Vancouver, British Columbia, was on my bucket list ever since visiting the American PNW. I’m not sure if it is also the PNW, or the PSW, since it is in Canada. Regardless, I wanted to plan my first trip to Vancouver. After discovering we had a long weekend off work, my husband and I decided to plan a trip. We picked the destination from a coffee table book in our apartment with 225 destinations of a lifetime. We decided to open the book and commit to going to whatever city was on that page. It was Vancouver, and it was time to book our flights!

To talk about my first trip to Vancouver, I am going to split the city into neighborhoods. I was impressed by the diversity in the city, which has sculpted many unique neighborhoods. To travel between neighborhoods public transportation is a great option or just use your feet, as the city is quite walkable. To visit just the city, I don’t think renting a car is necessary. The SkyTrain connects the airport to the city. There is also a passenger ferry, called the SeaBus, you can take to North Vancouver. The train, ferry, and buses can be utilized on an unlimited basis with an affordable day pass or you can purchase individual fares.

Downtown / Coal Harbor

On your first trip to Vancouver, a good place to stay is Downtown. There is a lot to see and do in Downtown and it felt clean and safe. A 3-hour long free walking tour with Toonie Tours is a good first activity after arriving. The tour takes you around Downtown and even into the historic Gastown neighborhood, which has a famous steam clock. A couple other highlights of the tour were the Colosseum inspired public library and BC Place stadium. After soaking up the city’s architecture from the ground, you can head to the sky for 360 degree views from the Vancouver Lookout. A good place to stop for beer and food is Steamworks Brewing Company, which has multiple locations. A quick lunch spot that also has yummy baked goods is Breka.

Stanley Park

Right next to Downtown is a very large park called Stanley Park. You can take the waterfront path from Downtown to the park and then continue along the 10 km (6.25 mile) seawall loop around the park. A whole day can be spent at the park. To get around you can walk or rent bikes. We walked the loop and stopped at places along the way. There is an area with totem poles, multiple beaches, a 3-par golf course, and little food/drink stops throughout the park – one place even had a vegan hotdog! A cute and quaint spot to stop is a restaurant called the Tea House. Surprisingly, they don’t have the largest tea menu, but we still had some tea in cute individual kettles and split some truffle fries. At the end of the loop, we stopped into Stanley Park Brewing, a popular place with good beer and food.

Fairview / Granville Island

One of the coolest little areas I discovered on my first trip to Vancouver was Granville Island. The highlight is the Granville Island Public Market, where you can eat to your heart’s content or get some local produce for later. Make sure to stop at JJ Bean Coffee Roasters, Lee’s Donuts, and A La Mode. From A La Mode, I had a unique and tasty corn chowder pot pie overflowing out of a mug.

Next to the market are cute little shops and restaurants. A delicious sandwich spot is A Bread Affair. There also is Granville Island Brewing. For your sweet tooth, stop at Licorice Parlour. If you are with kids, there is even a Kids Market on the island.

After walking around the island, a nearby stop for some history is the Museum of Vancouver. There is a lot to read so make sure to drink some coffee before. If you are not planning on reading it’s pry not worth the $22. I did think it was very interesting and it gave me some background for the rest of the trip.

Little Italy

While researching the Little Italy area I came across a blog about a food tour. The food tour is no longer running, but fortunately the blogger provided a breakdown of all her stops. So I thought, why not make my own food tour! Here were my stops:

• La Grotta Del Formaggio – panini
• Fratelli Authentic Italian Baking – pastry
• Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria – pizza
• Sopra Sotto – pasta

If you can only go to one place on the list I highly recommend Sopra Sotto – the pizza there looked delicious as well!

North Vancouver

On your first trip to Vancouver traveling to North Vancouver is a must. You can get there via the SeaBus or via car or bus over the Lions Gate Bridge. The main attractions in North Vancouver are the suspension bridges. The most popular and longest is the Capilano Suspension Bridge. There is a free shuttle bus to there and back from downtown Vancouver, making the trip very convenient. Another less visited suspension bridge is the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, which is where we ventured to. After taking the SeaBus, we hoped on a public bus, and then walked about 15 minutes to the park entrance. Although crossing the suspension bridge is the main attraction at both parks, there are also beautiful hiking trails throughout the parks.

After walking across a suspension bridge and doing some hiking, I recommend heading to the historic Wallace Shipyard waterfront area. There are numerous restaurants, bars, and coffee shops to relax at while taking in the Downtown skyline views.

Other Neighborhoods

With some more time, other neighborhoods to check out include West End, Chinatown, and South Main (SoMa). There is so much to explore and eat in the diverse city of Vancouver. Make sure you arrive hungry!