sta123

Hi all. Just getting some ideas for a nice holiday in July. I have visited Toronto and around a little as myself.

However I would like to visit the other side, namely Vancouver. Any advice on places to stay, what to do etc?

Just getting some ideas together for now.

JonboyE

Use the search function. There have been lots of threads.

nativenewyorker

Before we moved here we stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront and the Hyatt. Both are very central for all the tourist things you can do in Vancouver. Would recommend them.

Boy d

vancouver is a great city to visit, lots to do and see ( despite some of the comments on here that frankly, leave me scratcing my head).

As noted, lots of preivous threads on here about the place. Some of the highlights include:

grouse mountain, granville island (take the aqua bus from downtown), English Bay, Locarno Beach and Spanish Banks, Gastown, Yaletown, stanley park and the seawall, Coal Harbour, Falsecreek...day trip out to Whistler, either drive, take the bus or even the train....for restaurants there are endless choices (vancouver has 1400 restaurants)...if a rainy day, there is the museam of anthropology, the vancouver museam (not that great really), the aquarim...you could also catch a game at the newly renovated stadium.

For shopping there is Robson Street, West 4 th and South Granville...

If you have the time, a trip over to Victoria is nice. There are is also the sunshine coast if you want a day out of Vancouver. Go to Horseshoe Bay and take the Langdale Ferry....there is also Ambleside in West Vancouver, Deep Cove (rent a kayak).....

Oink

As Boy d says, Vancouver is a nice city to visit, especially in July, but's its a lot Disney World, its fun at first but after few days you'll have done everything and be bored shirtless, so I wouldn't come for more than a week.

Boy d

what a bunch of rubbish..a few days my giddy aunt.....there's lot to see and do here. But it is true that the weather will play a role in how the visit goes.

Londonuck

Then you hire a car, head to Penticton and sit on Skaha beach and boil yourself.

el_richo

Actually i agree with Oink. I had my cousin over for a week recently and ran out of things to do that he'd be interested in quite quickly. Luckily the mountains were ripe for snowboarding.

LawrenceG

July is an amazing place to be in the summer. Being on the coast it's not too hot which makes it a great city to be a sightseer! I agree with BoyD - all fun activities. The ferry ride to Vancouver Island makes a great side trip - go for a day and stay for a few.
Enjoy your holiday!

Lychee

If you run out of things to do after one week, you're certainly not trying very hard to find things to do, unless you're unwilling to leave the confines of Vancouver proper.

www.insidevancouver.ca will provide some ideas.

Fancy a stroll? http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/

hellcats

we stayed at times square suites and stayed in Vancouver for 10 days and didn't run out of things to do.

rivingtonpike

You could add whale watching, a trip over the border to the US shopping, coffee and watching the world go by in Chapters (bookshop) or Gastown. I think Chinatown is worth a visit. Hire a bike ad go around Stanley Park. There are lots of very informative guide books and maps for Vancouver and the region as a whole.

Enjoy your stay.

Boy d

well the weather of late has hardly been conducive to doing that much outdoors, that said though you apparently still enjoyed the snow boarding.

Id go as far as to say that in the summer that a few weeks is not enough to see all that is worth seeing never mind a few days. Some other things that come to mind:

steveston village (can include whale watching), the fireworks, fringe festival, caribeean days....queen e park, Tofino, the Island, san juan islands,drive to the interior...check out the wineries or just bake in the sun (usually the low 3o's), point roberts, white rock for, go to one of the many areas provincial parks, rent horses....for those that care there is great fly fishing, hiking,camping, mountain biking...the grouse grind, the west coast trail......

At least during the summer, Vancouver lives up to it's reputation.....i love the summers here, although the winters not so much so

rivingtonpike

el_richo

yep the snowboarding was great apart from my popped knee and pulled tendon in my foot.

I guess i was being too literal in the word Vancouver. I do agree, especially in the summer, there are lots of things to do but many of them are not in Vancouver - like the Okanagan wineries, the Island, Whistler, etc.

For my personal tastes, most of what's available that i'd enjoy in vancouver proper can be done in a few days - like whale watching, fish & chips in Steveston, Grouse mountain, Celebration of Light, Stanley park incl. Aquarium, etc.

I would recommend a few days in Vancouver proper, a few days on the Island, and a few days in the Okanagan to give the best spread of options.