What do you if you only have ONE WEEKEND in a city? Not wasting time!
So here I am, trying to help you with that.
I live one year in this beautiful city and revisited it this january. So here is my list for what I would do if I only had one weekend! One the highlights I will put links, so you can see the details for your self.
One Weekend in Vancouver
Day 1
Breakfast:
A good, long day requires a good, yummy breakfast!
For todays breakfast try Nero Belgian Waffle Bar. Here you get amazing waffles for a good price. Lots of variations of toppings, sauces and more. You can also get a choclate fondue here, even though that might be a bit too much for breakfast 😮
Morning program:
Since you are downtown let’s explore it a bit!
Start your morning with a loveley walk up and down Robson street. Here you can shop at famous designers or just have a look.
Walk up the street and you will land at the Robson-Square. Here you have two options depending on the season:
Option 1: Vancouver Art Gallery
Option 2 (only in winter): UBC Ice Rink (ice skating)
Both options are great places to be and sure to leave some memories behind!
Lunch:
For lunch we shall go on north. Continue on Howe Street until you reach Waterfront Station. First go left and explore Canada Place, the olympic torch, and the nice view over the harbour. Now we go back to Waterfront station, past it and down to Gastown. This is one of the really vintage parts of town and can be a bit sketchy but on the main road, it’s mostly just tourists. Take a look at the famous Steamclock! For lunch I would advise the Old Spaghetti Factory. It’s cheap, tasty and for lunch you shouldn’t have to wait long for a table.
Afternoon and evening:
For the evening, you can go to one of my favorite places in Vancouver! Granville Island!
Take the bus 50 right opposite Granville Station and ask the driver to tell you when you reach the public market. From here dive in into the colourful, marvellous world of the public market. You cannot just buy food, but hats, jewellery, books, souvernirs, go to art galleries and much more! You can spend hours at this place and it’s open until late. At the Blue Parrot Espresso Bar you get the MOST AMAZING PEPPERMIT HOT CHOCOLAT IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!! (I am not exaggerating!)
For the night try to get tickets to one of the many theaters on the island. Sometimes they sell at the door, otherwise you might need to get some in advance. But it’s worth it, the shows are all very good. Vancouver isn’t called North Hollywood for nothing!
Day 2
Breakfast:
Not very fancy but culty…Tim Hortons! Canadas alternative to Starbucks, only cheaper and with more doughnuts.
My choice: Cinnamon-raison-bagle and a french vanilla capuccino. Just go to the nearest one, they are everywhere anyway 😀
You can’t be in Canada and not go to Tim Hortons then you will miss it for the rest of your life, Savvy?
Morning program:
Here I will give you three options depending on the weather and mood:
Option 1: Cycle around Stanley Park. It’s one of the worlds biggest city parks and is stunningly beautiful, if it doesn’t rain! You can rent bikes in the streets around it and a full tour shouldn’t take more than 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You can take some picknick equipment and relax on English Bay Beach afterwards!
Option 2: The Aquarium is a wonderfull bad weather option. It’s also in Stanley Park, so you could explore that a bit too.
Option 3: Science World is a learning-by-doing museum. But not only kids have their fun, I remember my friends and me spending hours in there learning about gravity and dinosaurs and having the time of our lives.
Depending on your speed and enthusiasm you can also pair the options and easily do two in a day.
Lunch and afternoon:
A nice place to be and a bit outside the downtown rush is Commercial Drive.
You just take the metro to the station with the same name and walk from there. It’s a place for Hippies and alternatives. Quiet but still busy with people, full of beautiful book shops and cafés. Just take your time and relax.
Dinner:
Option 1: Boteco Brazil (Amazing, authentic, brazillian food)
Option 2: Sushi (here I don’t have a clear recommendation but Vancouver has tons of good Sushi places, just take the one you feel looks good, it probably will be!)
Night:
Granville Street is the place to be for a drink, or a party! Take your pick at the bars and clubs, I garantee you find something your style there!
