Two weeks ago, I took a Friday off and went on a long weekend trip to Vancouver, Canada. It was my first time to Canada and I definitely plan to go back… keep reading for more of my thoughts on traveling to Canada. I wrote up our whole trip and made a Vancouver Travel Guide for you below so read up if you’re thinking about visiting our neighbors up north.
Vancouver Travel Guide
Friday:
On Friday, we landed and immediately hit the ground running. We went straight to the Stanley Park Tea House, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It is definitely a spot for tourists to go but it was so cozy (we sat in the front room right by the fireplace) with really yummy food (we loved the charcuterie plate) and delicious cocktails. I would definitely go back if I were returning to Vancouver. Plus, the Tea House has beautiful views of the water and the surrounding coastlines. After our late lunch we left the Tea House on foot and walked a few miles back to our hotel. We wanted to get a little lay of the land and walk through part of Stanley Park, which we absolutely loved! Our dinner on Friday was at a super fun and sleek restaurant called Hawksworth. They have a regular menu and a prefix menu. We were celebrating the first night of our girl’s trip so we did the prefix menu with the wine pairings… it was SO delicious and SO fun to try all the different foods and wines! After dinner, we went out to bars in the Gastown neighborhood.
Saturday:
On Saturday we slept in a little and then went to brunch at Café Medina. We had an hour and a half wait so we went for a long walk around town because we’d heard such wonderful things about the menu (we had no choice but to wait). We were SO happy we stuck it out and ate at Café Medina because it was just as delicious as we thought! We shared a bunch of plates but the Fricassée was my favorite. We then did a long walk around the Gastown neighborhood and popped our heads into different coffee shops and stores like Meadow. Afterwards, we rented bikes and biked the perimeter of Stanley Park. It was the most gorgeous, chilly, overcast fall day. We then headed back to our hotel and got ready for drinks and dinner. We went to The Diamond for their craft cocktails. Every drink is named after a city and they are pretty delicious (I had a peach bourbon concoction!). We then headed across the street to L’Abattoir for a yummy French inspired meal where we were obsessed with the baked pacific oysters!
Sunday:
On Sunday we brunched on farm to table food at Fable before we checked out some of the local breweries – 33 Acres Brewery and Brassneck Brewery. We finished the trip with one of the most amazing, interesting, and delicious meals I’ve ever had… sushi at Miku. Miku does a special style of sushi called Aburi Osha sushi and I don’t even know how to describe it but it’s unreal. We were finally forced to head to the airport (with very full stomachs from the weekend) and fly back home. I was so grateful for such a fun trip to a new place!
Our Favorites + The Places We Wished We Had Time to Try:
Food:
Sip:
Do:
Walk through and bike the perimeter of Stanley Park
Hiking on the North Shore
Explore Historic Gastown
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Shop on Granville Island
Shop on Robson Street
Find vintage treasures at Mintage
Shop at the Pacific Centre
Stay:
I recommend reading up on more Vancouver hotels here.
Traveling to Vancouver made me really want to explore more of Canada. I’ve had Banff on my travel wish list since last winter and it’s still on the very top of my list! I’m also dying to go to Montreal and Quebec City but I’ve also heard wonderful things about Halifax. So many places to go, so little time!
Vancouver was such a fun place to travel to but if you want to take a trip to the Pacific Northwest then I’d add on Whistler to Vancouver or I’d recommend going to Seattle and adding on Diablo Lake or Portland. Having been to both Seattle and Vancouver (and having loved both!) I do think that I prefer Seattle if I had to choose. I think there is more to do there (Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, exploring University of Washington, the water activities etc.) and more interesting culture (the music scene) even though both are young cities. I hope this guide helps you plan a Vancouver trip!
Photographs: Instagram
Love this post! I’ve lived in Seattle for the past few years and being able to take quick trips up to Vancouver is the best. I love that the city is super urban and walkable. Plus, it’s truly an international city compared to its neighboring cities in the U.S. My favorite way to spend a day is walking around Gastown and Yaletown and visiting Stanley Park. I’ll definitely be using your dining recommendations on my next visit.
Just a friendly heads up on the Seattle recommendations- the names are actually Pike (not Pike’s) Place Market and the University of Washington (Wash U. is in St. Louis).