Activities in British Columbia
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Granville Island Brewing
Canada’s oldest microbrewery offers half-hour tours where the smiling guides will walk you through the tiny brewing nook (production has mostly shifted to larger premises) before depositing you in the Taproom for four generous samples, often including the summer-favorite Hefeweizen, mildly-hopped Brockton IPA or the recommended Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale. You’ll spot many of these brews in bars and restaurants around the city. You can also buy some takeout in the adjoining store – look out for any seasonal or special-batch tipples that might be worth a try (the Ginger Ale is a winner).
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Whistler Mountain Bike Park
Colonizing the melted ski slopes in summer and accessed via lifts at the village’s south end, Whistler Mountain Bike Park offers barreling downhill runs and an orgy of jumps, beams and bridges twisting through 200km of well-maintained forested trails. Luckily, you don’t have to be a bike courier to stand the gonad-crunching pace: easier routes are marked in green, while blue intermediate trails and black diamond advanced paths are offered if you want to Crank It Up – the name of one of the park’s most popular routes. Outside the park area, regional trails include Comfortably Numb (a tough 26km with steep climbs and bridges); A River Runs Through It (suitable for a…
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Hastings Racecourse
What it lacks in stature – this isn’t exactly the Kentucky Derby – Vancouver’s mountain-view Hastings Racecourse more than makes up for in good old-fashioned fun. It’s an alternative day out if you’ve covered all the usual spectator sports; they’re used to seeing first-timers who don’t know how to place a bet here and will be more than happy to show you how to part with your money. Even if you bet small, there’s an undeniable thrill when the bell sounds, the gates open and the thoroughbreds speed off around the dirt track. If you’re here in August, drop by for BC Cup Day, the biggest race card of the year, complete with live music, family-friendly acti…
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Vancouver to Victoria and Butchart Gardens Tour by Bus
13 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Cruise to Vancouver Island for a full day, small group guided tour and find your way through the capital city of British Columbia. Spend the day exploring Victo…
Not LP reviewed
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Vancouver to Whistler by Train Rail Tour
by Viator
Ride the rails from Vancouver to Whistler on the spectacular Whistler Mountaineer train, passing through some of the world's most rugged fjords and mountains. T…
Not LP reviewed
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Cypress Provincial Park
Around 8km north of West Van via Hwy 99, Cypress offers some great summertime hikes, including the Baden-Powell, Yew Lake and Howe Sound Crest trails, which plunge through forests of cedar, yellow cypress and Douglas fir and wind past little lakes and alpine meadows. In winter, the park’s Cypress Mountain resort area – site of the snowboard and freestyle skiing events at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games – makes this one of the city’s favorite snowbound playgrounds. From downtown Vancouver, drivers should cross the Lions Gate Bridge to the Upper Levels Hwy via Taylor Way in West Vancouver. Follow the signs to the park entrance.
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Cypress Mountain
Around 8km north of West Van via Hwy 99, Cypress Provincial Park transforms into Cypress Mountain ski resort in winter, attracting well-insulated sporty types with its 53 runs, popular snowshoe trails and a snowtubing course. Handsomely upgraded as the venue for the 2010 Winter Olympics snowboarding and freestyle skiing events, new facilities include a fancy lodge and huge improvements to popular runs like Hutch, Windjammer and Lower Panorama (where Canada won its first Olympic gold on home soil). If you don’t want to drive here, consider taking the seasonal Cypress Mountain Shuttle Bus.
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Victoria by Seaplane and Ferry from Vancouver
Flexible (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Add a little excitement to your day trip to Victoria from Vancouver without blowing the budget. Take a scenic seaplane flight to the famous island for a leisure…
Not LP reviewed
from USD$201.34 -
Vancouver North Shore Day Trip with Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain
6 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Experience Vancouver's beautiful surroundings on this 5.5-hour guided North Shore tour. After crossing Vancouver harbor via the landmark Lions' Gate Bridge, you…
Not LP reviewed
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Whitewater Winter Resort
Known for its heavy powdery snowfall, which averages 1050cm per year, Whitewater Winter Resort features good skiing and boarding.
Unlike more-commercial places, Whitewater maintains its small-town charm. Whitewater has only two double chairs and a rope tow, but they can take you to an elevation of 2400m (the drop is 396m), where you can enjoy great powdery snow on 20 marked runs. Several snow-cat operators can take you to virgin territory for the day. There are 11 groomed Nordic trails. The resort is 18km south of Nelson off Hwy 6.
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Grouse Mountain
Vancouver’s favorite wintertime hangout, family-friendly Grouse offers 26 ski and snowboard runs, an outdoor ice-skating rink and a large helping of Christmastime shenanigans – if you’re looking for Santa in Vancouver, this is where you’ll find him. Night skiing is popular here, there are plenty of lessons available for beginners and the forested snowshoe trails are magical. There are some good dining options if you just want to relax, and there’s a wolf habitat area if you’d like to get close to wildlife without having it eat you.
