Vancouver itinerary: Things to do in Vancouver, BC over a weekend

I grew up in Oregon—not that far from British Columbia—yet I’d never been to Vancouver, BC. I’d always wanted to go, though. So when we were planning a siblings trip to celebrate my younger sister—we figured a weekend getaway would be even more fun than a baby shower for her second little one—I suggested Vancouver, BC. And everyone agreed, and we immediately started to build out a Vancouver itinerary for the five of us!

We all got to work looking into things to do in Vancouver. We asked friends for suggestions and looked into restaurants. We booked our flights and reserved a rental car. We made a rough Vancouver itinerary—leaving plenty of room for spontaneity, wandering and adventure, of course.

If you’re planning a trip to Vancouver, BC—or are simply dreaming of visiting this beautiful Canadian city, like I did for years—you’re going to want to read our 3-day Vancouver itinerary. Pin this for later or add these suggestions to your own plans. You’re going to love Vancouver.   

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Where to stay: AirBnB in Vancouver, BC

When I went to Vancouver, BC, we opted to stay in a vacation rental instead of a hotel. We went to Vancouver for a siblings vacation before my younger sister had her baby, and we wanted to be together instead of in all different rooms.

We found the sweetest AirBnB craftsman home in Vancouver, BC. The 4-bedroom, 3-bath home was in between the Shaughnessy and Granville neighborhoods, and tucked back behind a hedgerow for extra privacy. We were too busy eating out to take full advantage of the house’s enormous kitchen, but we all slept well in the comfortable beds. (I claimed the room with the map wall paper—are you surprised?)

One of my favorite parts of this AirBnB in Vancouver, BC was this epic wall paper in the dining room.

I.WANT.

What’s more, it was a piece of cake to park in this Vancouver neighborhood. We simply found street parking around the corner from our AirBnB.

Finally, we stayed walking distance from a strip of cute shops and cafes. This AirBnB in Vancouver was less than a 10-minute drive from downtown.

(If you want to save on your first AirBnB stay—and honestly, who doesn’t want to save money?—use my referral link to get 15% off an AirBnB rental!)

Vancouver itinerary Day 1: Friday

You’ll land in the Vancouver Airport (YVR) and go through customs. Expect customs to take 30-45 minutes. The Vancouver Airport is 7.5 miles from Downtown Vancouver.

If you rented a car, many rental companies are located in the parking garage of the airport so you don’t have to take a shuttle to pick up your ride! (When you book your rental car, look at the location and choose one that’s located in the airport. Some rental car companies have cars in a parking garage a 2-minute walk from the terminal, which is way more convenient than riding a shuttle to a lot away from the airport.)

If you didn’t rent a car, you’ll take a cab (not an Uber or Lyft; they’re not allowed in Vancouver, BC) or public transportation. Public transportation from the Vancouver Airport to downtown is quite reasonable: Look for the Canada Line, which will cost you $8-10 CAD.

If you’re wondering what kind of transportation to take when you get to Vancouver, Canada, read my full post on the pros and cons of renting a car in Vancouver (plus details you need on public transportation).

Lunch: Some serious ramen in Vancouver

Once you get into town, make your way to Kintaro Ramen as fast as you can (but not, you know, too fast—you’re in Canada, so be polite). This cramped and steamy shop barely has room for a dozen eaters at a time, and you’ll be told to wait outside for a table (no matter the weather), and it’s all 100% worth it.

This ramen in Vancouver is some of the best I’ve had anywhere. Choose from several broths and meat or vegetarian options. Just don’t forget to add an egg, regardless of what you order. Those eggs are delicious.

Chances are, other folks will be waiting for a table, so this Vancouver ramen spot isn’t the best restaurant to linger in. Chow down, enjoy every slurp and then move on.

By the time you leave, you’ll feel stuffed—time for a walk!

Kintaro Ramen
788 Denman St., Vancouver
Tuesday – Sunday 11:30am – 11pm

Exploring Stanley Park

From Kintaro Ramen, drive TK minutes to Stanley Park (or take TKTK BUS). Vancouver’s largest park includes nearly 17 miles of walking trails that wind through old growth forest and along the seawall.

