Canada Road Trip #1: Vancouver

I've always dreamed about a Canada road trip and this year my dream came true. My first stop was the city of Vancouver, which made me fall in love with Canada. That was a really good start and in this Vancouver travel blog, I will describe all great tourist attractions and interesting places I've visited in the city.

There's no easy to say how much I enjoyed my travel to Canada. Now, when I came back home, I could not wait to write Vancouver travel guide to share with you all beautiful places you can visit during the road trip and the best place to start is for sure Vancouver. The best thing about the city is that there is a lot of nature everywhere and you don't have to walk very far to find some great parks, beaches (yeah, there is a beach in Vancouver!), and mountains. In this travel article, I will describe the best 10 places I've visited in Vancouver, Canada. Let's begin!

Vancouver's Granville Island

Granville Island is a shopping district and peninsula located south of the downtown across False Creek from Downtown Vancouver, just beneath the Granville Bridge. The island was named after Granville Leveson-Gower, who was 2nd Earl Granville. It was once an industrial manufacturing area with many factories and sawmills, but nowadays it transformed into a great and interesting place for tourism and entertainment. It now hosts a great Public Market, many theatres, boutique hotel, marina, artists workshops, craft studios, restaurants, and cafes. Granville Island in Vancouver is an awesome tourist attraction, where you can find unique souvenirs.

In Granville Island in Vancouver, there is a famous public market, where you can find not only fresh food from farmers but also other day vendors, as well as local artist's goods. There are more than 50 permanent retailers and more than a hundred day vendors. You can also visit here Molon's Brewery, which offers beer tasting and brewing tours. There are also several different festivals in Granville Island: Vancouver Writers Fest, Vancouver Fringe Festival, and Vancouver International Children's Festival.

The best way to get to the Granville Island is to take a mini tugboat ferry that will cross the False Creek.

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is the first official green space and stunning public park in Vancouver, that borders the downtown and it's surrounded by the sea from three sides (Vancouver Harbour and English Bay). The park has a huge history and for many years it was a home to Non-Indigenous settlers. In 1886 it was turned into the first public park in Vancouver and named after Lord Stanley, who was a British politician and an Earl of Derby.

Stanley Park is, in my opinion, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Vancouver and the must-see interesting place in the city. Unlike other public parks, Stanley Park was some kind of the evolution of a forest and urban space over many years, not the creation of a landscape architect. You can find here a lot of things to do, including a small Stanley Park Train, aquarium, horse-drawn carriage rides, and a polar bear exhibit. There are also a few restaurants and cafes around the Stanley Park, but if you want, you can also bring your own picnic (which I recommend a lot).

VanDusen Botanical Garden Maze

VanDusen Botanical Garden Maze in Vancouver is an amazing place and one of the six Elizabethan hedge mazes in North America.  The whole maze is made of more than 3000 pyramidal cedars, all planted in 1981. The Botanical Garden name comes from the local philanthropist Julian VanDusen and the maze itself is running by the non-profit organization called Vancouver Park Board.

The whole VanDusen Botanical Garden with the maze covers 55 acres and you can find here many different plants from all over the world. There is also an observatory terrace from where people can see the VanDusen Botanical Garden Maze in Vancouver. The great photos can be made from here. The park is opened every day.

Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver

Another awesome garden in Vancouver, which is not easy to find, as it's hidden behind a white building located in the middle of Chinatown. The full name of the Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver is the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and it's a result of the collaboration between China and Canada. The garden's structure is based on the gardens from the Ming Dynasty and it's the first that kind of garden that was built outside of China.

The garden was build to show the idea of Taoism, Yin and Yang, Feng Shui, and it's perfect balance. You will find here tons of colors, beautiful mosaics, paths, lily pads, goldfishes in the water and many other surprises. There are many places to rest or just to sit a bit and feel the energy of the place. It almost seems that every part of the Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver looks different.

