Vancouver, BC suggestions

Was there about a year and a half ago. We did day trips to Whistler and to Victoria Island. Both were good trips and I would recommend doing either or both if you have time. The drive to Whistler was very scenic and very cool.

Didn't really plan to trip to Victoria well and wasted a good bit of time due to poor planning, but it was a cool place to visit and Butchart Gardens is a must see if you do go.

Stanley Park and Granville Island in Vancouver are must sees as well.

I second Stanley Park and Granville Island (we stayed there both times at the Granville Island Hotel). Kayaking on False Creek was a lot of fun with great views of the city.

One can't miss thing is going up to the top of Grouse Mountain on the skyride. Tremendous views from up there, and if it's your thing they have a FANTASTIC zipline course.

Be prepared for the wimpiest drinks in North America; I basically had to ask for a double anytime I ordered one.

I agree with the Stanley Park recommendations (if the weather is decent, go rent a bike and ride around the rim of the park), but I don't think Granville Island is a must-see. It's mostly kitschy, tourist stuff for sale. If you're 50+ you'll probably enjoy it.

Do yourself a favor and get some xiao long bao while you're there. Some of the best in North America are in Vancouver. Last time I went to Vancouver I went to Lin Chinese Cuisine, which I would recommend, but there are lots of good options.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is also pretty cool.

Vancouver has a fantastic brewery scene. A few of my favorites are Brassneck, 33 Acres, Superflux.

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Does anyone have specific tips on nice restaurants, bars, things to do/see. Possible day trips outside the city?

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I've been three times. First two times I really enjoyed it, not as much this last time but we stayed near the airport for convenience.

As others have said Stanley Park and the drive to Whistler are pretty much must do's if you have the time. There are a couple of water falls on the drive up that are short hikes. The 2nd time we stayed near where you are and just enjoyed walking around the city; we did drive to Whistler one day. That was after a cruise from Alaska. We had most of a day to kill when we got off the ship before we could check in; put our bags at the hotel, and got a circulator bus pass where the cruise ships dock. We took the bus to Stanley Park and walked all around it.

About a 1/2 mile from your hotel is the Gastown district which is worth walking around. There are restaurants and a bunch of stores that sell jade .
You can rent a bike in town and see a lot that way. If you have a car you can download the GuideAlong app (used to be called Gypsie Guide?) for free and then pay for a tour of Vancouver Downtown ($5) and one for Vancouver to Whistler ($5). You don't need wifi, it works off of GPS.

We ate at a little soup and sandwich shop at 551 Howe St called Joyeaux Cafe & Restaurant that was really good for what it is. The food was very fresh.

I think Granville Island is worth a visit but i would take a water taxi there. It is small and traffic is congested. There is a food market with all kinds of cooked food to buy. That was the main thing we did there.

This past summer we went to Victoria on Vancouver Island. You can take the ferry from Horseshoe Bay and land at Nanaimo but then it is about a 90 minute drive to Victoria. Or you can take the ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay and then it is just 30 minutes to Victoria. Butchart Gardens are near Swartz Bay. You can get the tickets on line. Foot passengers are allowed but i don't know what type of ground transportation they have


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Couple of pictures of Butchart Gardens.

FYI, traffic and be horrible.
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Downtown Vancouver and a bike rental store.

NCTiger71 knows what he's talking about. We had family who lived in False Creek, so visited often. The drive to Whistler is spectacular, make the short hike to Shannon Falls in Squamish if you go. Also, a seaplane is a good option for Victoria if time is limited, but the ferry ride over is very scenic too.

Stanley Park and Granville Island have been mentioned and cool.