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Takaya Tours
Operated by North Van's Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, Takaya Tours offers fascinating eco-treks that highlight the history and culture of the Coast Salish peoples. Most departures are from Deep Cove in North Vancouver. One of the most popular tours is the two-hour trip in a traditional canoe through the gorgeous, glassy waters of Indian Arm ($55). Takaya also offers traditional dance performances, a nature walk, a full-moon paddle, kayaking lessons and overnight kayaking trips. Tours require a minimum of three or four participants.
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Vancouver City Sightseeing Tour
4 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
This 4-hour day tour is a great introduction to the city of Vancouver. See all the most popular and famous sites of Vancouver including Stanley Park, Chinatown …
Not LP reviewed
from USD$67.06 -
Harbour Air Seaplanes
Vancouver is home to the world's largest fleet of floatplane operators and, along with their regular scheduled services, some offer soaring sightseeing tours. Taking off and landing (you'll dive-bomb the water at a rate of knots) is thrilling in itself, but the scenery while you're up there will make you realize just how beautiful this region is. Harbour Air's 20-minute panoramic flight ($99) is great fun - there are additional longer flights depending on your budget - and you can carbon-offset your tour when you book.
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Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Carriages
These narrated, one-hour tours are a leisurely - actually, extremely slow - and informative way to see the park without having to walk. Lumbering Clydesdale and grey shire horses pull the 20-passenger carriages past all the usual park highlights and you'll hear some fascinating tales about the area's history and development. Tours depart from near the information booth, just off the Georgia St entrance to the park. A free shuttle bus runs from select downtown and West End hotels to the departure point six times a day.
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Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak Centre
Enjoying Deep Cove’s sheltered waters, this is an ideal – and idyllic – spot for first-timers to try their hand at paddling. The staff here will gently show you all you need to know on a three-hour introductory course ($80), where you’ll learn that getting in and out of the boat are the hardest parts. For those with a little more experience, the center also offers rentals and some smashing guided tours (the full-moon tour is recommended). Check the website for regular events, including Tuesday’s popular race nights.
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Vancouver Trolley Hop-on Hop-off Tour
by Viator
See the best of Vancouver in a classic turn-of-the-century Vancouver Trolley. Your Trolley Ticket is your passport to fun and excitement while you're in Vancouv…
Not LP reviewed
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Whale-Watching Tour from Vancouver
Varies (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
While in Vancouver, don't miss the chance to take a whale-watching tour and spot killer whales, porpoises, seals, eagles and other wildlife amid the stunning sc…Not LP reviewed
from USD$116.64 -
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Mt Seymour
A year-round outdoorsy hangout for Vancouverites, the third branch of the region’s winter playground network has a 23-run ski and snowboarding area, plus an eight-run toboggan spot and four-lane tubing course. The snowshoe trails and tours are also popular – check out the nighttime snowshoeing and fondue tour ($55). At Seymour you’re much likely to meet the locals. There’s no transit service to the park, so if you don’t want to drive, hop on the seasonal shuttle from Lonsdale Quay ($6 each way).
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Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Centre
Headquartered on Granville Island, the friendly folk at Ecomarine offer guided tours (from $59) and equipment rentals. At the center’s Jericho Beach branch ([tel] 604-222-3565; Jericho Sailing Centre, 1300 Discovery St; [hrs] 9:30am-dusk late Apr-early Sep; [bus] 4), they also organize events and seminars where you can rub shoulders with local paddle nuts. From June to September, you’ll find them renting additional kayaks from the old bath house building on English Bay Beach.
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Capilano Suspension Bridge Including the Treetops Adventure and Cliffwalk
Flexible (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Only minutes away from downtown Vancouver, Capilano Suspension Bridge lets you experience the natural splendor of British Columbia. Breathe in the cedar-scented…Not LP reviewed
from USD$35.87 -
Small-Group Granville Island Market Tour
2 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
The Pacific Northwest is famous for its amazing food, and Granville Island is one of Vancouver's most popular destinations for foodies! On this 2-hour small-gr…Not LP reviewed
from USD$38.10 -
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Gerick Cycle & Sports
Most of this area's mountain-biking trails wind up from Kootenay Lake along steep and rather challenging hills, followed by wicked downhills. Trail names like 'Boneyard' and 'Fat Chance' are not misnomers, but there are some intermediate trails for those wishing to finish in one piece. Check with the excellent local bike shops for more details. Gerick Cycle & Sports rents road and mountain bikes. The shops sells Your Ticket to Ride, an extensive trail map.
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Reckless Bike Stores
The friendly folk at Reckless have been big players in the city’s bike community for years, sponsoring events and supporting initiatives across the region. There’s a good selection of rental cruisers and mountain bikes and staff can provide maps of regional road routes. Located in a no-man’s-land of mismatched businesses near the entrance to Granville Island, there’s also a Yaletown location (110 Davie St; [hrs] 9:30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun).
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