Activities in Vancouver
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FEATURED
Private Tour: Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain
6 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Breathtaking views, a fun gondola ride and fascinating attractions for any time of the year await you on this private and personalized tour to Grouse Mountain.…Not LP reviewed
from USD$202.93 - All activities
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West End Community Centre
This busy and bustling community center, with a full range of events, activities and classes to keep the locals on their toes, has its main hall transformed into an ice rink for the winter and early spring. You don't have to pack your skates because rentals are available. Like all the city-owned rinks, public skating times vary, so call ahead for the latest schedule.
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Whistler Day Trip by Train and Floatplane from Vancouver
11 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Experience the majestic beauty of British Columbia's coastline and the picturesque city of Whistler on this spectacular combination tour. Board the famous Rocky…Not LP reviewed
from USD$330.69 -
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Edge Climbing Centre
This high-tech North Van facility has a large climbing gym with more than 15,000 sq ft of climbing surfaces for those who like hanging around for fun. There are plenty of courses, from introductory level to advanced classes where you can learn all about diagonalling and heel-and-toe hooking. If you enjoy this, you can drive straight from here to the Stawamus Chief in Squamish.
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Absolute Spa At The Century
This popular, hotel-based day spa has a calming earth-toned interior and offers a full menu of treats from facials to hydrotherapy to make-up sessions in its nine treatment rooms. If you need a boost after your long-haul flight, try the grapefruit jet lag recovery body wrap (from $95). Men-only treatments also available. There are four other Absolutes dotted around the region.
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Vancouver City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
by Viator
Create your own itinerary and set your own timetable with an option of a one-day or two-day ticket on the Vancouver City Hop-on Hop-off Tour. Travel on an…Not LP reviewed
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Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay
Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay is the spot to indulge your inner knight in ye olde Vancouvere. This popular downtown school offers thrilling classes and workshops for kids and adults that show you how to wield everything from rapiers to broadswords. There’s also a small on-site museum (entry by donation) covering the history of weapons, armor and heraldry.
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Seaplane Flight to Victoria and Whale-Watching Cruise
4 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Fly from Vancouver to Victoria on a 35-minute flight by seaplane and search for Orcas on a whale watching cruise on Haro Strait. Be kind to the environment with…Not LP reviewed
from USD$426.07 -
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BC Lions
The Lions is Vancouver's team in the Canadian Football League (CFL), arguably a more exciting game than its US counterpart. The Lions team has had some decent showings in the last few years, winning the Grey Cup championship most recently in 2006. The team relies on its jump-out-of-your-seat offense. Tickets are easy to come by – unless the boys are laying into their Calgary rivals.
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Architectural Institute of British Columbia
Local architecture students conduct these excellent one- to two-hour wanders, focusing on the buildings, history and heritage of several key Vancouver neighborhoods. There are six tours in all and areas covered include Gastown, Strathcona, Yaletown, Chinatown and the West End.
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Kitsilano Workout
You can exercise among the stringy fitness nuts and 'yummy mummies' of Kitsilano at this highly popular gym. If you want to mix up your routine, regular classes include step, yoga, Pilates and belly dancing – dance aerobics is a specialty here. After you've reached your sweat quotient, you can nip along the street to Sophie's Cosmic Café and blow all your hard work.
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Flow Wellness
This large and popular studio offers around 150 classes per week covering all manner of approaches. Spend some time figuring out which one would be best for you from a menu including Yoga Mechanics, ESL Yoga (for visiting students) and Yoga for Stiff Guys (don't ask). Alongside the stretching classes, there's a roster of additional wellness treats, from Thai massage to Shiatsu therapy.
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Skoah
'No whale music and no bubbling cherubs,' as they say at this tongue-in-cheek, trying-hard-not-to-be-pretentious spa. There are deep-cleansing masks, facial massages, scalp massages, foot 'facials' and muscle stimulation treatments, all done by your 'personal skin care trainer.' Skoah also sells its own line of all-natural products. There's a second location in Burnaby's Metrotown mall.
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Whistler Small Group Day Trip from Vancouver
11 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Leave the city of Vancouver behind and enjoy a full-day small-group tour to the famous resort town of Whistler! You'll journey past huge mountains, see the…Not LP reviewed
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University Golf Club
Tucked inside UBC's giant Pacific Spirit Regional Park, this popular and attractive course has been luring locals of all skill levels to knock off early from work for 80 years. The tree-lined 13th hole will have you reaching for your camera, and there's a driving range and an excellent clubhouse restaurant – as well as the cool BC Golf Museum behind the 17th tee.
