Have you been to Vancouver / BC in the summer and what would you recommend?

[FusionChefGeoff]

About to book for next year - 2 weeks in August kids aged 15 and 12. No one wants to be driving more than 3 hours a day so not an epic road trip and hoping to narrow it to 3 main centres perhaps with 1 extra overnight ‘en route’ if we have to.

Want to see dramatic scenery, spend lots of time in nature, love lakes, 3 out of 4 love the sea. Wildlife a big plus too. 15 yo very active. Would also like to see baseball or an NFL type football game.

Im working with AI on ideas but also keen to get humans in on the action!!

Any experience greatly received as I’m very intimidated by the scale of what I’ve got to plan

Go to Whistler, we took a coach there from Vancouver as we didn't hire a car.

Amazing in summer - you can take the ski lifts up the mountain and there were free shuttle buses to local swimming lakes.

We stayed for 2 nights

Also, you can get the ferry over to Vancouver Island, Victoria is the capital and we'll worth a trip. You can also see whales from the ferry. We also did a whale trip from Victoria.

I wouldn't spend much time in Vancouver itself - it's just a city.

Lucky you, it’s a beautiful part of the world.

For Vancouver itself, Grouse Mountain, Stanley Park (bike the sea wall, visit first and second beach, go to the Aquarium) , Granville Island, Capilano suspension bridge and the beaches of West Van (Kitsilano, Spanish Banks, etc) are all must-sees. If you want a taste of the Gulf islands without a huge long epic drive, there’s a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island which is pretty quick but feels like you’re a long way from the city.

The drive to Whistler along the Sea to Sky Highway is very scenic and you can stop at Britannia mine on the way there/back. There are cable cars on Whistler year-round.

Going a bit further field but sticking to your 3hr limit, the Okanagan Valley is a beautiful wine area with gorgeous lakes, a Mediterranean microclimate, wild horses, sage brush, etc. Be aware of fire risk though, like France & Spain this year they’ve experienced climate-induced wildfires and are hyper-vigilant. Not everywhere gets fires, but it is worth checking your cancellation/refund/insurance well up front. (I would still recommend it though, the Natamata Bench in Penticton is just gorgeous.)

That’s a start! There is SO much, but being Canada you can do a lot of driving.

Capilano is amazing (unless you are scared of heights!). There is a free shuttle bus which runs from the stop near the Convention Centre. We also did a guided trip to Whistler which stopped at the Sea to Sky cable car on the way which was impressive. If you have a car then it is a relatively straightforward drive up the coast.

If you want to do Vancouver Island then the seaplane there and back is a great way to see the stunning scenery.

There's a "ride" at the end of the pier where the Convention Centre is. It's a 4d type thing and you appear to be flying over Canada. Probably best to book in advance though as entry is timed.

The Granville Island Market is also good - lots of shops and excellent food choices. We walked over the bridge which is a bit of a trek, but there are little ferry boats which run frequently and are cheap.

Gastown is a bit more interesting than the usual shopping areas.

If aquariums are your thing then the Vancouver one is great - it's set in a massive park although as it was tipping it down when we were there we didn't make the most of this.

Watch out for the crows though. We were there in nesting season and they were fierce!

We did Vancouver for a few days, ferry over to Vancouver Island, up to Torfino - whales, bears, temperate rainforest, dramatic coast, then few days in Victoria (quaint but lovely) then on to Harrison Hot Springs for two nights (hot springs hotel, lake activities), then Revelstoke for 2 nights (up the mountain, mountain coaster, ski lift to top walking) then on to Banff for about 4 nights (Lake Louise, Morain Lake - amazing- walking bu the rvier, national park, shopping for teens. Just over two weeks in total. Think the longest journey was about 4 hours (check this as I can't remember fully) but we didn't feel like we were in the car for ages. Driving by the Rockies was great. Whole thing was dramatic. Flew in to Vancouver and back from Calgary.
In Vancouver- just Grouse Mountain, Stanley Park and Capalino Bridge really.
Everywhere else- mountains, lakes, bears, whales and a general sense of nature.

Previously we have stayed in Okanagan region, also lovely.

We went to see the Vancouver Canadiens play baseball and loved it. It’s minor league a feeder team for the major leagues (for major you need the Bluejays in Toronto).
It was great fun though I didn’t have a clue what was going on. Everyone was so friendly and a guy begging us explained it all to us. I’d definitely do it again . Sitting in the sun with beer and hot dogs and doing the seventh innings stretch and singing “Take me out to the ball game” is one of my best memories of Vancouver.

Marking place as planning a similar trip. Has anyone done the Rocky Mountaineer and, if so, is Gold Leaf worth the extra?

Over the 2 weeks I would start in Vancouver, then Whistler, stay in Revelstoke for a few days and do the mountain coaster and dam, then onto Banff/Lake Louise/ Lake Moraine.. the scenery here is breathtaking, then onto Calgary for your flight home 🙂

@No1HolidayPlanneroh now you’ve thrown me as I’d previously ruled out the Vancouver / Calgary combo as being too much for just 2 weeks and feeling like I’d be living out of a suitcase whereas we want to feel a bit like we’ve got a base at all times. DD in particular isn’t brilliant with too much change.

Would getting across to Calgary potentially feel a bit rushed??

How would you split it in terms of days in each place??

Harrison hot springs hotel was possibly one of the worst hotels I've ever stayed in except maybe the Brittania in Liverpool, that was truly awful). Plus you look out over a beautiful lake and there's a bloody great adventure playground floating right in front of the view, it's a real eyesore.
Vancouver Island is great, lots of wildlife to see. I like Vancouver itself

We spent a week in Vancouver then took the bus to Whistler and spent a week there. We stayed not far from Stanley Park and spent a lot of time there. We really enjoyed the Museum of Anthropology although it’s a bit of a trek. We went to Steveston for a day, doing the open air museum and an amazing whale watch where we saw lots of whales and bald eagles. We also went to Vancouver Island for a day to see Butchart Gardens, but that was more for my nostalgia because I spent the summer on Vancouver Island when I was five and wanted to go back. It was a long day! As others have mentioned, Capalino is also worth doing.

