The end of 2019 has been filled with travelling to new and exciting places! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind of not knowing the day or time zone but I’ve loved every minute of it! Before Justin and I started our Hawaii vacation we decided to have a quick stopover in Vancouver since it was on the way and we had never been! We had an amazing 3 day 2 night stay and I can’t wait to share with you our fave Vancouver spots. I love love love Vancouver’s laid back coastal lifestyle mixed with the urban city life!
WHERE TO STAY
The Victorian Hotel welcomed Justin and me into their beautiful boutique-style hotel. As you can see the building has a vintage/modern look with white black accents so you know I’m in love already!! It is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver which was perfect for our quick touristy stay. The room was cozy yet modern with an exposed brick wall behind the comfiest bed EVER! (seriously I slept for 9 hours both nights lol). Staying at The Victorian was a whole experience itself with the vintage and intimate atmosphere. I highly recommend booking your stay here to add to the Vancouver experience! It’s super close to everything we wanted to see, including Gastown, which is number one on everyones Vancouver list.
WHAT TO DO
Since we were Vancouver first timers we turned to Instagram to get your guys recommendations of what to do and see! As per usual you guys didn’t disappoint and filled our entire weekend with the best Vancouver places to hit up. See the post with the list of suggestions here!
STANLEY PARK
We had a crazy amount of Stanley Park recommendations so we knew we had to visit, and I suggest you do too! It is the best way to see the urban skyline, mountains, west coast rainforest, and North Pacific Ocean. There are lots of trails to hike but Justin and I rented bikes, his was a normal bike, and I opted for electric. Lol. It is such a beautiful sight with so many different things to see and lots of places to sit down, take in the views, and rest. Lolllll. There a few beaches that you can hangout at and also public restrooms along the way if you have to pee all the time like I do.
GRANVILLE ISLAND
Granville Island was another highly recommended spot to check out! Granville Island is a peninsula right across from downtown Vancouver. There are a few different ways to get to this island, you can walk, drive by car or taxi, or take a ferry. Justin and I opted for the False Creek Ferry as it was in expensive and added to the experience of visiting the island. It was also an easy way to get out on a boat in Vancouver for roughly 6.00 (depending on where you get on the Ferry). Also! We thought it was cash only, but they do take credit cards!! You can learn more about the ferry here.
The island is a super cute little shopping district filled with lots of art galleries, markets and shops. We enjoyed strolling along the different vendors in the indoor market and ate some crepes and pizza! It is definitely a fun little day trip and super easy to get to, so don’t miss this if you are even in Van for a short time!!
GASTOWN
Our hotel was very close to Vancouver’s oldest and cutest neighborhood Gastown. Gastown is the perfect mix of vintage and modern, the streets are lined with victorian architecture and cobblestone streets (so picturesque!!). There are a ton of boutiques, pubs, and restaurants. We wandered in and out of all the interior design shops until we got to my favorite Vancouver based clothing brand Kit & Ace. Here, both Justin and I tried on clothes and ended up leaving each with a pair of pants. (If we didn’t only pack carryon luggage we would have left with a lot more. LOL) I was really excited to check out Kit & Ace because I’ve worked with them in the past on numerous occasions and am a frequent shopper on their online site! They have 3 locations in Vancouver so check it out!
WHERE TO EAT
Botanist Restaurant - The Botanist is a super cute and airy restaurant located downtown Vancouver. The decor is amazing and definitely Instagram friendly. Lol. We both ordered the Thanksgiving dinner as it was Thanksgiving weekend and their menu was special occasion. Dinner was delicious and so were the drinks!!
Bella Gelateria - If you’re looking for a Gelato fix definitely stop into Bella Gelateria. They are located right downtown, so it makes for a great mid-day snack or after supper dessert. We got an order of Chocolate Belgian Brownie and Salted Caramel. SO GOOD.
Chambar - Chambar has such a cool urban feel with exposed brick throughout the restaurant. They serve a variety of belgian inspired dishes along with fresh seafood. Justin had done his research on this one, and he was pumped to go. They have really high ratings, which they definitely lived up to.
Dockside - Dockside Vancouver has an amazing waterfront view!! Best restaurant to eat with a stunning Van city view. They have an indoor contemporary setting and an outdoor patio. Either option you will love the vibes and atmosphere. The light in there is amazing, if that is something that’s important to you LOL. We had our formal thanksgiving dinner there and we were so happy <3. We didn’t want fancy pants Thanksgiving dinner like you would assume restaurants would make, we wanted the turkey, mashed potatoes, whole deal like you’d have at your grandmother’s house. And they delivered.
Giovane Cafe - Ok so if you follow Jillian Harris you’re with me on this one. The banana coconut latte is something that she raves about on stories every time she’s in Vancouver. We actually stumbled upon it unintentionally and I kinda freaked out. LOL. I had to order one. Honestly, it was so good. I get it. It was so good I went back the next morning for another one. Highly recommend. Also their almond croissant is to die for.
HOW TO GET AROUND
If you end up staying downtown (which I would recommend) you can walk to a lot of the Vancouver attractions and enjoy this coastal urban city. There is also the SkyTrain which is Vancouver’s light rapid transit system. Depending on which zone you get on at the fare ranges from 3.00-5.75. Or you can by a day pass for 10.50! Not bad prices at all! We used the skytrain to get to and from the airpot and it was really easy. As I mentioned before there are ferry services, like False Creek Ferry and Aquabus. I would suggest travelling each of these options as they all kind of add to your trip and experiencing everything Vancouver has to offer. Unfortunately Vancouver doesn’t have Uber, and we actually had a hard time finding a taxi on our way home from dinner, and ended up walking most of the way…. Lol. I don’t have a solution for this one.
Although our stay was short and sweet , we had an amazing time in Vancouver and will definitely be back! It was super cool to see the opposite coast of Canada I’m used to! So similar yet unique and different. Did we miss any of your must see spots in the city? Make sure to let me know and I will put them on my list!
xx
Allie