Miselainia Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 We're headed to Vancouver next month (with my husband who is attending a conference there) and want to know: WHAT SHOULD WE SEE? We'll be there for four days and I'll have a car. I do plan on going to the aquarium, but that's really the only thing I know about. I was thinking about driving to Victoria. Would you consider that to be a day trip? What's the best way to handle money exchange? I'm so excited to go on a trip! It's been a while. Can't wait to hear your suggestions. TIA, Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 We're headed to Vancouver next month (with my husband who is attending a conference there) and want to know: WHAT SHOULD WE SEE? We'll be there for four days and I'll have a car. I do plan on going to the aquarium, but that's really the only thing I know about. I was thinking about driving to Victoria. Would you consider that to be a day trip? What's the best way to handle money exchange? I'm so excited to go on a trip! It's been a while. Can't wait to hear your suggestions. TIA, Elaine Going to Victoria would be a very long day trip. If you do plan to see Victoria, I would recommend getting the earliest ferry you can manage. First one leaves at 7am. It's an hour and a half trip and then about a half hour drive into Victoria. Plus, if you're downtown Vancouver it could take you up to an hour to get to the ferry terminal. There is plenty to do in Vancouver. The Science Centre is really cool and (I think) well worth going to. I could spend a whole day there with my kids. We really enjoyed the police museum. It's small and inexpensive but very cool - especially the morgue. It's right near China town. http://www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca If you wanted to get out to Burnaby, the museum there is pretty cool. http://www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca I like just walking around downtown Vancouver. There's the Pacific Centre mall and Robson Street where the shopping is fun :) The Vancouver Art Gallery is down there as well. Oh, and make sure you check out Granville Island http://www.granvilleisland.com Have fun! Vancouver is a great place to visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 The anthropology museum at UBC is fantastic. Beware, though, of the staircase down to the beach in the back of the museum. Looking down, you might think, "Oh, it's kind of long, but it's a nice stroll." On the way back? I thought I was going to expire about halfway up. I agree that the science museum is terrific, though not all that different from any other good science museum (so if you have one near you, you might want to spend your time doing something different). The maritime museum is pretty nifty, as is the planetarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 stanly park. queen elizabeth park (has a nice view of the city,). I liked it even as a child. the chinese garden has a great koi pond, especially at feeding time. very elaborate paving and planting in the traditional style. Richmond for chinese food, though there is a "china town" more towards downtown vancouver. UBC has some good totem poles display. going to victoria is most definintely a full day trip. I think the crossing at tswassen is two hours. (very nice ferries.) to do it in one day, leave very early, and plan on getting back late. parking in the city can be tricky, but there are lots. the provencial museum has a first rate first nation's display. if you're lucky, you'll get a good street performer in the inner harbor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 stanly park. queen elizabeth park (has a nice view of the city,). I liked it even as a child. the chinese garden has a great koi pond, especially at feeding time. very elaborate paving and planting in the traditional style. Richmond for chinese food, though there is a "china town" more towards downtown vancouver. UBC has some good totem poles display. going to victoria is most definintely a full day trip. I think the crossing at tswassen is two hours. (very nice ferries.) to do it in one day, leave very early, and plan on getting back late. parking in the city can be tricky, but there are lots. the provencial museum has a first rate first nation's display. if you're lucky, you'll get a good street performer in the inner harbor. Yes - parking in the city would be tricky. The science centre has good parking. Anything else that is central can be walked to or skytrained to. There are cute little ferries that will take you to Granville Island. I strongly dislike driving in Vancouver - I will walk long distances to avoid driving there. It's much easier to take public transit or walk than it is to drive in the downtown core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edelweiss Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 We just returned from a 2 week trip to Alaska, Vancouver, and Seattle. We loved Granville Island. I would definitely go there. We loved Stanley Park as well. We chose not to go to Victoria and to just concentrate on Vancouver instead. We thought that driving in Vancouver was super easy. We didn't find it stressful at all. It is such a low-key downtown IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 (edited) I love hiking around...we don't have trees and mountains like that in my part of Texas. ;) I loved Burnaby Mountain and Lynn Canyon park, especially the suspension bridge. There were people swimming in the creek at Lynn Canyon. Brrrr... If you were a Stargate fan ever, the show was filmed in and around Vancouver. Bridge Studios is in Burnaby, if I remember correctly. No tours, but I stood at the gate and drooled for a bit. Other TV shows are filmed there these days. Vancouver is one of my favorite cities. Have fun! Edited September 29, 2012 by Happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 We spent part of our honeymoon on Vancouver Island, so I have wonderful memories of the place :). The gardens are lovely and we spent a fun afternoon walking around Victoria looking in shops and having English tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manamana Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 We traveled to Victoria in August for a few days and have also gone to Victoria from Vancouver on a day trip in the past. Getting to Victoria on the Tsawassen ferry is expensive with a car and passengers (>$200 RT) but it is a lovely ferry ride. Most of the fun things to do in Victoria are expensive too. We did like the free tour of the BC Parliament building and my husband and daughters liked Miniature World. We haven't been to Vancouver in a while but you might enjoy eating Dim Sum. Also it seems like Canadian towns all have big indoor pools with water slides. You could see if the local pool has any fun attractions and go swimming as a break from sightseeing. Just a few random ideas. I hope you have a great trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miselainia Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 Update. I'm bummed. We got sick and my husband had to go on his own. Thanks for all the ideas. I'm saving them for a future opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Sorry to hear that! I hope you have a bit of a stay-cation at home when you recover! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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