FusionChefGeoff… yes the downside is not having a base and you have to consider all the family. Having spent 2 weeks last summer in Banff and Revelstoke I was just blown away by the scenery. I would do 4 nights Vancouver, 1 in Whistler, 3 in Revelstoke and 6 in Banff. The longest drive being Whistler to Revelstoke. Another option would be to do a week in Vancouver with day trips, and a week in Vancouver Island and do Banff another trip. Enjoy whatever you decide.. Canada is amazing 🙂

For reference, you can fit the entire UK inside the province of British Columbia. Vancouver Island is bigger than Wales.

You can definitely do a multi-stop holiday (I do one out there every few years), but if you don’t want to feel like you’re driving/rushing all the time sticking to a loop out and back to Vancouver would make more sense. There is stunning canyon scenery all through the BC interior, and the Coast mountains are pretty incredible without trekking right to the Rockies and through to Calgary.

If you don't want to travel that much becuase of kids I would suggest quick trip to Whistler (you really will want to see the Rockies once you've flown over them!) and then to Vancouver island, which is just stunning. You could spend a whole two weeks there and not graze the surface of the place. It's wonderful. Vancouver city is also great, but we didn't want to hang around. Bike round the park, see the seaplanes and get out into nature. You will have the best time!

The first time we went we flew to Calgary and spent 5 nights in Banff, then flew to Victoria for 5 nights then caught the ferry to Vancouver for four nights and flew home from there. It’s a good alternative if you don’t want to do too much driving.

Hiring bikes and cycling around Stanley Park was a highlight in Vancouver.

I live just outside Van. Lots to do with that age Science world, Granville Island, hire bikes.and ride along the sea wall, catch a BC Lions game. My kids love cultis lake it's less than 2 hours from Van. We usually rent out a house on the lake. Great docks for swimming,.you can hire paddleboards, boats etc plus there's a great waterpark and adventure park. It's a great way to spend a few days. I wouldn't do Banff from Vancouver you're looking at a 10 hr drive.

A lot of my recommendations are already on this thread, but I'd add the Bard on the Beach events in Kitsilano - huge fun when we went last year. DD really enjoyed the Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged).

I love Vancouver, it's definitely worth spending a few days there before you move on.

We just did 12 nights starting in Calgary and driving down to Vancouver. Did Canmore (5 nights), Revelstoke (2), Salmon Arm (2) and Vancouver (3). We have two kids aged 12 and 13. What surprised me was how the driving didn’t feel too onerous at all! The longest drive was the last one from Salmon Arm to Vancouver (about 5 hours or maybe a bit more) but even that didn’t feel too long with a couple of breaks. And the roads are for the most part stunning!

It was an AMAZING trip. Real variety. Mountains and lakes at the start (saw a black bear), then chilled mountain town (loved Revelstoke) and ending in Vancouver where the highlight was seeing humpback whales on a whale watching tour. We also saw the Vancouver Whitecaps play at the BC stadium, which was fun (so football/soccer and not the full North American sport experience but still felt v different with fireworks and marching bands etc!)

We'd love to go to Canada next summer too, but we have 3 teens so need 2 hotel rooms. Can anyone please suggest a reasonably priced hotel chain, as we're finding accommodation costs high.

Thanks.

If you don’t want to do too much driving I think you’re best off not trying to do big road trips on the mainland- there are some long distances and then you will be driving again every day to do sightseeing.

I would do 5 nights Vancouver- it is my favourite favourite city in the entire world! A day at the uni campus enjoying the museums, a day for Stanley Park (bikes, aquarium, beaches), a day for Granville Island/Gastown/Chinatown, a day trip to Grouse Mountain and another trip to Capilano. Then hop on the ferry at Horseshoe Bay and head for Nanaimo. You could do a night or two at Port Alberni/Campbeltown/Nanaimo to enjoy then drive up to Tofino, again I’d do 3/4 nights as there is loads to do. The drive itself is stunning with plenty of places to stop. Then beaches/surfing/hiking and boat trips to see bears and whales. We stayed at TinWis Resort right on the beach- it’s not flashy but the location was outstanding!

Then head down south on the island for Victoria for a night or two. Gorgeous old town, chance for more whale watching, could do Butchart Gardens. Then get the ferry back to Tswassen to finish the trip.

It’s not the “big” itinerary but if you want to spend time in each place and just soak it in and enjoy the scenery and outdoors, it’s better than trying some of the big BC road trips which have bigger drive times and a more packed schedule.

And special mention for the Westin at Coal Harbour- incredible location, views over Stanley Park and the mountains beyond and lovely staffz

Fly into Vancouver and take the metro into the city, some hotels have car hire on site and you avoid the airport premium, I stayed one night and picked up the car the next morning. Take the ferry over to Vancouver island, start in Victoria and pick places to stay further north before taking the ferry in the north back to the mainland before returning to the city.

We went to Vancouver for a few days, then Vancouver Island (Tofino for a few days plus a day in Victoria), then a few days in Wells Gray National Park. We didn't want the full trek out to the Rockies, but the hiking and canooeing in Wells Gray is still amazing.

I live in Victoria, so I am a bit biased, but I would do one week with Vancouver as a base, and one week on the island (3 days in Victoria, 2 in Tofino, and 2 in Campbell River)
That way you don't do crazy long drives, but get to be in just about every form of nature and city/village we have, and see a load of wildlife.