Victoria/Vancouver for 9 days
Jul 15th, 2013, 12:26 PM
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Victoria/Vancouver for 9 days
Hi All,
My husband and I are taking this trip from July 27th to Aug 4th. This will be our first trip to the West Coast and we are really thrilled. We both love nature. The idea of mountains and ocean is so exhilarating that I am getting goose bumps while posting this. We would love to explore the mountain vistas, beaches, national/provincial parks, and basically anything that shouts nature.
We don’t really plan to rent a car for most of our stay so public transit would be mode of commute, with that said I do know that if we want to explore the trails and beaches, we will need a car. Thoughts??
The plan is to arrive in Vancouver and head straight to Victoria for 3 days(we are staying at a place close to Inner Harbour); we plan to go to Butchart gardens. What other places can we visit there or activities that we shouldn’t miss…?? Are 3 days enough on the Island ?
We head back to Vancouver on the 30th (staying in the Dunbar Southlands neighbourhood) and spend the rest of the time there before flying out on the 4th. Have heard and read a lot about Whistler especially the drive between Vancouver and Whistler so we plan to rent a car for that day and make a trip to Whistler. Other places that we are thinking of visiting are Stanley Park, Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain…. ? We want to cover as much but at the same time enjoy and not make it a stressful vacation….
Here is our prospective Itinerary: Would love your help
Day 1: Arrive in Vancouver and head straight to Victoria and spend rest of the day touring Victoria
Day 2: Visit Butchart Gardens (Can we cover other places that day or will that be too tight?)
Day 3: Visit Tofino (Will that be too hectic, how long is the drive?)
Day 4-First Half: Spend first half of the day touring Inner Harbour before taking the ferry back to Vancouver (Visit where?)
Day 4-Second Half: Explore the neighbourhood (Dunbar Southlands) before calling it a day
Day 5: Tour Vancouver (Stanley Park, Suspension bridge – Are the distances too far to travel by public transit, any suggestions in regards to shuffling the places so that less time is spent commuting)
Day 6: Visit Whistler
Day 7: Tour Vancouver (Chinatown, downtown Vancouver, Grouse Mountain, are these in the opposite directions …ideas? )
Day 8: Visit North Vancouver (Is it central to the trip or skipping it would be okay, where else can we go?)
Day 9: Tour Vancouver before taking the flight out at 5 pm (where can we go?)
Appreciate your ideas and inputs.
My husband and I are taking this trip from July 27th to Aug 4th. This will be our first trip to the West Coast and we are really thrilled. We both love nature. The idea of mountains and ocean is so exhilarating that I am getting goose bumps while posting this. We would love to explore the mountain vistas, beaches, national/provincial parks, and basically anything that shouts nature.
We don’t really plan to rent a car for most of our stay so public transit would be mode of commute, with that said I do know that if we want to explore the trails and beaches, we will need a car. Thoughts??
The plan is to arrive in Vancouver and head straight to Victoria for 3 days(we are staying at a place close to Inner Harbour); we plan to go to Butchart gardens. What other places can we visit there or activities that we shouldn’t miss…?? Are 3 days enough on the Island ?
We head back to Vancouver on the 30th (staying in the Dunbar Southlands neighbourhood) and spend the rest of the time there before flying out on the 4th. Have heard and read a lot about Whistler especially the drive between Vancouver and Whistler so we plan to rent a car for that day and make a trip to Whistler. Other places that we are thinking of visiting are Stanley Park, Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain…. ? We want to cover as much but at the same time enjoy and not make it a stressful vacation….
Here is our prospective Itinerary: Would love your help
Day 1: Arrive in Vancouver and head straight to Victoria and spend rest of the day touring Victoria
Day 2: Visit Butchart Gardens (Can we cover other places that day or will that be too tight?)
Day 3: Visit Tofino (Will that be too hectic, how long is the drive?)
Day 4-First Half: Spend first half of the day touring Inner Harbour before taking the ferry back to Vancouver (Visit where?)
