Vancouver
Canada is has very cold and harsh winters, so the best time is to visit Vancouver in Summers which is from June – August when the weather is very pleasant.
The city of Vancouver is 3 hours north of Seattle. For those in Seattle, can just take your car and cross the border in to Canada provided you have the tourist visa or a US citizenship/green card (then you can enter without any issues). This post will provide information on what to do in Vancouver in summers and how to plan a trip in Vancouver.
Where to stay in Vancouver
Before we go to ‘What to do in Vancouver in Summers’, you need to figure out where to stay. Based on our research, there were many places/attractions in north Vancouver. Downtown Vancouver would be ideal but it would turn out very expensive. If you are looking for budget accommodation, here are a few options:
- Burnaby
- Surrey
- Coquitlam
- Dunbar
- Delta
There are a lot of hotels, AirBnB and Bed & Breakfast options as well. We chose a hotel in Burnaby as it seemed well located from all attractions (this is subjective to your interests). Since we are Vegan, we also look for nearby restaurants while deciding the hotel.
WHAT TO DO IN VANCOUVER, BC
Vancouver and nearby areas have a lot to offer to tourists and below are some day trips/attractions which you should try to visit. We have narrowed down the list to 6 things you should definitely do in Vancouver
1. Capilano Suspension Bridge
Around 20-30 mins up north from Burnaby, is the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. It is a great place for adults and kids. Capilano Suspension bridge is a simple suspension bridge built over the Capilano River in British Columbia province of Canada – 140 meters long and about 70 meters above the river. It is not very scary but great place for clicking pics.
2. Ferry to sunshine coast
Another activity that one should definitely do is take a ferry ride to Sunshine coast. You can visit www.bcferries.com and browse the ferry options to different islands. We selected the town of Sechelt (Sunshine coast) – a beautiful small town with a great clean coastline. One of the best experiences was to sit at the beach and gorge on an ice cream.
Note: You would need to book at least 1 week in advance on Bcferries to avail discounted fares.
Depending on the duration of your trip, you can decide which destination you want to visit. If you are interested in visiting Victoria (capital city of British Columbia province), then it will be a 2.5 hour ferry ride one way. So, you might want to plan a night’s stay in Victoria. Otherwise, for trips to sunshine coast (40 min ferry ride), you can plan a return ride the same day.
The best part is that you can drive your car on to the ferry and then roam around the island in your own car!
3. Sea to sky gondola
Since the winters are very cold in Canada, the best time to visit Vancouver in summers is from June – August. Another day tour that is a must is a Sea to Sky Gondola, again up north of Vancouver for about a 1 hour drive. The drive is via Sea to Sky highway and we can assure you it is absolutely amazing. The Trans-Canada highway is one of the best roads we have driven on..but we will get to that later.
Once you reach the Sea to sky Gondola, as the name suggests, buy the tickets to go up to the summit via a gondola right.
After the photo session, you can head towards some hiking as well. There are different hiking trails..we chose the shortest one to maximize the time for photoshoots π
Hungry after the hiking at Sea to Sky Gondola? – a 10 minute drive further up north is Squamish where you will find a lot of restaurant including vegan options. Soak in the beautiful views while gorging on delicious food.
If you guys have more time on your hand, you could drive further up north to Whistler as well.
4. Shannon Falls & Porteau Cove Provincial Park
The main reason why we love Canada so much is that nature has so much to offer here – mountains, lakes, and waterfalls too. Just adjacent to Sea to Sky Gondola is Shannon falls. You could also take up a hiking trail from Shannon falls to reach the summit of Sea to Sky.
After the a short hike within near Shannon falls, we rested ourselves by soaking our feet in cool water stream at the foot of the falls.
While returning from Shannon falls back to Vancouver, we took a small detour from the Sea to Sky highway to Porteau Cove Provincial Park.
5. Grouse Mountain
If you have been to Sea to Sky, then Grouse Mountain could be something you could drop. It is again north of Vancouver and closer from Capilano Suspension Bridge. First, take a cable car ride up to the top. One main attraction is the ski cable-car ride with hardly any protective support – a 10 minute ride further to the top gives you mesmerizing views of the city of Vancouver.
6. Explore Vancouver Downtown
Of course, once you are done with everything around Vancouver, it is time to spend time in the city and the downtown Vancouver. The city of Vancouver has a lot to offer right from Art and culture, Sculptures (‘The Drop’) to historic churches and of course our favorite – awesome food – all cuisines.
Also, don’t miss the chance to go to the lush green Stanley park and take a walk or a bike and cycle along the sea -wall. The Vancouver coal harbor is also nearby providing amazing views.
