mariadelagracia

we are planning a trip to vancouver next june (we have to use miles and points to do this, so we are planning early). please review our "preliminary" itinerary and comment if we're trying to jam in too much, we should consider omitting or adding something.

6/16-6/20: arrive vancouver airport around 11:00am on 6/16. go to hampton suites downtown, check in and start touring. my husband and i like to walk a lot, but we are not hikers. when we vacation, we start sight seeing right after breakfast and stop only for lunch, an afternoon drink at a cafe, and dinner before heading back to the hotel for the evening. the following "attractions" we are interested in are:
** Lynn Suspension Bridge
** Museum of Anthropology
** Walk the Sea Wall
** Granville Island
** Big Bus Company (to get a good overview)
** Richmond Night Market
** Science World and IMAX theatre
** Stanley Park
** MacMillan Space Center
** Grouse Mountain
** Meander through interesting shops

6/20: pick up car from enterprise after breakfast and drive towards whistler, stopping at:
** Shannon Falls
** Brandywine Falls
** Nairn Falls in Pemberton
Are we "overkilling" the falls bit? if so, which 1 or 2 is recommended? any other stops we should consider?

we will stay at the westin resort and spa for 1 night. we will sight see in whistler the next day (6/21) and head back to vancouver in time to drop car off at enterprise before it closes. spend the last night in vancouver and back home 6/22.

does it make more sense to pick up car at the airport on day of arrival and go straight to whistler, and then see vancouver? we arrive at vancouver airport around 11:00am.

thanks for any suggestions

Judy_in_Calgary

Hello mariadelagracia,

I don't know if you have really studied a map of Vancouver, because you seem to have listed attractions in a sort of random order.

I will try to comment on the attractions that you've named, one by one:

>>>>>>Lynn Suspension Bridge<<<<<<

This is a great place. I like it very much. While the suspension bridge over the canyon is nice enough, to my mind it is the temperate rainforest in which it is situated that is magical. Also the stream that runs through it is delightful. It is one of Vancouver's great strengths that it has wilderness areas like this nested within its suburbs.

That said, the temperate rainforest in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park is similar to the forest through which you'll drive en route to Whistler and in which you'll walk if you stop to see Shannon Falls, etc.

Although Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge is a top notch Vancouver attraction, you could consider skipping it if you find yourself running short of time. On the other hand, you may have time to visit Lynn Headwaters Regional Park AND visit Whistler as well.

More ........

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>Museum of Anthropology<<<<<<

I love this place. A traveller who also will be visiting Victoria on Vancouver Island and who will be visiting the Royal British Columbia Museum there might consider skipping the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. That would be the case if they were short of time and they did not want to visit TWO museums that featured Aboriginal exhibits. Otherwise I highly recommend that a visitor to Vancouver carves out time for the Museum of Anthropology.

>>>>>>Walk the Sea Wall<<<<<<

The sea wall surrounds Stanley Park. Therefore a visit to the sea wall necessarily involves a visit to Stanley Park as well.

It takes about 3 hours to walk the circumference of Stanley Park. It is a very worthwhile walk, and an easy, flat one. So I don't want to discourage you from doing it. However, I will mention that another popular way of covering that route is to rent a bicycle. Travellers who are not into walking as much as you are may be interested to know that there is a FREE shuttle bus that does a circuit of Stanley Park during the summer months.

More .........

Judy_in_Calgary

My son's going to use my computer for a sec. I'll come back in a few minutes.

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>Big Bus Company (to get a good overview)<<<<<<

The hop-on / hop-off tourist buses are something that I recommend to many first time visitors to Vancouver, especially those whose time is limited. For example, there are folks who try to see Vancouver in one day before or after a cruise to Alaska. Those buses also suit people who don't like to walk a lot, or who cannot walk a lot.

For someone who likes to walk a good deal and who has, say, three days in Vancouver, I think those hop-on / hop-off buses are a waste of money. You in any case are planning to go to most of the places that the hop-on / hop-off bus would take you. Those hop-on / hop-off buses are not all that cheap. I think your money would be better spent elsewhere. Just my opinion.

>>>>>>Richmond Night Market<<<<<<<

I have never been to it, but have heard favourable comments about it. Because it's in Richmond, the suburb in which the airport is located, it may be a good idea to spend your last night at a hotel in Richmond, near the airport, and visit Richmond Night Market on that night.