There are many events that can be found in the Classical Chinese Garden, like yoga and tai chi lessons or concerts. Also, the garden hosts a very interesting event called the Vancouver Storytelling Festival. During the winter, you can come here to the Secret Lantern Society’s Winter Solstice Lantern Festival.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Well, in my opinion, Canada is all about nature and wildlife, but I had no idea that there are so many nature & wildlife interesting places and tourist attractions in Vancouver itself! Another great place is the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which is 140 meters long and sits at a height of 70 meters above the Capilano River. It can be found north of Stanley Park, so if you visit the park, make sure to get also here to feel the fresh forest air and the Canadian nature.

When you will have enough of the beautiful views of Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver (that may take some time), make sure to also visit Capilano Suspension Bridge Park on the other side of the bridge.

Grouse Mountain with Skyride

The other great thing about Vancouver is that the closest mountain is just 20 minutes drive from the city. It's called Grouse Mountain and you can get to the top of it by North America’s largest aerial tramway called the Skyride. It will take you up to 1130 meters to the Alpine Station, where you can find 26 great ski runs. It doesn't matter if you are advanced or a beginner, you will find a ski run for yourself.

Grouse Mountain with Skyride in Vancouver is a must-see tourist attraction even if you don't want to ski. There are incredible views and panorama of the Vancouver city and the sea.

Vancouver's Science World

If you like science or experiments, you have to visit Vancouver's Science World! It's located to the east of downtown. The official name is the Telus World of Science and it's the place with many permanent science displays and great exhibits. Vancouver's Science World is a very interesting place and tourist attraction in Vancouver, not only for kids, but it also can be fascinating for adults.

During your visit to Vancouver's Science World, you can watch the immersive film on the largest OMNIMAX dome screen in the world!

Science World in Vancouver is open from 10:00 to 18:00, with the exception of Tuesdays, when it's open from 10:00 to 21:00. The adult ticket costs 25$. Reserve yourself about 3 hours for a visit.

Bloedel Floral Conservatory

Bloedel Floral Conservatory is a rounded glass building that maintains a variety of tropical jungle ecosystems: desert, tropical rainforest, and subtropical rainforest with more than 500 species and 100 colorful birds. It all looks almost like you would come into an Eden.

Bloedel Floral Conservatory in Vancouver was built in 1969 and it's one of the must-see tourist attractions in Vancouver. If you want to see a hot world of rainforests inside cold Canada, this interesting place is perfect to visit!

Gastown

Gastown is not a very attractive name, but in fact, it's one of the most beautiful and oldest neighborhoods in Vancouver, located in the north part of downtown. You can find here trendy fashion shops, boutiques, and old Victorian houses. All of that between old cobblestone streets with vintage lamp posts. Here you can also find the best restaurants in Vancouver. And the Gas Steam Clock, that was built in 1977 by Raymond Saunders and Doug Smith.

The biggest attraction of the Gastown in Vancouver is a Gas Steam Clock, which every quarter hour whistle and shoot steam from its whistles.

The Gas Steam Clock in Gastown, Vancouver is one of the six working Steam Clocks in the World. If you are planning your visit to Gastown in Vancouver, make sure to see it.

English Bay Beach in Vancouver

The English Bay Beach in Vancouver, known also as the First Beach, is the most popular beach in the city. Well, you probably even didn't think that Vancouver has beaches, right? But if you are planning to visit the city during the summer, this is the best place to relax.

There are a lot of cafes and restaurants here, you can play volleyball and rent a kayak. If you know what you are doing, you can even swim raft with a giant slide. 

There are also some more beaches in Vancouver, but they are not that popular as English Bay Beach and you will probably have to get a car to see them. On the other hand, there will be much fewer people if you don't like crowds.

Conclusion

Vancouver is a great city and I'm glad that it was my first stop on my Canada road trip. There are so many awesome interesting places and tourist attractions, mostly connected to nature and wildlife. I hope this Vancouver travel guide showed you what to see and visit in that awesome city. If you enjoyed my Vancouver travel blog or have any questions, feel free to write to me in the comment section below.

Hey there! My name is Wojtek and I am very happy that you came to my travel blog. I've been traveling the world for a few good years now and I still want more.

On my website I describe the adventures that have happened to me, you will also find here a collection of valuable tips for tourists and travelers. If you liked this article, be sure to leave a comment and read some more!