We found Vancouver, BC to be an amazing place and definitely a must-visit if you are planning a trip to Canada. The above itinerary for ‘What to do in Vancouver in summers’ could be squeezed into 3-4 days. However, if you are planning to visit Victoria via ferry, add a couple of days stay there as well.
Please tell us what you felt about your experience in Vancouver and provide feedback on our blog as well π
My goodness. I’ve never had a NEED to go to Vancouver but now I think I need to go. Thank you for sharing this!
Your pictures are fabulous. The suspension bridge looks fun but also gives me some anxiety. The waterfall is beautiful. The ferry ride and island sounds like the best time. Thank you for sharing.
Yes it is amazing…wait till we share our 10 day road trip from Vancouver to Calgary π
Your photos are beautiful! My son has been bugging me to visit Canada. Might have to make that happen one of these days.
Yes it is beautiful during summers..not just Vancouver but a road trip from Vancouver to Banff National Park is an awesome one during summers. Will share details shortly.
Beautiful shots! I would love to get to Vancouver one day. It looks like there’s tons to see and do.
That suspension bridge looks awesome! I have friends in that area that I hope to visit soon. Thanks!
Vancouver looks like an absolutely amazing place to visit – what some beautiful sites to see. I would absolutely love to make it there myself one day.
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I live near Vancouver and I have to say that you planned an awesome road trip for visitors! The Sea to Sky Gondola was closed for a while, but it has reopened now and is definitely worth a visit, and even better combined with Whistler or Squamish.
It is good to see that there are vegan options for meals. I try to eat vegan when eating out as it means the food is safe for me to eat with my dairy allergy.
Absolutely…vegan is healthy and safe. We always search nearby restaurants before selecting the hotel/airbnb where we plan to stay π
Vancouver looks absolutely beautiful! I have been wanting to travel there to visit soon and it looks like there is a lot to do and see!
I’ve always dreamed of coming to this city because most of my favorite TV shows are shot here but hey he has much more to offer!
I have been to Seattle a couple of times, but never made it as far as Vancouver. I’ve also never seen Vancouver in this light–it is so beautiful!
We are planning to visit Canada for long time. Vancouver is on our list. Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing this.
It looks absolutely breathtaking. I have always dreamed of visiting Vancouver. There is so much to see!
I’ve never seen that side of Vancouver before at least when I see something about Vancouver on internet is all snowy wow what a beautiful place is wonderful to go there in spring and summer
The images are amazing. Glad you had a nice time. would love to go there someday. π
Vancouver is definitely a place I need to visit for more than 8 hours because that’s what I did in the past and it was gorgeous but cold!
Wow! I have never been to Vancouver but after reading this I have to add it to my bucket list
Such gorgeous views! I am going to have to hit vancouver! I am about 11 hours from it! one of these days! thank you for sharing some great ideas!
Have never considered going to Vancouver but Iβm definitely considering it now! Thank you
I have never been to Vancouver before but it sure looks like an interesting place to visit!
I have never been to Vancouver, but I have been to other places in Canada like Winnipeg. My coworker loves Vancouver and went last year. I have to share this with her.
I love the summer in Vancouver! We like to rent bikes and bike around Stanley Park. The food and the things to do are so wonderful. Is there still a restaurant called Death By Chocolate? They made desserts that looked like food. For example, a cake that looked like a hamburger, etc. It was such a cute and yummy shop!
I always wanted to go to Vancouver B.C. I have seen so many beautiful pictures of there. I just love how green it all is. A summer trip sounds perfect. I will definitely have to make it sometime.
That looks like a fun trip! Hopefully I can visit there someday. That suspension bridge looks wild!
Oh, you captured the places well. I’m interested in the Sea to Sky Gondola. It looks lovely. I would love the get some wide-angle shots. π
Vancouver looks so green! I have only been to Toronto, which I loved, and decided that I will definitely come back to Canada one day.
I have never been there but I would love to be there. Such a lovely place. You truly had a great time. And the pictures are so good.
Oh my gosh all the water and greenery! I would be so down to visit there in the summer. Thanks so much for sharing this with all of us!
I’ve never been to Vancouver but I bet it is lovely! It looks like there is a lot to do and see! Hopefully I will get to visit one day!
You said it best; β Definition of a Great trip β Great places to visit with awesome food!β I love Canada for that. So many places to see.
Wow! This definitely looks so interesting. I enjoy travel and visiting many different places. The three that are most attractive for me are the Capilano Suspension bridge, Sea to Sky Gandola and the Shannon Falls.
Vancouver is such a beautiful destination! We hope to visit next summer.
This looks like a really great time! I have friends who live here!
Vancouver looks amazing, there seems to be so much to do there. It’s definitely on our bucket list.