4 days in Vancouver?
 

My wife and I will be in Vancouver for 4 days in early Sept. Any recommendations of must do's? We are staying at the Sylvia hotel and don't plan to rent a car unless we totally have to. We enjoy dinning out, exploring the beautiful outdoors, and shopping for good deals. We are planning on seeing China Town and Stanley Park but what else should we do?

We have just got home to England after 3 weeks touring Alberta & B.C. We also stayed at the Sylvia for 4 days and I can highly recommend it, the location was perfect.We left our car in their car park apart from one trip to Lynn Canyon as it was easy to walk to wherever we wanted to go in Vancouver. We walked to Gastown and then following the guide book recommendation as to which direction to take we carried on to Chinatown. However we were horrified to find ourselves amongst approx. 20-25 drug addicts openly using needles, some passed out in the gutter and some shouting abuse. As we looked like obvious tourists with cameras and camcorder and had out two teenage daughters with us we were terrified of what might have happened. Luckily we were able to retrace our steps without anything happening but I would advise you to use extreme caution as this did mar what was otherwise an excellent holiday. We loved Stanley Park and can recommend the restaurant close to the Sylvia called either the Beachhouse or the Beachfront Restaurant. We also walked to a little ferry terminal which took you to Granville Island. After seeing all the wonderful food for sale at Granville Island we were only sorry that we wern't self catering. <BR>Have a great time.

Yes, the above post is correct. 'Chinatown' in Vancouver is part of the very worst neighbourhood in Canada. In fact Vancouver is 40% Asian and the majority of them are Chinese so you don't have to go to Chinatown to feel the Asian ambiasnce - it's virtually everywhere. A more interesting place to go would be the Punjabi Market but it's at the other end of town, (a good 10 k's away), and unless the Transit strike is over by then, (it's 107 days now and counting), you'll need a car. Definately don't miss Granvill Island and do take the little water Taxi from downtown. <BR> <BR>Over the Labour Day weekend Vancouver hosts the Molson Indy Car races at the SE end of downtown. It is an unbelievably noisy event and unless you're into car racing can be a bit of a distraction. The area you will be in is very densely popuilated and chock-a-block with good restaurants. It's also near the heart of the Gay district. <BR> <BR>Among other things to see are the capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain, Vandusan and Queen Elizabeth Park gardens, the Museum of Anthropology, the Maritime Museum and the Science Centre; and many other things that would depend on your interests. <BR> <BR>Shopping is very good - especially if you are from out of the country and there are a number of shopping malls for rainy days and places like Granville Island, Gastown and Robson Street for arts & crafts, West Coast Native handicrafts, and high end shopping in that order. Vancouver is gorgeous but it's more than just a pretty place.

Baytown is alright but definitely stay away from China Town. I had the same experience with the drug addicts and the filth. I would not take my kids there.

Juat came back. I enjoyed a harbour cruise that left from the foot of Denman Street, near Stanley Park. It took about an hour and a half, is narrated, and was a wonderful way to see Vancouver from the water. On other occasions I have enjoyed a bicycle ride around the seawall of Stanley Park. If I had another day I would have taken the hop-on, hop-off bus tour that takes you to the highlights of Vancouver. I have done that in other cities and it has been truly worthwhile. Make sure you go to a White Spot and a Bread Garden (there are several around the city). A very special restaurant is Seasons in Queen Elizabeth Park or Shaughnessy in VanDusen Gardens. Unfortunately if the bus strike is still on you would have to take a taxi. <BR>Check out Yaletown. I usually go to Cardero's for lunch or dinner (near the Westin Bayshore Inn). Enjoy your trip.

I too just got back from Vancouver and walk the same route (although the other way) as Sharon. First, do visit Chinatown and eat lunch. I walked from Chinatown to somewhere and quickly realiazed I had left the safe feeling of Chinatown. Drug deals were taking place everywhere I looked. It is only about a 3-4 block area and no one bother me, but I quickly back/crossover-tracked and waved a cab. I ask how safe the neighborhood was and he said "dirty people dong dirty things." Other than that "idea of what could happen in that 3-4 blocks," the city was safer than my neighborhood at home. Take the tour bus, stop in Chinatown,, eat and then catch it again to Gastown. The tour bus also goes to Stanley Park which is truly great.

As a Vancouver native living in the UK, I would recommend staying away from the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver (especially East Hastings Street) as it can be dangerous and it's not the most scenic part of Vancouver anyway. I don't think you'd be missing much if you skipped Chinatown because, as one other person put it, there is a huge Asian community in Vancouver and evidence of their culture is everywhere, including some amazing restaurants. <BR><BR>If you can, take a day trip up to Whistler for outdoor pursuits like mountain biking, hiking, etc. I would also recommend the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver, Granville Island, meandering down West 4th Avenue anywhere between Burrard and, say, Dunbar Street to look at the shops, checking out "Little Italy" on Commercial Drive, and of course Stanley Park. Robson Street is the place to go for upmarket goods.<BR><BR>As for dining out, you can't really go wrong. Some favourites of mine that won't break the bank are Kalamata (near the corner of Cambie and Broasdway) for Greek food, Milestones or White Spot for a great breakfast, Szechwan Chong Quing (don't know if I'm spelling that right)near Broadway and Granville for spicy Chinese (although not everything on the menu is spicy).<BR><BR>Have a fantastic time. This is making me homesick!

Hi, <BR>My husband, two teenage sons and I just got back from Vancouver. I agree with other posts on Chinatown. We were a bit freaked out and glad we weren't walking there at night. We quickly walked out of the area. The guide books we had made it sound like a MUST....it wasn't. We loved Kitsilano area, but we did have a car. Great beach front park that allows dogs. Missing our two dogs, we enjoyed just hanging out in the beautiful weather and watching people/dogs playing. We liked shopping in that area, too. Some neat, funky shops. Great Sunday morning breakfast place - Sophie's Cosmic Cafe. Speaking of great breakfasts - in downtown Vancouver a place called The Elbow Room! Funny place!! The crowds of Robson Street got to be a bit much for us, but some good shopping there. Stanley Park was lovely, but busy. Actually we found all of Vancouver to be very busy; probably since we had just come from 4 relaxing days on gorgeous Pender Island. Anyway, some fun things to see and do. Have a great time.

Suggest a visit to Canada Place in the harbour area. Adjacent to Canada Place is the Pan Pacific Hotel. Walk through the hotel lounge area to an outdoor walkway for a great view of the harbour, the cruise ships and Vancouver's signature icon - the sculpted white sails - similar in concept to the Sidney opera house. Also, I recommend the Fairmont Victoria Hotel for an inexpensive buffet lunch.