Start at the farthest point in Stanley Park and leave your car in the lot next to Prospect Point. (This is a good place to use the restroom and buy a cup of tea, especially if it’s cold outside and you want to warm your hands!) From here, we walked just a few minutes to see the Lions Gate Bridge. This gorgeous bridge connects Stanley Park to North Vancouver, and residents sometimes dress up the bridge’s mascots.

Next, we walked along the seawall, where we spied woodpeckers and a flock of some kind of water bird diving for crab. Walk southeast along the bike and pedestrian path, watching the freighters slowly move through the inlet.

From there, we headed inland a bit until we reached the First Nations totem poles in Stanley Park’s Brockton Point. Here, nine totem poles from several First Nations stand together. Some are old, several are replicas and the most recent was carved in 2009.

I loved the Brockton Point Visitor Centre, which is next to the totem poles in Stanley Park. It has restrooms (can you tell I have a tiny bladder?) as well as wonderful gifts. I bought about a million post cards as well as Christmas ornaments. Hubs and I have a tradition of buying ornaments on our travels, so our Christmas tree is decked with decorations from Ghana, Singapore, Europe, South America, all across the US—and now Canada, too!

Stanley Park
Open during daylight hours year-round

Visit the Vancouver Aquarium

Vancouver’s aquarium, located within Stanley Park, is one of BC’s most popular destinations—and for good reason. This enormous aquarium of course has tanks upon tanks of fish, as well as marine mammal habitat (omg squee the adorable sea otters!!!!), a frog repopulation program and even a jellyfish breeding initiative! Baby jellyfish—could the Vancouver Aquarium get any better?!

My sisters and I are similar in that we totally geek out over animals and science. I swear we watched the sea lions play/fight/dance their underwater ballet for nearly 45 minutes.

I’m so glad we made the time to visit the Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia. In fact, I’ll make time for it during my next visit, and the visit after that, and the visit after that…

Truth be told, I nearly bought an aquarium membership so I’d have more incentive to repeat my Vancouver itinerary! Read my full post on the Vancouver Aquarium to get all the details you need.

Vancouver Aquarium
845 Avison Way, Vancouver (within Stanley Park)
9:30am – 6pm daily
$38 CAD adult admission, children 3 and under free

Dinner in Vancouver: Mak N Ming

We wanted to plan a semi-fancy dinner to celebrate my younger sister and the squish growing inside her (my kids called, and still call, her baby “Donut”). We made a reservation, then, at Mak N Ming, the modern French-Asian fusion restaurant.

The restaurant was intimate, if a little dark, and my older sister and I ordered red wine. Mak N Ming does a tasting menu (called the “Chef’s Menu”) that typically focuses on fish, though all three of us made special requests when making a reservation to get the vegetarian options instead. (If you make a reservation and tell the restaurant of dietary restrictions at least 48 hours in advance, they can accommodate gluten-free and vegetarian diets.)

Mak N Ming
1629 Yew St.
Open Tuesday – Saturday at 5pm

Vancouver Itinerary Day 2: Saturday

Wake up alongside Gastown

We’d all made a reservation for my younger sister to have a 90-minute prenatal massage, so my older sister and I headed into Gastown. This hip neighborhood is full of restaurants and trendy bars in old Victorian buildings, though we arrived when everyone was sleeping off the previous night (presumably). We arrived even before the cafes opened and so ended up walking around.

The neighborhood is lovely, but Beth and I were struck by the number of people living on the streets. Vancouver would be such a wet, cold place to live if you didn’t have a permanent, affordable home.

That’s one reason why I was so taken with Nelson the Seagull, a café named after Nelson Mandela in Gastown. They recommend people pre-pay for a coffee (which they call “suspended coffee”, snack or meal for those who can’t afford it. I was more than happy to do so—and while Beth and I nibbled on toast and jam, we saw the pay-it-forward principle in action as someone got a free coffee.

Aside from that, Nelson the Seagull served a lovely selection of loose leaf tea, as well as house-baked bread with preserves and butter. I thought it was cool that the café used old chairs and tables from a school—nothing wasted here.

When we left to pick up our younger sister, Gastown was starting to stir. As we walked back to pick up our incredibly relaxed sister, we passed Gassy Jack, one of this neighborhood’s landmarks.