>>>>>>Science World and IMAX theatre<<<<<<

We went to Science World when our kids were younger, and every one of us LOVED it. Our kids were so enthralled that they begged us to go there for a second day, which we did. I chuckle when I see other folks saying they went there with their kids, and it was good for a couple of hours. It kept us meaningfully occupied for two full days.

That said, the museum is not something that is unique to Vancouver or to the coast of British Columbia. Unless you have young children in tow, I think you are better off spending your time on things that you cannot see anywhere else.

More ...........

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>Stanley Park<<<<<<

I covered Stanley Park a bit during my discussion of the sea wall. Something that I did not mention is Vancouver Aquarium, which is located in Stanley Park. It concentrates on marine life that is found in the temperate and arctic zones. As such, it is relevant to the environment in which Vancouver is situated. I find it interesting.

>>>>>>MacMillan Space Center<<<<<<

I have not been there, so cannot judge it from personal experience. But my gut instinct would be to question if it is all that relevant to Vancouver or BC's west coast. I am fortuante enough to have been to Cape Canaveral and the Johnson Space Center in Houston, so I wonder if the MacMillan Space Center in Vancouver would wow me. I don't know.

More .........

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>Grouse Mountain<<<<<<

This place is quite expensive. the Skyride costs C$32 per adult.

If you follow my name, you'll find some old posts in which I recommended Grouse Mountain. But that was before I'd gone back to Grouse Mountain in July 2006 and visited Whistler during the same trip. The drive to Whistler was so much more impressive to me than the visit to Grouse Mountain.

Vancouver has other mountains that you can visit for free and from which you can see views (Cypress, Seymour, Burnaby).

If you do choose to go up Grouse Mountain, however, it makes sense to do it on the same day that you visit Lynn Canyon, as they both are in North Vancouver.

>>>>>>Meander through interesting shops<<<<<<

I am not the person to comment about shopping, as I am not a shopper. I imagine you'll see some interesting shops or stalls at Richmond Night Market. People also say Commercial Drive is an interesting place to shop, but I have not tried it myself.

More .........

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>Are we "overkilling" the falls bit?<<<<<<

No, I don't think you are overdoing the falls. My husband and I saw all three falls (Shannon, Brandywine and Nairn) in one day in July 2006, when we visited Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton. We found every one of them to be a delight, and were not one bit sorry that we saw all three of them.

Nairn was the waterfall that impressed us the most of the three. It consists of a series of waterfalls and whirlpools. It also was the waterfall that was furthest from Vancouver. If you're approaching from the Vancouver direction, you reach the parking lot of Nairn Falls just before Pemberton, which is the next town after Whistler.

It's hard to say which of the other two falls I liked better. They're very different from each other.

The viewing point for Shannon Falls is below the falls. So you see the water rush down towards you. Shannon Falls is not a single drop of water, but rather a series of cascades.

The viewing point for Brandywine Falls is above the falls. That waterfall is a sheer drop, so the water falls straight down. From the viewing point you also look down towards a turquoise lake, which is pretty.

I would prefer not to have to choose between Shannon and Brandywine Falls. But if I was forced to choose, I think I would opt for Shannon Falls. I guess I found the series of cascades a little more interesting and attractive than the sheer drop.

Judy_in_Calgary

If someone could come up with a reasonably affordable and feasible way of incorporating a night in Victoria into your itinerary, would you be interested in that?

weasel

If it a nice day when in Whistler{clear skies at the top of the mtn}. I would take the gondola up Whistler to the roundhouse. Then a short walk down to the Peak chairlift and take chairlift up. The scenery is incredible. The views of black tusk and surrounding Mtns as far as your eye can see. There are some nice walks around the top. There are also great hikes but you don't have to do them. The best part is all the elevation is done by Gondola and chair lift. When in Whistler try to have dinner at the Rim Rock cafe, It's still one of my favorites, although Apres is also good

mariadelagracia

thank you judy and weasel for your input....it will help a great deal. yes, judy, if we could incorporate a side trip to victoria w/out spending so much money and time to get there and back, i would certainly consider it. my hubby has already said that he wouldn't mind spending an extra couple of days...but i was just wanting to get an "overview" of vancouver for now. if you think of anything else, please don't hesitate to add to your suggestions.

