Vancouver, British ColumbiaBy ArrivLast checked
Plan a trip to Vancouver
Mountains on one side, ocean on the other, and a seawall that connects most of what you came for. You can run the entire trip without a car, since few North American cities this size allow that.
- Weekend getaways
- Food trips
- Hiking
- Couples
Free to run, and you keep editing after. Add who's coming or a pace like “slow mornings” to shape the result.
Vancouver at a glance
Two things decide a Vancouver trip: the month you go and where you sleep. Both are covered below, along with the four stops worth planning a day around and the way to get between them once you are there. Budget 3 to 5 days, and then move any of it around on the map.
- How long
- 3–5 days
- When to go
- June to September is dry and mild, with long evenings, so you can count on the weather for once. October through April it rains, and the rain is what keeps everything that green, while the ski season on the North Shore runs December to March. Bring a shell.
- Getting around
- The SkyTrain runs from the airport to downtown in about 25 minutes, so you can walk past the taxi line. After that, walk, bike the seawall, and take the SeaBus across to the North Shore. A car earns its keep only for Whistler or the Sea-to-Sky drive.
What to build the plan around
- 1
Stanley Park seawall
A 5.5-mile loop around the park, and it is worth doing by bike, since the rentals sit right at the Denman Street entrance.
- 2
Granville Island
A public market and craft studios, two minutes from downtown on the Aquabus ferry, so it costs you almost nothing to get there. Go hungry.
- 3
Capilano Suspension Bridge
North Shore, and busy by mid-morning, though Lynn Canyon nearby is free and nearly as good, so the ticket price is hard to defend.
- 4
Grouse Mountain
A gondola up from North Vancouver, or the Grouse Grind if you want the stairs version and the legs that follow.
Where to stay in Vancouver
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- West End
- Between downtown and Stanley Park, walkable, and the best density of casual food once you start looking for dinner. Browse stays in West End
- Gastown
- The oldest part of the city, good bars, and the closest base to the cruise terminal and transit, so pick it if either of those matters. Browse stays in Gastown
- Kitsilano
- A beach neighborhood across the bridge, quieter than the others, and near Granville Island once you are over the water. Browse stays in Kitsilano
Arriv may earn a commission if you book through this link.
Itineraries close to Vancouver
Vancouver has no itinerary of its own yet. These are the nearest ones, and every stop is already mapped.
- Banff National Park Adventure Trip: 3-Day ItineraryNearby, and built for the same kind of trip · 11 mapped places
- Moab Adventure Trip: 3-Day ItinerarySame kind of trip, planned in Moab · 10 mapped places
- San Diego Weekend Getaway: 3-Day ItinerarySame kind of trip, planned in San Diego · 9 mapped places
Vancouver planning questions
- How many days do you need in Vancouver?
- Most people take 3 to 5 days, and the extra one earns its keep if you dislike rushing. Three days covers Stanley Park, Granville Island, and the North Shore. Five makes room for Whistler up the Sea-to-Sky highway or a ferry day in Victoria, though each of those eats a whole day, so pick one.
- What is the best time to visit Vancouver?
- June to September is dry and mild, with long evenings, so you can count on the weather for once. October through April it rains, and the rain is what keeps everything that green, while the ski season on the North Shore runs December to March. Bring a shell.
- Where should I stay in Vancouver?
- West End, Gastown, and Kitsilano, in roughly that order of convenience, though convenience and rate rarely move together. West End: Between downtown and Stanley Park, walkable, and the best density of casual food once you start looking for dinner. Gastown: The oldest part of the city, good bars, and the closest base to the cruise terminal and transit, so pick it if either of those matters. Kitsilano: A beach neighborhood across the bridge, quieter than the others, and near Granville Island once you are over the water. Any of them beats booking out by the airport.
- How do you get around Vancouver?
- The SkyTrain runs from the airport to downtown in about 25 minutes, so you can walk past the taxi line. After that, walk, bike the seawall, and take the SeaBus across to the North Shore. A car earns its keep only for Whistler or the Sea-to-Sky drive.
- What should I see first in Vancouver?
- Go to Stanley Park seawall early in the trip, before the days start filling up with things you booked later. A 5.5-mile loop around the park, and it is worth doing by bike, since the rentals sit right at the Denman Street entrance. The other three stops can go in whatever order the map makes easy, since none of them depends on the others.
- Can I build a Vancouver itinerary automatically?
- Describe the trip and Arriv builds one. Length, pace, who is coming: that is enough to get a Vancouver itinerary of real venues on a map, and every stop is yours to move or delete. Free to run, and an account matters only once you want to keep it.