Day 4-Second Half: Explore the neighbourhood (Dunbar Southlands) before calling it a day
Day 5: Tour Vancouver (Stanley Park, Suspension bridge – Are the distances too far to travel by public transit, any suggestions in regards to shuffling the places so that less time is spent commuting)
Day 6: Visit Whistler
Day 7: Tour Vancouver (Chinatown, downtown Vancouver, Grouse Mountain, are these in the opposite directions …ideas? )
Day 8: Visit North Vancouver (Is it central to the trip or skipping it would be okay, where else can we go?)
Day 9: Tour Vancouver before taking the flight out at 5 pm (where can we go?)
Appreciate your ideas and inputs.
Jul 15th, 2013, 07:00 PM
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If you like walking, Victoria is a great place to do it.
there is a great path starting along Dallas Rd- goes along the ocean to Beacon Hill Park and beyond- some beaches to explore- we ended our walks with a visit to Ogden Point where there is a restaurant overlooking the water- Trip Advisor does not give the restaurant very good reviews but we enjoyed a nice beer overlooking the water and had no complaints. You really can walk to Ogden Point from the Inner Harbor - it might be a couple of miles but I did not think too bad.
http://www.victoriabc.ca/victoria/dallas_rd.htm
Instead of the Empress for high tea, check out the White Heather- very good, less expensive and they serve other things besides the tea fare. Instead, go to the Empress for drinks in the evening- in the Bengal Room.
We had dinner one night at the Delta Hotel- across the inner harbor- I think it has the best dining views in town- its a little spendy but great views and we enjoyed the dinner very much. I believe the name of the restaurant is Lure.
I like Willies for breakfast but it gets very crowded- there is a nice little outside courtyard .
Hope you enjoy- its one of my favorite cities
there is a great path starting along Dallas Rd- goes along the ocean to Beacon Hill Park and beyond- some beaches to explore- we ended our walks with a visit to Ogden Point where there is a restaurant overlooking the water- Trip Advisor does not give the restaurant very good reviews but we enjoyed a nice beer overlooking the water and had no complaints. You really can walk to Ogden Point from the Inner Harbor - it might be a couple of miles but I did not think too bad.
http://www.victoriabc.ca/victoria/dallas_rd.htm
Instead of the Empress for high tea, check out the White Heather- very good, less expensive and they serve other things besides the tea fare. Instead, go to the Empress for drinks in the evening- in the Bengal Room.
We had dinner one night at the Delta Hotel- across the inner harbor- I think it has the best dining views in town- its a little spendy but great views and we enjoyed the dinner very much. I believe the name of the restaurant is Lure.
I like Willies for breakfast but it gets very crowded- there is a nice little outside courtyard .
Hope you enjoy- its one of my favorite cities
Jul 16th, 2013, 10:16 AM
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Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Lynn Canyon (suspension bridge also) - those are all North Vancouver.
You can take public transportation to all of these, and it is not far at all.
You could spend a week just in Vancouver - do be sure to visit Stanley Park, Granville Island. It is a very walkable city - compact downtown (hilly but walkable). Do be prepared for rain, you never know.
Remember to factor in travel time on the ferry to/from Victoria. That's 90 minutes. As a walk-on, you wouldn't need to worry about lining up an hour or more ahead of time, but you will need to consider transportation from the port to Victoria (about 30 minutes drive) as well as to/from the terminal on the Vancouver side.
Tofino is out for you on this agenda, as leuk2 mentioned. It would be very difficult to get lodging there at this last minute anyway (and this is not a day trip from Victoria).
I know I've posted this before, but HelloBC is a great website to help you - www.hellobc.com. There is so much nature and wonderful places to visit in Vancouver and Victoria that I would not have known about otherwise.
This is a beautiful area - enjoy your trip!
You can take public transportation to all of these, and it is not far at all.
You could spend a week just in Vancouver - do be sure to visit Stanley Park, Granville Island. It is a very walkable city - compact downtown (hilly but walkable). Do be prepared for rain, you never know.
