SkyTrain in Vancouver
 

Hello there, my husband, 3 year-old son and I will be in Vancouver for 4 days mid-April, staying at the Residence Inn in downtown. I would like to go somewhere via the Skytrain, but I'm not sure what of interest lies along its route. Can anyone please suggest an itinerary that involves the SkyTrain? We enjoy good food, shopping, nice parks, and things you can't find outside of Vancouver.

Can't help with the SkyTrain, but make sure you take the SeaBus from downtown over to North Vancouver. Your boy will enjoy the trip, and may even see tugboats. There's nice shopping on the other side, and things to keep you both amused for a while before you take the SeeaBus back to the other side.

We are also visiting Vancouver in May. In the guide books that I have read it says a ride on the Skytrain is worth doing just for the ride and the views. The whole trip is about 45 mins one way. If I remember rightly there is a big shopping mall with cinema restaurants etc. somewhere along the route, think it might be called Metrotown?

We plan to take a ride, think it might be a good way to give the feet a rest and also good if it is a rainy day.

From your hotel you can walk to Waterfront Station and take the Sea Bus to North Vancouver and back to Waterfront Station, as BAK suggests.

Then, if you still feel like seeing Greater Vancouver, you can take the Skytrain from Waterfront Station to the New Westminster waterfront and back. There are only two lines - the Expo Line and the Millennium Line - so not much choice of itinerary. You could travel from Waterfront Station to New Westminster via the Expo Line, and come back via the Millennium Line (a slightly different route). One the way back you would have to change from the Millennium Line to Expo Line. All this sounds confusing but will become immediately clear once you see a map of the Skytrain route. And with only two lines to choose from, the chances of getting lost are slim.

Metrotown, the shopping centre that RosLincs mentions, is just like any other shopping centre in the world and of no particular interest (in my view, though I'm willing to be proved wrong). The market at New Westminster Quay is fun - mostly food oriented. You can buy an ice cream or whatever you like and stroll along the Quayside overlooking the Fraser River.

On the Skytrain you'll travel above ground nearly the whole way (apart from the first three stops) and so will get a good overview of Greater Vancouver. Much of the route travels through residential and industrial areas that are usually off the beaten tourist track. You will also see a good cross-section of the population of the Lower Mainland, if you enjoy people-watching (I always do!)

P.S.
I should have written "On the way back, you will have to change from the Millennium Line back to the Expo Line at Commercial Drive/Broadway Station." You will finish up at Waterfront Station again (or you can get off one stop earlier at Burrard Station, which is a little closer to your hotel).

Near Commercial Drive station is a funky little neighbourhood by the same name. Lots of shops and restaurants - especially Italian and some vegetarian although the yuppies have been taking over lately. It's a good place for lunch and a stroll.

The heart of the neighbourhood is approx 8 blocks north of the station (north is where you can see the mountains) between First Ave and Venables Dr - you can always take the #20 bus if you don't feel like walking.

There's also a couple of good gelato places here that I think are better than Mondo Gelato.