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Running Room
Tap into the city’s Lycra-clad jogging fraternity by dropping into the Running Room, a store where steely-calved perambulators and those hitting the streets for the first time come to hang out. As you swap training regimes and choose your next pair of well-supported athletic shoes, ask about the regular clinics and group runs it organizes. You can also find out about races in the region.
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North Van Green Tours
Departing from North Van's Lonsdale Quay, this green-themed tour company is taking the emissions out of bus tours with its biofuel tour vans. The excellent, locals-led four-hour trek ambles through the mountain-fringed forests of the North Shore, including highlights such as Deep Cove, Grouse Mountain (entry not included) and Lynn Canyon (with its free suspension bridge). Tours to Whistler are also offered.
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Spokes Bicycle Rentals
On the corner of W Georgia and Denman Sts, the recently expanded Spokes is the biggest of the bike shops crowding this stretch – these are the guys mostly responsible for all those tourists wobbling across the nearby road as if they've never ridden a bike in their lives. It can kit you and your family out with all manner of bikes, including cruisers, tandems and kiddie one-speeds. Also rents in-line skates.
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Knotty Boy
This is a ‘one-stop lock shop’ where you can get natural or synthetic dreadlocks done, undone, colored, extended, deep cleaned, tidied up, beaded and more. If you prefer to do it yourself, you can buy a kit that provides instructions on how to start dreads from scratch. Dread combs, all-natural dreadlock wax, itch-fighting dreadlock shampoo bars, and myriad other dread specialty products are available.
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Sewell's Sea Safari
Head to the marina near Horseshoe Bay to book a seat on a rigid-hulled inflatable for your two-hour, high-speed ride out to sea. With the spray in your face and the wind rattling your sunglasses, keep your eyes open for possible whale-pod sightings – barking seals and soaring eagles are almost guaranteed. It can be a cold and bouncy ride, but visitors are suited up in cushiony red coveralls to absorb some of the bite.
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Private Tour: Victoria and Butchart Gardens from Vancouver
13 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
This private and personalized guided tour is the most fun and relaxing way to see Victoria. Not having to worry about crowded bus tours allows you to simply…Not LP reviewed
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Vancouver Canadians
The minor-league farm team to the MLB's Oakland As, the Canadians play at the recently refurbished but still charmingly old-school Nat Bailey Stadium, by Queen Elizabeth Park. It's known as 'the prettiest ballpark in the world' thanks to its mountain backdrop. Afternoon games – called 'nooners' – are perfect for a nostalgic bask in the sun. Hotdogs and beer rule the menu, but there's also sushi and fruit – this is Vancouver, after all.
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Landsea Tours
Landsea's comfortable tours in 24-passenger stretch minibuses attract an older crowd. Treks include a three-hour city highlights tour (adult/child $65/42), departing 9am and 2pm; and a six-hour North Shore and Grouse Mountain tour (adult/child including admission $119/85). Additional guided tours to Victoria or Whistler are offered if you fancy traveling further afield.
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Vancouver Trolley Company
This company operates jolly replicas of San Francisco trolley cars (without the tracks), providing a hop-on hop-off service to attractions around the city. The circuit takes 80 minutes and you buy your tickets from the driver – attraction tickets are also sold on board. If you're here in late October, the buses are decorated in spooky Halloween garb, while Christmastime sees a karaoke theme adopted for those who like to ride and sing at the same time. Check the website for discount tickets, especially off-season.
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Private Tour: Whistler Day Trip from Vancouver
8 hours (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Enjoy Whistler at anytime of year on this private and personalized tour from Vancouver. Although well known for being a great North American ski destination,…Not LP reviewed
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Stawamus Chief Provincial Park
Attracting hardy climbers, it’s called ‘The Chief’ and it’s the highlight of Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. You don’t have to be geared-up to experience the summit’s breathtaking vistas: there are hiking routes up the back for anyone who wants to have a go. Consider Squamish Rock Guides ([tel] 604-892-7816; www.squamishrockguides.com; guided climbs half-/full-day from $75/115) for climbing assistance or lessons.
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