Perfect day in Vancouver

Sep 20, 2011 1:00:49 AM

Robert Reid
Lonely Planet Author

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Vancouver needs more than a day, but its bite-sized neighborhoods – easily reached by metro or bus – allow plenty of experience with a single day to explore. Just give yourself time to look up – even long-time locals are swooned by the glimpse of snow-capped mountains peeking between downtown skyscrapers.

COFFEE & BREAKFAST. Vancouver’s a big coffee town. West of the center, Commercial Drive, is the epicenter of java, but opt for arty Granville Island to start the day. Just south of downtown (and reachable by bus), Agro Café (tel 604-669-0724; 1363 Railspur Alley) is a tucked-away place loved by locals for its heaping and hearty Organic Brekkie.

GRANVILLE SHOPPING. Shopping’s good around the area, and a seaside promenade rimmed with houseboats circles the small island. One stop is the covered Public Market has stalls serving tea, artisan items – and you can take a snacking tour with Edible BC. Galleries line Cartwright Street, while backstreet Railspur Alley is named after an old train line still embedded in its sidewalk.

SOMA SHOPPING. Walk or bus south a couple blocks into South Granville and take Bus No 84 into South Main (SoMa), the city’s hippest indie shopping scene – start around the intersection of Main St and 20^th Ave. Smoking Lily (3634 Main St) goes for an art-school cool clothes, while Twigg & Hottie (3671 Main St) fancies its fashions as distinctly BC in style.

DOWNTOWN LUNCH & ART. Head northwest into downtown, grabbing an organic burger at downtown’s favorite counter-stool, jukebox-at-the-table diner Templeton (tel 604-685-4612; 1087 Granville St), then walk a couple blocks north to see the Vancouver Art Gallery, the city’s leading art space. The space hosts blockbuster shows, plus many innovative exhibits from its own 10,000 artworks – and has a great alfresco café as well. Notable is its quarterly late-night party called FUSE.

CHINATOWN DINNER. Vancouver’s Chinatown is Canada’s best – thus North America’s best. It’s great on weekend nights for the night market along Keefer St, a tight bazaar with live music, noodles and bubble tea – great for a quick, cheap meal. If you want something more sit-down and formal, Hon’s Wun-Tun House (tel 604-688-0871; 268 E Keefer St) is a Chinatown legend for 300 menu items including dim sum, dumplings and congee rice porridge.

GASTOWN PUB CRAWL. Just northwest of Chinatown, Gastown is a historic, cobblestone-street area east of downtown that’s undergoing a long-awaited comeback and is now home to Vancouver’s best watering holes. The landmark Steamworks Brewing Company – made from a converted warehouse – is one of the city’s few brewpubs, and the only subterreanean one. Smaller-scale (and hipper) is the patio seating at Six Acres, a couple blocks east at Maple Leaf Square, by the neighborhood’s first bar owner ‘Gassy’ Jack Deighton.

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Comments

13 February 2010 4:17AM vegetablegypsy Report this comment
Hi I'm a Vancouverite. With so many coming to our city for the Olympics this week...this is really the most disappointing 1 day in Vancouver I've ever read. Have you ever actually been here?
13 February 2010 9:06AM babybaboushka Report this comment
I agree! I'm a local and I've never been to those eateries, let alone heard of them! If you want great coffee, don't miss JJ Bean on Main Street. I'm surprised Mount Pleasant isn't even mentioned here! It's full of hip stores with locally made clothing, art, paperies, funky resturants. My favourite destination in Vancouver. Granville Island is only just okay. If you want crowds and food. If you want good breakfast, head to Crave on Mid Main.
13 February 2010 9:07AM babybaboushka Report this comment
haha, I just noticed both of our names, vegetablegypsy. Does that tell you something about Vancouverites?
13 February 2010 10:43AM procrastinate Report this comment
The Agro Cafe?!? Utter crap.
14 February 2010 8:46AM victoriaorca Report this comment
Forget restaurants. Who cares? The Olympics are on - just walk the streets, enjoy the atmosphere, people-watch, have fun, and look at the mountains and ocean. And it's free. If you find a place without lineups, that's all that matters. Agree that Granville Island, downtown are good destinations. Yaletown, Kitsilano as well. Smoking Lily is a great store.
16 February 2010 4:07AM vegetablegypsy Report this comment
Not that there isn't good food here...the food is amazing international and cheap! But what makes Vancouver is nature, sights, live music, views, artists, a million and one better ways to spend your time than restaurants! At least think of Stanley Park! ole baby baboushka...you must be ukrainian as well!
13 April 2011 5:12AM luckycanuck11 Report this comment
I live in Vancouver - WHO WROTE THIS?! Worst 1 day travel guide ever!! I'm sorry but if I had 1 day, I would not go shopping in "SoMA" or do a Gastown pub crawl. Dinner at Hon's?! What a JOKE. Aside from the Van Art Gallery, I wouldn't go to any of these places if I were a tourist. Not to mention, all of these places are really far from each other so you'll spend all day on buses to get to places that arn't worth going to. If I had 1 day, I would have breakfast at Medina's, shop on Robson St., check out VAG, visit Stanley Park, have dinner at Phnom Penh (best Chinatown restaurant), and go to a bar on Granville street where all the fun happens. Generally, I would stay in the downtown area. If you had one day, it wouldn't be worth it to trek around Vancouver.
27 April 2011 4:17AM garyfong Report this comment
I agree with luckycanuck11 and some of the other comments. Seriously, this is a laughable "guide" to Vancouver. I'm a Seattle native and a frequenter of neighboring Vancouver. The biggest gripe I have is with "Vancouver’s Chinatown is Canada’s best – thus North America’s best." Really? Vancouver's Chinatown isn't even the best Chinatown in Greater Vancouver. No knowledgeable self-respecting Chinese person, like myself, would travel to Vancouver to go to its Chinatown for food. Everyone knows the best Chinese and other Asian variety cuisine is in Richmond(20+mins south of Downtown) I question whether Robert Reid has actually visited Vancouver or just picked out some locations from a random brochure.
10 January 2012 6:05PM clangrantau Report this comment
I hope I didn't waste $37.00 AUD on a guide to Vanouver BRITISH COLUMBA & THE ROCKIES are these people right about this article or what?