What to do in Vancouver?

[Limmer]

We are thinking of heading out to Vancouver in Feb. My husband is a big skiier and we would be meeting his sis and her DBF who are also skiiers. I have an uncle out there who I could spend some time with but not every day (he works). What would you do left to your own devices in Vancouver if you were me (mid-twenties female)?

 

[cndncruiz]

Have you been to Vancouver before?

When we go, we like to walk down Robson Street and check out all of the stores, get on the Sea bus and go over to North Van where they have a great market and little shops to peruse through.

There is alot of great things to do in Vancouver.

 

[Limmer]

No, we have never been before. The hotel I am looking at is on Robson St. Is this a good area?

 

[cndncruiz]

Which Hotel is it?

Robson street is the main street in downtown Vancouver with all of the shops etc. It gets really "alive" at night. There are some GREAT restaurants on Robson as well. There is a place that is in the upper part of a building and it is called Zeffereli's, they have excellent pasta and seafood meals.

Of course there is an Earls and Moxies as well. I don't know what it is you like to do but when we were there in April we walked up and down Robson a couple of times, went to Zefferelli's, spent some time in the "VIRGIN" records store, took a tour of General Motors Place. Vancouver usually has excellent theatre productions going on as well.

You could always go to Stanley Park as well and walk along the SeaWall and they have an aquarium there. Another thing that is fun is to take a ride up the Harbour Towers and have lunch in their revolving restaurant that overlooks all of Vancouver or you can go on your own and take a view of the area from the observation deck.

Hope this helps.

 

[Limmer]

We were looking at "The Listel Vancouver".

 

[cndncruiz]

I have only heard of "The Hotel Vancouver" I have never heard of the "Listel Vancouver" What is the location of that hotel?

If it is the Hotel Vancouver, it is a beautiful building and you can't go wrong with that.

 

[jeank74]

After living in Vancouver for 11 years, hopefully I can help you out planning your visit........

First of all, Listel Vancouver is in a fairly good section of Robson Street. Pretty safe area at night, too. I have never been to that hotel, but it looks like a decent one.

In addition to the Robson St, Canada Place, North Vancouver, and Stanley Park which have been mentioned in the above messages, you may also take a ride down to the Granville Island which is underneath the Granville Bridge. From where you stay, it is about 10 minutes of driving to the Granville Island. There is a big market there, lots of small shops with local art and craft, and when the weather permits, there are street performers. Interesting place to go.

Another place which I recommend would be the Gas Town, which is near the Harbour Centre. Pretty at night (stone pavement and lights), but not quite safe. Make sure you DON'T park your car there at night.

Inside of Stanley Park, there is a Vancouver Aquarium. Outside of Stanley Park, there is the English Bay. When the weather is nice, I love to walk down the Bay looking at the sunset....

Do you ski, too? Will you go to Whistler?

Hopefully you will find these information useful.

 

[Limmer]

jeank74, we do want to go to Whistler. We are now thinking of staying in North Van because that is where my uncle lives. How long does it take to get to Whistler from North Van?

 

[jeank74]

Limmer,

I would say about 45 minutes, depends on how fast you drive. Very easy to get to Whistler from North Van. Clear road signages, too.

 

[c&m]

Whistler is about a 1.5 hour drive from North Van. You take the Sea-to-Sky Hwy, which is a one-lane, windy hwy that can be quite slow moving at times. On the way to Whistler, you pass by Britannia, which is the site of an old mine. There are tours of the Britannia mine that you can go on. Quite interesting.

In North Van, you can go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which is a touristy thing to do, but it is very spectacular to look at.
In North Van, besides Lonsdale Quay, also check out Edgemont Village which has some quaint shops and cafes.

In Vancouver, Granville Island is a fave place to go to. Go on an empty stomach and eat your way through it!

Go to Vancouver's Chinatown and wander through the shops. Eat dim sum. (Again, go on an empty stomach and eat your way through!)

Also in Vancouver, check out Queen Elizabeth Park for its impressive gardens and Seasons-in-the-Park Restaurant; Commercial Drive for its culture, restaurants, and great Italian coffees; Kerrisdale for its quaint shops and cafes; University of B.C. for its beautiful lands, libraries, book shop, aquatic centre, and the Museum of Anthropology; Science World for some hands-on fun and IMAX shows.

 

[TimNDansMom]

Wow, reading the list of all the things to do in Vancouver brings back memories! My sister, who now lives on Vancouver Island, used to live in Kerrisdale and when I visited her we did all those things! I must plan a trip back there ~ I've been going just to the island lately. Something else that we enjoyed doing was taking the Cable Car up Grouse Mountain for a spectacular view of Vancouver and Burrard Inlet.

 

[hwyhowie]

Vancouver is a gorgeous city, that is very clean and crime free depending on where you go. As you may have guessed from reading all the other relpys there is an abundance of day to day activities here, and Whistler / Blackcomb is a world class ski resort, that will hopefully be hosting the 2010 Olympics.

The weather here can be a little ugly in the winter, but that is to be expected when we live in a rain forest. Enjoy your trip, and BRING YOUR SKIS!!!!

 

[bevvy5]

Also from downtown you can take the Skytrain (rapid transit) and head down to New Westminster. A walk along the New Westminster Quay is nice, there's a casino there if that's to anyone's liking and folks enjoy the ride back and forth. Not exciting but kind of enjoyable.

We live about an hour east of Vancouver. At least twice a year we Priceline a hotel downtown just to go down there, park the car, "do" Robson and window shop, walk the Seawall and have coffee at the Bread Garden on Denman and decide where to eat and just enjoy ourselves. It's a great city and you'll not run out of things to do.