Carmanah

I just want to add onto Judy's comments about the MacMillan Space Centre. I've been there before and would recommend it if you were bringing young kids with you. Otherwise, I'd skip it. It's a very tiny exhibit mostly filled with interactive exhibits for kids. The Planetarium (where they do star/lazer shows) is located upstairs in a different section of the building, but the actual space centre is rather tiny.

Judy - if you've been to the Johnson Space Centre, then you'd probably find the MacMillan Space Centre *very* underwhelming!

However, there is something called the Explorer Pass, I believe, where you pay $25 and it gives you admission into the MacMillan Space Centre, the Vancouver Maritime Museum, and the Vancouver Museum. All three museums are located at Vanier Park. They're all relatively small museums, so joining them together would actually be worth it, in my opinion.

mariadelagracia

thanks carmanah. i've already scratched it from our list. do you have any comments on "science world"? the explorer pass sounds interesting, but although we are interested in the vancouver museum, we are not interested in "maritime" museums.

Carmanah

I personally find Science World better suited for kids under the age of 12, as once again, most of their exhibits are of the hands-on variety, but seem (at least to me) to be more at the primary level.

However, I do enjoy their OmniMax Theatre. Unfortunately you can't get into OmniMax without paying full admission for Science World.

Also, there's a temporary exhibit called "Body Worlds" currently at Science World - the plasticized real human bodies. I don't think that exhibit will be here in June next year, but if there's an interesting exhibit at Science World otherwise, it might be worth going.

mariadelagracia

just noticed that granville island was not commented on. any suggestions?

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>just noticed that granville island was not commented on. any suggestions?<<<<<<

Oops, sorry about that. I certainly suggest that you include Granville Island Market in your circuit through Vancouver's centrally located attractions.

Granville Island is not actually an island. It's more like a little peninsula. You can reach it by walking or driving across a bridge from downtown Vancouver. However, you also can reach it by way of a cute little ferry that crosses False Creek.

mariadelagracia

we decided we can stay a whole week. we will fly into vancouver and stay 3 full days. to whistler and back for 2 days and victoria for 2 days (including taking the float boat to victoria). found out we can fly out of victoria to go home.

any suggestions on a nice, quiet place to stay in victoria for 2 nights? we would prefer easy access to victoria airport and would rather stay in a b&b-like facility, but not necessary.

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>we decided we can stay a whole week. we will fly into vancouver and stay 3 full days. to whistler and back for 2 days and victoria for 2 days<<<<<<

Glad to hear you have been able to add time for Victoria.

>>>>>>including taking the float boat to victoria<<<<<<

Glad to hear you're not planning to take the sink boat.

Okay, let me be serious for a moment. I suspect your wording was a typo.

I suspect you most likely meant you would catch the ferry.

However, there also are float planes that fly between Vancouver Harbour and Victoria Harbour. If you intended to say you would catch a float plane, I'll just point out that -- while they are great for day trips -- they do have a strict luggage allowance for each passenger.

>>>>>>any suggestions on a nice, quiet place to stay in victoria for 2 nights? we would prefer easy access to victoria airport and would rather stay in a b&b-like facility, but not necessary.<<<<<<

I have always stayed with family friends in Victoria, so I know little about commercial accommodation there. However, I think you will find that, since Victoria is a rather small city of some 335,000 people, there is no part of the city that is all that far from the airport.

Since your question about Victoria accommodation is "hidden" in a thread with a Vancouver title, there may be merit in startig a new thread.

mariadelagracia

judy in calgary: thanks again for your info. although the float plane seemed tempting at first, we decided that taking the ferry would give us a chance to see more. i just hope that the waters aren't too choppy in mid-june. we will fly san fran to vancouver and from victoria back to san fran. we change planes in vancouver, but we probably would have taken that long in taking public transportation and the ferry back to vancouver anyway. i will post a request for victoria lodging in the "victoria" thread.

Carmanah

I just came back from a day trip to Victoria... literally drove off the ferry an hour ago. I've probably taken the ferry over a dozen times in my life, back and forth between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The ferry from Vancouver (Tsawwassen) to Victoria (Swartz Bay) is never choppy. You're travelling through relatively sheltered channels between islands. It's like being on a gigantic cruise ship - for the most part, you don't even realize you're moving.