Nelson the Seagull
315 Carrall Street
Monday – Friday 8am – 4pm
Saturday – Sunday 9am – 4pm

Treat your feet with reflexology

My younger sister’s pampering wasn’t finished with the massage, though! We met up with my younger sister, brother and sister-in-law in time for our reservation at Footworks Relaxology, in Kitsilano. This popular reflexology spot had just enough room to treat us all at the same time. Reservations are strongly recommended—they’re busy, especially on weekends!

After soaking our tootsies and getting a quick shoulder massage, the staff got to work on our feet. The principles of reflexology hold that different areas of the foot correspond to body parts or body functions. Apparently my intestines needed some work (maybe from the eight pounds of ramen I’d eaten the day before?) because the part of the massage that corresponded to my intestinal health was quite uncomfortable.

Thank goodness my intestines got some TLC—because after our reflexology appointment, we walked a few blocks down to get Cartems Donuts. (My kids insisted we eat donuts in Vancouver—for Baby Donut, of course!) This adorable Vancouver donut shop, which also holds story times for toddlers during the week, sells vegan and gluten free donuts as well! They were so good. We bought a half-dozen to go and cut them into pieces so we could all taste the different, and sometimes unconventional, flavors.

Footworks Relaxology
2992 W Broadway
Monday – Friday 10am – 9pm
Saturday – Sunday 11am – 9pm
$53 for 60 minutes of reflexology

Cartems Donuts
Various locations throughout Vancouver, BC

Visit the tropics—in Vancouver

When I read about the Bloedel Conservatory, a domed greenhouse full of tropical plants and birds, I was intrigued! Thankfully, my brother and sister-in-law are birders, so we had a majority decision to visit this beautiful botanical garden. Now that I’ve been there, I put it high on the list of things to do in Vancouver!

(Click over to my full post on the Bloedel Conservatory to read more!)

The Bloedel Conservatory is housed in Queen Elizabeth Park, at the top of the highest point in Vancouver, BC. Inside the botanical garden, we felt immediately warm, in spite of the cold temperatures outside. We leisurely walked the path that loops around the indoor garden, trying to identify the dozens of species of birds.

It felt as if we were playing hide and seek with the more than 200 free-flying birds, and we played another game too: Throughout the garden, lawn gnomes hid and we tried to spot them as a scavenger hunt. We found all the gnomes—even the ones that were sneaky-good hiders—and got free post cards as a prize!

Bloedel Conservatory
4600 Cambie St
Open daily, 10am – 8pm (double check for winter and holiday hours)
Admission between $3.30-6.75. Children 4 and under are free.

Dinner in Vancouver: Mae Nam Thai takeout

We had planned to eat out at Maenam after our trip to the Bloedel Conservatory, but we were all feeling a bit tired. Instead of eating out, then, we ordered takeout. This Thai restaurant in Vancouver was voted one of the city’s best restaurants in 2016.

As we ate curry, drunken noodles and cashew chicken, we played board games—and laughed our tushes off. We grew up playing (and loving) board games, and it is 1,000% my favorite thing to do ever and always! (I like board games. Can you tell?)

I’m a huge fan of eating at least a few meals in, and our AirBnB in Vancouver was no exception. We opened a few bottles of wine, played games while we ate, and may or may not have worn pajamas at the dinner table.

Maenam
1938 West 4th Ave.
Lunch Tuesday – Saturday 12pm – 2pm
Dinner daily 5pm – 10pm

Vancouver Itinerary Day 3: Sunday

Wake up with coffee and a cookie

The one challenge with staying at a home rental like AirBnB is the coffee situation. Hotels generally have coffee in the lobby, or at least individual coffee makers, but home rentals often don’t. So since we rented an AirBnB in Vancouver, my sisters and I walked a few blocks to Bump n’ Grind, an adorable café on Granville near our rental.

We bought coffee for everyone—and cookies, because even in the morning, it’s always cookie-o’clock.

Bump n’ Grind
3010 Granville St.
Monday – Friday 7am – 7pm
Weekends 8am – 7pm

Get your art on

Next, we all drove downtown to the Vancouver Art Gallery. My sister-in-law is an art broker, and we all love going to museums and galleries. (Ok, my brother may have less patience for this kind of thing, but he was definitely outnumbered.)

We went to the Vancouver Art Gallery during an exhibition on Guo Pei, the avant garde couture designer. The dresses sparkled, shone and dominated the entire gallery like the incredible works of art they were.