Just a word of warning. The drive to Whistler can be very treacherous if there's been snow. There are several serious accidents every season. If you're planning to go up there to ski, it might be worth your while to try to stay overnight. it would be a very long day trip to drive from North Van, ski, then drive back in the same day. Not impossible, but not pleasant, IMHO.

Robson Street, Denman, etc. are all pretty safe -- we've been out wandering around at midnight and felt perfectly fine -- lots of people out and about unless the weather is terrible. But if you head too far east (basically cross Granville Street) you get into a bad area of town, particularly down Hastings Street. Lots of people out and about there too, just none that you would want to run into!! So stay on the west side of Granville Street and you'll be fine.

Okay, now I want to go to Priceline and get a hotel for mid-January!!

Bev

 

[i12go2wdw]

We live in North Van and could give you ideas to keep you busy for at least a week. You don't have to go all the way to Whistler if you don't want to as we have 3 very good ski mountains in North and West Van. Here are some links:

Mount Seymour

Cypress Mountain

Grouse Mountain

Some one has mentioned Capilano Suspension Bridge but there is an even scarier suspension bridge in Lynn Canyon Park and that one is free. There are beautiful hiking trails and ecology center. In West Van there is a seawall and Ambleside beach. I could go on but if you would like any more ideas you can send me a PM. I am sure you will enjoy your trip no matter what you end up doing (bring an umbrella)

Christine

 

[#1MMFan]

We are hoping to go to Vancouver in November of this year. We'd hope to get between 10-14 days there (depending on annual leave arrangements).

Will the skiing season have started in Whistler at this time, and would it be worth it to visit, even if we have no skiing ability. Yes, okay so we live in Scotland and have never tried skiing in Aviemore, duh!! We might try locally first at some point this year, but we'd still be beginners!

Also, sis and mum like shopping (I don't mind it myself too much as long as it's for me!) so what would be the best recommendations for malls and what kind of shops do they have?

If we were to stay in Vancouver itself, what moderately priced hotels would you recommend, or what area would be the most convenient?

I'm sure I'll think of more questions later, but it's a start!! Can't wait to hear your replies!

John

 

[jeank74]

John,

I lived in Vancouver for 11 years and I have only skiied once..... So I totally understand how you feel... and that is why I didn't answer the question about how far to drive to Whistler correctly... (feel so ashamed)

Anyways, so you wanna know where to shop in Vancouver. First of all, there are malls everywhere in Vancouver. If you stay in Vancouver, there is the Pacific Centre in Downtown and Oak Ridge ( a bit more up-scaled mall) on 41st and Cambie Street. If you stay in Burnaby, there is the MetroTown. If you stay in Richmond, there is the Richmond Centre. If you stay in N. Vancovuer, there is the Park Royal.

For people watching and shopping, there is a strip in Downtown call Robson Street, very close to the Pacific Centre Shopping Mall. There are various shops and restaurants on Robson, and the street is crowded during weekend nights. Very interesting.

If you wanna go for Chinese food and shopping, go to Richmond instead of the dangerous Chinatown in Vancouver. Lots of Asian shops and restaurants along No. 3 Road in Richmond.

For better priced hotels, you go check Best Western, Holiday Inns, Comfort Inns, etc. Travelocity.ca and Expedia.ca will give you a list of hotels sorted by price.

Hope it helps!!!

 

[c&m]

I live in Richmond and like to play/ski in Whistler, so maybe I can answer your questions.

You didn't mention when in November you will be travelling here. The Whistler/Blackcomb mountains typically open up the second to last weekend in November. Last ski season, it opened up to great snow. This ski season, it opened on Nov. 23; however, there was no snow till mid Dec. So, as you can see, Mother Nature is unpredictable. They have awesome ski lessons, if you don't know how and want to learn. I must warn you that Whistler is an expensive place. Hotels are pricey, but world-class. The Chateau Whistler is beautiful with a nice casual restaurant downstairs called Portobello's. Other places to stay are the Westin or Pan Pacific Lodge. If you want a B&B, the Durlacher Hof is wonderfully comfortable with a great Austrian breakfast. Overall, Whistler Village is a great place to wander around to people-watch, shop, and eat.

If you are looking for places to stay, Downtown Vancouver is central to everything. Sutton Place Hotel, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Wedgewood Hotel, and the Westin Bayshore are really nice. You can get to Stanley Park easily from Downtown. Stanley Park is also where you'll find the Vancouver Aquarium. Also, don't miss Science World.

But don't forget about Richmond, which is the suburb city close to the Vancouver Int'l Airport. Previous poster is right about Richmond's No. 3 Road strip. It's an awesome mini Chinatown that boasts great food (try Kirin restaurant for an awesome dim-sum lunch or dinner; Hon's for noodles/Chinese fast-food; Yaohan to get great snacks; Thai House for good spicy dishes and curries; Anna's Bakery for baked goods; and etc...). There are 2 large malls to shop in--Lansdowne Mall and Richmond Centre. Hotels in Richmond are not as expensive as Downtown Vancouver yet are very nice. In fact, two of them have been built in the past 3 years. They are the Marriott and Hilton, both of which are kitty corner to Richmond Centre, and the Fairmont Airport Hotel which is connected to the airport. The Fairmont Airport Hotel is known for their awesome Sunday brunch buffet. The Hilton also has a good Sunday brunch buffet. Other hotels in the area are the Radisson, Executive Inn, Ramada, Richmond Inn, Hampton Inn, and Holiday Inn Express. You might want to visit a good local pub called the Foggy Dew (awesome pub fare!!!).

While you're in Richmond, visit Steveston Village, which used to be an old fishing pier, now a village with quaint shops and fish 'n chips restaurants. Pajo's is famous locally for their fish 'n chips.

Post again if you have other more specific questions.