Best things to do for a 2 day visit? (to rent, neighborhoods)

[Flightoficarus87]

Hey all,

Thought I would inquire here for a bit of input from locals on the best ways to experience Vancouver (and possibly some surrounding areas) in a 2 day visit? It's a pretty easy trip for me to make, as I'm in Seattle (But sadly haven't spent time in Vancouver as an adult - I'm looking to change that).

I've been told to check out the Chinatown area/some Chinese restaurants, and that there are some good places for bicycling in the city/area, but that's about the extent of it - I'm looking for some other fun, "touristy" things to do as well. What are some interesting historical sites to check out? Or skyscrapers worth visiting the observation decks of? Any good local breweries to check out as well? (Not a lot of Canadian beers seem to make their way into the US, if there is a healthy craft beer scene in Vancouver).

Thanks in advance!

[svelten]

Don't go to Chinatown, it's barren, rundown and poverty stricken unless you're an photojournalist there is nothing to see there for a tourist. It's only good for hosting ironically expensive modern bars and restaurants nowadays.

For bike trails there are plenty, but if you're renting a bike you are pretty much chained to either the Stanley Park seawall or along Coal Harbour. Both are excellent to see and are a great way to experience the city (and as they both link up, you could do a loop that goes around Stanley Park through English Bay Beach all the way to the Vancouver Convention Centre and back to your bike return). Your other option is Steveston Village, which, while an excellent tourist area with a very unique history and laid back vibe, is usually something done on a third or fourth day in Vancouver, kind of below the pecking order of a few other things.

This time of year, the beaches are great to visit considering they are city beaches in the PNW. English Bay, Kitsilano and Spanish Banks are the main ones and are fairly close to each other; Ambleside on the North Shore has its charms but is harder to get to and again, is sort of further down the list.

Architecturally the downtown area west of Burrard St. has some decent new buildings of note, especially along Alberni and Georgia. The observation towers aren't great here but if it's your thing there is one by the SFU downtown campus. For Chinese food, the best in the region IMO is Dynasty Seafood on Broadway St. - creative, inventive and pushes the boundaries of standard dim sum. If you really want to go in depth on Chinese food to specific provincial regional cuisines you'll have weeks, if not months' worth of restaurants to explore in Richmond.

[CloudReader]

I recently spent a week in Victoria and Vancouver, and here are some things I really enjoyed (most are about food lol):

- Capilano Suspension Bridge: Gorgeous, educational, well-constructed experience that is worth the price of admission. Probably my favorite spot during the trip. There's also the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge that's free not far away -less touristy, less curated, good location for hiking.

- Miku Vancouver: What's really fantastic is their signature dessert -the macha opera cake. It is fabulous. It is in the top-2 restaurant dessert I've ever eaten. Their fusion-styled sushi is also special. There is also a nearby steam clock that is pretty cool, if you go make sure to wait for it to sound off (every quarter hour).

- Taiyaki at Snowy Village on Robson street: We went to several Taiyaki places after enjoying some at this location -none of them remotely lived up to this first experience. We had red bean, custard, and Nutella flavors and all were a delicious crispy and gooey combination.

- Stanley Park: Can't go to Vancouver without visiting it. Buy a parking pass for the entire day and visit the Aquarium. Walk to aforementioned Snowy Village for some dessert, the Dinesty Dumpling right next door for some xiao long bao (get the crab one), or mouth-watering sushi from Itoga Sushi and have a picnic, while watching the sun go down.

- Granville Market: Less of a market, more of a tourist spot. There's a unique toy shopping complex, market stalls for fresh fruits and all sorts of food stuff. Great place to have lunch. Highlights for me were the clam chowder pot pies and a fresh plain sugar from Lee's Donuts. Donuts don't get much better than this.


If you want to visit Dynasty Seafood, make sure to do your research in advance. We did not, and found it pretty hard ordering, and in the end, likely selected the wrong dishes.

[Flightoficarus87]

Thanks for all the input! I did manage to squeeze in a visit over the past couple of days, and took what was posted here into consideration (Although I did not get to Dynasty Seafood this time) - I got to do the following things:

- Explored large swaths of downtown (Mostly Yaletown, heading toward the West End along Davie Street, Gastown, and some other parts near the central business district). I must admit, I feel like I've been missing out for years by not visiting Vancouver sooner - I found the downtown area to be FAR more lively/vibrant/cosmopolitan feeling than both Seattle or Portland in the States...it's full of activity well past standard working hours (to be fair, SEA and PDX have a fair amount of activity in the neighborhoods out of DT at night).

- Stanley Park. I chose to rent a bike to ride around through the park/along the seawall. Definitely one of the most unique and picturesque urban parks I've been to - for being next to downtown, it feels far away in most parts.

- Grouse Mountain. This seems to be the true "observation deck" of Vancouver. What a view from the top! Well worth the short trek out of downtown and the price of admission. This beats any tall tower I've been up for amazing city views for sure (as much as I love the Empire State Building's deck in NY).

Overall, I felt that more time was needed to truly do Vancouver justice, but I still had a great time. I think it's become one of my favorite food cities based on what I was able to try (various Chinese spots, and some poutine/pub grub). Defintely an interesting city I hope to return to sooner than later!

[mgcyvr]

The restaurants are amazing in Vancouver. You could literally spend two days trying so much of the food.

Burgoo restaurant is great.
Mezcaleria is fantastic tacos.
Belgium Fries for your Canadian Poutine
Sush from so many places in downtown Vancouver as well.