The Vancouver Art Gallery also places an emphasis on highlighting underrepresented voices, especially First Nations artists. Some of these artists blended First Nations traditions with a contemporary art twist that I really enjoyed.

If you’re planning on including the Vancouver Art Gallery in your Vancouver itinerary, I recommend allotting an hour and a half. That’s enough time to see everything: The gallery isn’t enormous like a flagship art museum in most cities.

Vancouver Art Museum
750 Hornby St.
Open daily 10am – 5pm, except open until 9pm Tuesdays
Admission $18-24, children 5 and under free

Lunch and street art

We all flew out of Vancouver mid-afternoon, so for our last stop in our weekend Vancouver itinerary, we headed to the Granville Island Public Market.

After parking (which is free!), we walked toward the public market—and I’m so glad we didn’t nab a parking spot right in front. That’s because we wandered past so much street art!

Walls inside the parking garage and the enormous bridge supports were all covered in murals. Don’t skip over seeing this street art when you go to Granville Island Public Market. The market district has the highest concentration of street art in Vancouver, BC!

This colorful and busy district houses a big fresh foods market, bringing in produce and meat from the farmland surrounding Vancouver, BC. The public market would be an incredible place to shop for all your ingredients if you were cooking most of your meals instead of eating out! In addition to the fresh food, artisan shops selling their handmade soaps, gifts, jewelry and the like filled stalls. And throughout the district, cute local shops—like toy stores, gift shops, clothing and so forth—set up in brightly painted buildings surrounding the main public market.

If you walk toward the back of the Granville Island Public Market, you’ll find more than a half-dozen small food booths. I love eating at markets like the one on Granville Island when I go with a group: Everyone can choose exactly what they want. I bought a gluten-free lentil wrap from The Art of Freshness, a deli that served sandwiches, salads and other snackables.

If you go to Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver when it’s raining, I imagine indoor seating would get pretty tight. But the weather in Vancouver cooperated when we visited British Columbia, so we ate outside.

The outdoor picnic patio overlooked the water, where we watched boats sail back and forth. A musician sang and played his guitar. Kids chased each other while their parents ate and watched from the picnic tables. I loved this open-air spot: It offered some of the best people watching in Vancouver, BC as folks came and went, their cloth bags filled with fresh produce and crusty bread.

Just watch out for the seagulls. Those birds are no joke.

Granville Island Public Market
1669 Johnston St.
Open daily 9am – 7pm

Need to know details for Vancouver, Canada

Now that you’re absolutely planning a Vancouver itinerary, here’s what else you need to know.

Vancouver, BC drinking age

The legal drinking age in Vancouver, BC is 19. You can purchase alcohol in wine stores, beer stores, liquor stores—but don’t expect to see booze in grocery stores. We couldn’t find any, per alcohol laws in Vancouver, BC. When we mentioned this to the check-out guy at the Safeway, he shrugged and said, “Sorry” in the most unbelievably cute Canadian accent.

Public wifi in Vancouver

Vancouver, Canada has one of the largest public wifi networks in North America. (Go Vancouver!) Look for one of 550+ free hotspots throughout the city, especially in the downtown area. Look for #VanWiFi to connect and save on your data usage.

Shopping in Vancouver, BC

Some stores accept USD but will give change in Canadian dollars. I had zero problems using my credit cards in Canada.

That said, many (if not most) banks and cards charge a foreign transaction fee of 1 to 3%. What’s more, you may be charged an extra fee when you use an ATM in Canada if your bank or debit card isn’t Canadian. Double-check your cards’ policies before traveling to Canada.

Additional information for visitors

Want more? The city’s gorgeous Visitor Centre gives out free maps and brochures. It also can get you discounts on some activities and destinations. Finally, the staff there can give recommendations for what you want to see, do and eat—helping customize your own Vancouver itinerary!

Vancouver, BC Visitor Center
200 Burrard St.
Open 9am – 5pm daily

So many things to do in Vancouver

Phew, we packed in a lot in our weekend-long Vancouver itinerary! That said, I never felt rushed. We saw many of the things to do in Vancouver without feeling as though we had to tick everything off some tyrannical list.

As you plan your own Vancouver itinerary, I hope my weekend full of suggestions helps. I didn’t write about anything that fell flat—each one of these places to eat and things to do in Vancouver were stars.

I’m already looking forward to visiting this gorgeous city again.