orochitouchlost

we are family of 4 with 12 years old & 8 years old daughters from California. will spend the spring break in Vancouver from 1 Apr to 8 Apr. We will stay at friend's place in burnaby and a car rented. we are not the good itinerary planner and my friend is new to vancouver too.

we have been looking a lots of websites for things to do and sightseeing in vancouver and the islands ... that's is so much things to see and do....Oh its overwhelming :/ we can't made up our mind. Would like some suggestions for a week itinerary for exploring vancouver, whistler and vancouver islands.

Thank you for your assistance.

live42day

you don't want to do too much,Vancouver has enough to keep you busy for a week on its own. Stanley park, granville island, capilano park, Grouse mountain, UBC Anthropology museum just to name a few.

But if you want to do more I would only add one thing to it. Whistler could be an overnight, or even a day trip if wanted. and no ferries involved.

The islands could be many different options. Saltspring is lovely, as are all the gulf islands. Do you mean our big island , Vancouver island?
If so then either Victoria for an overnight or two or take the ferry to Nanaimo and go to Tofino/Ucluelet.

You don't really have time to do more than one other place other than Vancouver in my opinion, not with two kids.
If you decide on Tofino/Ucluelet there is a groupon right now for a one bedroom suite, full kitchen, at Waters Edge in Ucluelet for $199 for two nights mid week.

sundriedtopepo

There are lots of places closer than Tofino, which takes about 4 days by the time you take the ferry, drive there, stay and explore and do the whole return trip.

Sorry I don't have time for any more right now, but maybe later..

laurissamarion

Hi,

If you DO want to make your way to Vancouver Island from Vancouver, I would suggest Victoria. You can catch the ferry from Tsawwassen in Vancouver, which is simple to reach by public transit or by car, and take that to Swartz Bay.

Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and would be great to spend a couple days in. There are the Butchart Gardens, the downtown Inner Harbour, Whale Watching and the Royal BC Museum to see (for starters). It's a stunning city.

Here's a website that has lots of great ideas and will give you a good overview of the city to see if it's something you'd want to consider:

www.victoriabc.ca

I hope you have a lovely vacation on the West Coast of Canada

-Laurissa

eliztravels2

It might be little late for you as you may already have left. But if you don’t see my post others will and it’s alway a pleasure to share my love of Vancouver.

I’d suggest sticking to Vancouver and Whistler for a day trip or overnight. Save Vancouver Island for another time when the weather is warmer.

If you want a short island excursion, consider Bowen Island as a day trip from Vancouver . You can drive or take the express bus to Horseshoe Bay, then the ferry which I think is about 45 minutes. Lovely scenery. The island has some boutiques for shopping, hiking to a small lake, and a few places to eat. It won’t be at all crowded this time of year.

Will your friend to averrable to explore with you? I wouldn’t be concerned about having a set itinerary. the four of you and your friend could take turns planning a day depending on your whim and the weather. Since she lives there you will likely be visiting again so no need to cram everything in.

My favourites are the Anthropology museum, water taxi to Granville island, walking or cycling around Stanley Park, and Hon’s restaurant on Robson for Asian food. Grouse Mountain is fun with the tram ride up, but I don’t know if there would be activities at the top at this time of year. Capilano bridge is impressive but pricey. I’ve read here about Lynn Canyon, which also has a long suspension bridge, but is free. Never been myself but it looks good on Google.
The aquarium and miniature train ride in Stanley park are also great for kids.