Vancouver in 2 days?

Old Aug 21st, 2007, 08:55 AM
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Vancouver in 2 days?

I'm thinking of doing an overnight trip (1 night, 2 days) from Seattle - first time for both cities. Any strong opinions about whether Vancouver can be done as a day trip from Seattle?

I like to plan ahead - any must-see's for such a short trip? I'm a sucker for parks (usually of the urban sort) and public spaces. I'm looking for recommendations of the DO-NOT-MISS variety, but I can fill in the gaps myself.

Also, any recommendations for a budget hotel? We'll have a car, so if there's free parking, all the better. Thanks!!
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Old Aug 21st, 2007, 09:05 AM
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oh - one more thing. Someone had mentioned that sea kayaking in the area was fun. Can it be done in/near the Vancouver area (assuming I stay overnight), can you recommend any places/companies?
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Old Aug 21st, 2007, 09:46 AM
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If you leave Seattle on the morning of Day #1 and resturn to Seattle by the evening of Day #2, you'll have two half days in Vancouver (afternoon of Day #1 and morning of Day #2).

I would spend the afternoon of Day #1 in Stanley Park. Admission to the park is free, but you do have to pay for parking.

Many people like to rent bikes and ride around Stanley Park's sea wall. In the summer months, however, there is a FREE shuttle bus that takes tourists all around 1,000 acre Stanley Park.

While you're in Stanley Park, consider visiting the Vancouver Aquarium (considerably bigger than Seattle's aquarium). It specializes in marine life that is found in the temperate and Arctic zones. Vancouver Aquarium does charge an admission fee.

You could kayak on the morning of Day #2. If you want to kayak close to downtown, you could rent a kayak from Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Centre on Granville Island (which is not actually an island, and which is accessible by car if you wish). In that case, you could kayak in False Creek, the body of water that separates Granville Island from downtown. The company's website is here:

http://www.ecomarine.com/locations/index.html

If you want to kayak in an area that is away from the hub-bub of downtown, but that is still quite easily accessible from downtown, consider renting from Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak Centre in Noverth Vancouver. That will enable you to kayak in Indian Arm:

http://www.deepcovekayak.com/

If you confine yourself to the downtown core of Vancouver, which has more than enough to offer you during such a short trip, you wouldn't need to travel to Vancouver by car. You could use the Quick Shuttle bus:

http://www.quickcoach.com/

If you travelled from Seattle to Vancouver by bus, you could stay in the downtown core. If you're looking for a cheap place to stay, you might consider a hostel.

If you want a real hotel that is fairly reasonably priced in downtown Vancouver, consider the Barclay Hotel (not to be confused with Barclay House, which is an upscale B&B in the West End):

http://www.barclayhotel.com/

However, if you choose to drive from Seattle to Vancouver, downtown may not be the best place to stay. Almost all downtown establishments that have parking charge extra for it.

I usually recommend that visitors stay downtown, but if you have a car it is entirely feasible to stay outside of the downtown core. Since the cost of parking seems to be a consideration for you, you may want to stay eleswhere.

If you're going to go to North Vancouver for kayaking, it would make sense to stay in a hotel in North Vancouver. Sorry, I'm not familiar with hotels in North Van, and am not in a position to recommend one.

If you stay downtown without a car, it would make more sense to rent a canoe from the company on Granville Island.

SECURITY

If you have to leave your luggage in your vehicle while you're sight seeing at any of Vancouver's tourist attractions (e.g., Stanley Park), I highly recommend that you keep all of your luggage in the locked trunk of your car and that you carry with you valuables such as your passport, driver's licence, credit cards, cash, and camera.

You may be surprised by the number of homeless people in Vancouver. Don't be afraid of them, as I have never known them to harm anyone physically.

The homeless / hooker / drug addict population is particularly prevalent in Vancouver's Lower East Side at all times of the day and night. At night that population tends to spill over into the neighbouring districts of Gastown and Chinatown.

At night you would be better off sticking to the "mainstream" part of downtown or the adjacent districts of Yaletown and the West End.

Alternatively, if you're out in the suburbs, you'll be okay too.