Remember to factor in travel time on the ferry to/from Victoria. That's 90 minutes. As a walk-on, you wouldn't need to worry about lining up an hour or more ahead of time, but you will need to consider transportation from the port to Victoria (about 30 minutes drive) as well as to/from the terminal on the Vancouver side.
Tofino is out for you on this agenda, as leuk2 mentioned. It would be very difficult to get lodging there at this last minute anyway (and this is not a day trip from Victoria).
I know I've posted this before, but HelloBC is a great website to help you - www.hellobc.com. There is so much nature and wonderful places to visit in Vancouver and Victoria that I would not have known about otherwise.
This is a beautiful area - enjoy your trip!
Jul 18th, 2013, 10:25 PM
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If you want to explore Vancouver Island efficiently, you would need a car. Even Butchart Gardens is quite a ways outside of Victoria. Public transportation is definitely do-able, just factor in time waiting for the bus.
If you cut Tofino out, two nights in Victoria should be enough, for the main Inner Harbor area and also Butchart Gardens.
Dunbar/Southlands is a residential neighborhood, so there's not really much to see, though it's a nice environment. It's right beside the Pacific Spirit Park, so you can take short walks through the forest trails.
Keep in mind that if you are relying on public transat, it does take about 30 min to use public buses to get downtown from that neighborhood. You might want to check the bus schedule so you don't waste too much time waiting.
For the rest of the trip, you could cluster attractions based on location:
- the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain are both in North Vancouver along the same road. There's a free shuttle you can take from downtown (check out the Bridge website). If you take public transit yourself, it might be interesting to cross via SeaBus... there's a quay market by the water.
- in the Dunbar area, you are close to University of British Columbia, so you can visit the campus, the Museum of Anthropology. There's a botanical garden there too.
- Stanley Park is on the western edge of downtown. You can walk the seawall around the park, visit the totems and maybe the aquarium if you wish
- In Downtown, the walk along Coal Harbour is pretty. You could probably see Chinatown on the same day
- In the city itself, you could start in Granville Island and then walk along the water to the Kitsilano beaches
If you want to visit Whistler, you could rent a car for more freedom, or you could join one of the bus tours that go there. It takes about 2 hours to drive up, but you can make stops along the Sea to Sky Highway to look at scenic sites. That would be a good day trip.
Depending on your interests, there are lots of other potential sites to visit.
If you cut Tofino out, two nights in Victoria should be enough, for the main Inner Harbor area and also Butchart Gardens.
Dunbar/Southlands is a residential neighborhood, so there's not really much to see, though it's a nice environment. It's right beside the Pacific Spirit Park, so you can take short walks through the forest trails.
Keep in mind that if you are relying on public transat, it does take about 30 min to use public buses to get downtown from that neighborhood. You might want to check the bus schedule so you don't waste too much time waiting.
For the rest of the trip, you could cluster attractions based on location:
- the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain are both in North Vancouver along the same road. There's a free shuttle you can take from downtown (check out the Bridge website). If you take public transit yourself, it might be interesting to cross via SeaBus... there's a quay market by the water.
- in the Dunbar area, you are close to University of British Columbia, so you can visit the campus, the Museum of Anthropology. There's a botanical garden there too.
- Stanley Park is on the western edge of downtown. You can walk the seawall around the park, visit the totems and maybe the aquarium if you wish
- In Downtown, the walk along Coal Harbour is pretty. You could probably see Chinatown on the same day
- In the city itself, you could start in Granville Island and then walk along the water to the Kitsilano beaches
If you want to visit Whistler, you could rent a car for more freedom, or you could join one of the bus tours that go there. It takes about 2 hours to drive up, but you can make stops along the Sea to Sky Highway to look at scenic sites. That would be a good day trip.
Depending on your interests, there are lots of other potential sites to visit.
Jul 19th, 2013, 06:56 AM
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You'll want to combine geographical areas: Stanley Park, Chinatown, Downtown they're all on the Downtown Peninsula and Granville Island is not far away.
