one of a few attractions you get when you pay for entry (Adults $39.95, Children, $12.00). You not only get to walk across the giant swinging bridge (the thought that you are about to plummet to your death will cross your mind, just go with it), you also get to walk in the treetops on mini suspension bridges and the newest attraction, the Cliffwalk, where adventurers can hike along the cliff face on small walkways that jut out over the Capilano River. 

In addition, the park offers a lot of history in photos and stories in various locations about the park and the First Nations people who are connected to it. And it goes without saying there are places for you to spend additional money (gift shop and a cafe). 

Insider Tips: 

• In the summer this park is a hot spot. It fills up fast and can definitely impact your happy-time fun levels. Go before 11 AM to have a little more space to explore. 
• This summer they are also offering "Twilight Rates" if you go after 5 PM. Tickets are 20% off. The sun doesn't set until around 10 PM, so this gives you ample time to explore and save a few bucks!
• In the winter they drape all nine different species of trees with Christmas lights! It makes visiting the park magical. Walking in the trees filled with twinkling lights will make you feel like you are in a fairy tale! 
• If you want to avoid the lines and the price tag altogether, Lynn Canyon Park is nearby and also boasts a suspension bridge you can cross for free. Sure, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Capilano, but it is a nice alternative. 

Don't look down!

Grouse Grind: That Time Our Legs Stopped Working

You know those people who work out and enjoy it? Well, we aren't those people. But we recognize that in order to experience all the cool stuff this planet has to offer we have to be fit enough to climb at least moderately high mountains and stuff. We also never back down from a challenge. So when someone told us about an epic mountain climb in Vancouver, BC, that will kick your @*s and then provide you with the most amazing views + a grizzly bear refuge, well we just couldn't pass that up. 

Cue The Grouse Grind. 

To the left, to the left.

Grouse Mountain sits just north of Vancouver and is home to ski runs and ice skating in the winter and hiking and ziplining in the summer. There is this really nice gondola that can take you up to the lodge but only the weak take this route to the top. Those of us that hope to survive the zombie apocalypse/impending water wars/American Gladiator take The Grind. 

Remind us of this at the 3/4 mark.

The Grouse Grind is a grueling 2.9 kilometer hike (for all the Americans that is 1.8 miles), where you will ascend 2,800 feet, the majority of which is gained by climbing giant, evil, body-hating, wilderness stairs.

The hike is one way, up. You either make it to the top or paramedics carry you down. Don't worry though, most people make it. Just bring water, snacks, and someone to support you when you want to give up. It will happen, but we believe in you. And when you make it to the top and breathe that sweet, triumphant air you will smile and know you are the champion of the world.

It starts off gradual enough but don't let that fool you.

Never-ending stairs.

Once you are at the top, grab a celebratory drink at the bar in the lodge and visit Coola and Grinder at the Grizzly Bear Refuge. If the Beaver Tail stand is up and running grab one of those too, you deserve it. 

Additional Fun fact: The Vancouver Canucks use The Grind every year as a training exercise for their new recruits. Personally we feel like this is their version of The Hunger Games and only the strong who survive will be chosen to take the ice...but they claim it's for bonding. Yea, surrreee. 

We love the grizzlies at the top! They're friendly right?

Just like a teddy bear.

Amazing chainsaw carvings.

The view is so much sweeter when you work for it.

The best part is the gondola will take you down.

Vancouver Outdoor Art

Art. 

Everyone has their opinions, us included. Sometimes staring at that white canvas with paint splattered on it just doesn't do it for you. We get it.

BUT.

There is also some really cool art out there that even the most cynical can appreciate. We like to try to find the fun, whimsical stuff that everyone can see and have it sparks a smile. Take a trip around Vancouver, BC with us to find some of their best outdoor (which equals free) art exhibits! 

Digital Orca - Douglas Copeland

What do you get when you merge technology with nature? Well a digital orca of course! Overlooking the Burrard Inlet this leaping, lego-like sculpture takes something we are familiar with and offers a surprising double take. 

The Drop - Inges Idee

This steel sculpture is supposed to represent the power of nature. It is the moment when a raindrop hits the ground, multiplied by like a trillion times in size. Because, science.

This is a great one to see at night as well! 

The Words Don't Fit The Picture - Ron Terada

When you first stumble upon this work of art you say, "Oh wow, look at that." and then you read the sign and immediately wonder what the heck it means. We read up on it and we think the Terada himself explains it best:

“Taken within the context of a public library, the work touches upon – in a very poetic way – the use of words and language as boundless and imaginative, as a catalyst for a multiplicity of meanings.”

People flock to these sculptures to imitate the poses of hysterical laughter. 

Try not to crack a smile when you see these guys. Pure joy.

A-maze-ing Laughter -  Yue Minjun

These shirtless, laughing men live as a permanent installment by English Bay. They cost a pretty penny (1.5 million) but we think it was worth it for all the joy they bring the people of Vancouver.

Bright and completely out of place, but at the same time they seem to fit right in.

Love Your Bean - Cosimo Cavallaro

These giant jellybeans sit along the False Creek Seawall in Charleston Park. You can't miss them as they are, well, giant jellybeans sitting in a field of green. 

A map for your art viewing pleasure!

You don't have to visit all these in one day, but if and when you do visit them you'll find them at the places marked above. The Digital Orca and The Drop are both located at Canada Place.