Here is a map of Vancouver's downtown core and the neighbourhoods immediate adjacent to it, so you'll know what I'm talking about:

http://tinyurl.com/ypam9j

This map does not show the West End as a separate district. In fact it does not look like a separate district in real life. It is contiguous with, and seamlessly integrated with, the downtown core. It is basically to the west of downtown, between downtown and Stanley Park.

The West End is a mixed density neighbourhood. It has lots of highrise buildings but, whereas downtown is dominated by businesses, the West End is dominated by residential property.

TRANSIT

If you choose to visit Vancouver without a car, the city has a good public transportation system:

http://www.translink.bc.ca/

Hope that helps.
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Old Aug 21st, 2007, 10:57 AM
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Wow, Judt - thanks for the mountain of information!
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Old Aug 21st, 2007, 11:20 AM
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Hi, can't tell when you're going to do this trip, but if you can lock-in the idea, (meaning: commit a certain night to it) then the Priceline.com avenue for Vancouver downtown hotels is a reasonable way to go.

Won't exactly be a "Budget" hotel, but you won't be paying extreme prices.

You might be able to land a downtown hotel for the priceline base rate of $80-100 U.S.... then add a night of parking @ posssssssibly $20 depending upon which hotel you land... and the Priceline fees including taxes which might be around $20-25. (total night cost=$145)

The alternative could be a motel in an outlying area the location of which you don't yet know, for perhaps $80-100 plus tax/GST.

From Seattle I would leave EARLY on the first day and leave Vancouver LATE on the second day. Best not to spend too much of your time in border traffic, which is most significant on the way back. (don't return when lots of other people are likely to be crossing the U.S.-bound border)

So schedule dinner in Vancouver and perhaps one other activity after that, and THEN leave for Seattle. The trip may be 2 1/2 hours if all goes smoothly.

While I appreciate your liking/interest in Sea Kayaking... are you sure you have time on the short northern journey?

Don't know where you're from, so that, too, would influence my thoughts on activities/sights you should do/see.

Vancouver is just gorgeous with mountains so nearby to downtown.

If you want a fancy/pricy dinner, go to the top of Grousse Mountain, where you take a gondola up the side of a mountain, and dine at the foot of the ski area at the top. (you'd make advance reservations for dining, and then I think the trip up is included, otherwise it is $30-plus bucks PER PERSON)

As mentioned, Stanley Park (which you can find adjacent to any downtown map) is pretty awesome and the Vancouver Aquarium there is better than Seattle's counterpart.

Downtown is relatively compact as a result of the surrounding waterways on most sides.

The various cultures and relative safety of the core of Vancouver make walking around (on mostly flat ground) quite entertaining and interesting.

BE SURE that you have your birth certificate OR Passport for crossing the border.

I don't think that you need a run-down of "Do not miss" sort of stuff for a short trip such as what you're planning.

It just seems that to absorb a great sense of North America's most livable city would be your best move.

Stanley Park should probably be considered your only "do not miss" and then only because it is so near to downtown. It works whether driving, walking, or picnicking.

If you're in Seattle for a week-ish or more, then the short trip to Vancouver is very sensible as a good use of your time.

As for getting from one to the other, the entire U.S. side is just a march up Interstate 5, and in general the Canadian side just continues on the same road into Vancouver.

The highway evolves to become surface streets, and requires some attention in the way of picking the correct surface street in town to set out on for the return.

Unlike most North American cities, Vancouver isn't a place that people need to go through to get anywhere ELSE, hence their freeway/highway system kinda sucks.

Anyway, enjoy your time there.

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Old Aug 21st, 2007, 07:22 PM
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NWW - thanks for the info in both posts. this is so helpful!!
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Old Aug 24th, 2007, 09:32 AM
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To get a quick veiw of the city catch a hop-on-hop-off-bus.takes you to all the landmarks in the city.take a full curcuit first then on the way round again get off to see what you like.Same in Seattle.Also the DUCK tour is rather fun,underground tour of old Seattle,fish&chips down on the waterfront,pikes market
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