Then you could combine North Vancouver activities: that is, the day you go to Grouse Mountain could easily be the same as the day you go to Capilano Suspension Bridge. By the way, this is a pretty expensive day as neither are cheap; Capilano Suspension Bridge is $35 per person. If you want to spend less, I recommend Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge instead; lots of great hikes to be had in that park too.
If you like gardens, I'd recommend both the Van Dusen Gardens and the Queen Elizabeth Park Gardens & Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver too.
Tofino is not possible as stated from Victoria in one day. I really enjoyed cycling by the Juan de Fuca Strait along Dallas Road in Victoria. Butchart Gardens themselves, getting to and fro will not be a full day event likely; more like half a day. If you need something else in Victoria, Royal BC Museum in Victoria I'd highly recommend for their exhibits on the Pacific Coast First Nations; best exhibit on that topic I've seen anywhere.
Have an awesome time in an amazing part of the continent! Daniel
Then you could combine North Vancouver activities: that is, the day you go to Grouse Mountain could easily be the same as the day you go to Capilano Suspension Bridge. By the way, this is a pretty expensive day as neither are cheap; Capilano Suspension Bridge is $35 per person. If you want to spend less, I recommend Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge instead; lots of great hikes to be had in that park too.
If you like gardens, I'd recommend both the Van Dusen Gardens and the Queen Elizabeth Park Gardens & Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver too.
Tofino is not possible as stated from Victoria in one day. I really enjoyed cycling by the Juan de Fuca Strait along Dallas Road in Victoria. Butchart Gardens themselves, getting to and fro will not be a full day event likely; more like half a day. If you need something else in Victoria, Royal BC Museum in Victoria I'd highly recommend for their exhibits on the Pacific Coast First Nations; best exhibit on that topic I've seen anywhere.
Have an awesome time in an amazing part of the continent! Daniel
Jul 19th, 2013, 03:00 PM
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hi, i double down on Daniel's suggestion for the royal bc museum on the inner harbour w/ it's outstanding first nations collections and other exhibitions. travelling across the harbour on the water taxis gives a good look @ all the activity from water level: floats planes, the coho ( small scale ocean liner silhouette ferry from port angeles; victoria clipper fast ferry from seattle, yachts, kayaks, the occasional brave swimmers; etc. it's quite the show.
butchardt is not my favourite garden , but for showmanship they deliver. perhaps check their evening entertainment schedule and go up late afternoon and picnic during the often excellent mainly locally based talent.
imo there are more interesting gardens in town: the abkahzi; the gardens @ government house and plantings in beacon hill park. fyi there are 1000 fairly elaborate hanging baskets around the downtown.
instead of spending the better park of the day in a car back and forth to tofino, drive 2 hours ea way ( less than half the tofino slog) and head toward port renfrew via sooke. ther are spectacular beaches : french, china and jordan river. check out spectacular botanical beach prov park just outside port renfrew ( esp w/ a low tide) and the new big tree centre in port renfrew that will point you toward some local giants, good pub on the government dock
cheers
AndrewDavid
butchardt is not my favourite garden , but for showmanship they deliver. perhaps check their evening entertainment schedule and go up late afternoon and picnic during the often excellent mainly locally based talent.
imo there are more interesting gardens in town: the abkahzi; the gardens @ government house and plantings in beacon hill park. fyi there are 1000 fairly elaborate hanging baskets around the downtown.
instead of spending the better park of the day in a car back and forth to tofino, drive 2 hours ea way ( less than half the tofino slog) and head toward port renfrew via sooke. ther are spectacular beaches : french, china and jordan river. check out spectacular botanical beach prov park just outside port renfrew ( esp w/ a low tide) and the new big tree centre in port renfrew that will point you toward some local giants, good pub on the government dock
cheers
AndrewDavid
Feb 9th, 2014, 02:50 PM
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Hey guys... I am very late but just wanted to thank everyone who took time to reply. We went there for about 9 days and absolutely loved it. It was a good idea to skip Tofino, would've been too hectic. Again, thanks for the replies and advice, much appreciated.
