Vancouver Island?

You could do a day trip to Victoria. The ferry journey through the Gulf Islands is very beautiful.
There is a lot to see and do in and around Vancouver.

Please leave the poor whales alone! This whale watching thing is only a recent phenomena, and the poor creatures are being watched to extinction. If you are lucky, you might just see some orca from the ferry.

You do know Victoria is on Vancouver Island, right?

Yeah, whale watching is a bit of a shameful practise. I've never gone myself but when I lived in Powell River we could see them coming up the straight in pods from time to time and it is an amazing sight to see. Hopefully we don't harrass them into extinction.

Anyways, I think a day trip to Victoria during a four day trip to Vancouver is a perfect idea. Victoria is nice but small so easily covered in a day. If you want to take it easy, you could take one of those packages where a bus takes you from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria for a day. Or if you want to save some money you could maneuver the public transit system to Tsawassen Ferry terminal, walk on the ferry, and catch the bus on the other side.

Otherwise, staying in Vancouver is fine, too. The beginning of August is typically the very height of summer for us and you could just spend time at local beaches n trails if you've covered all the sights of the city.

If you go to Victoria, be sure to check out Buchart Gardens. Im not really a flower person myself, but well worth a look if youre in town.

hello you

lucky you!!!! :) this is a beautiful spot to visit, vancouver but also victoria or the whole vancouver island. you should at least have a whole month to see everything, it is so nice there.

you can easily spend the whole time in vancouer, there is soooo much to see or to do!! as you said, granville, stanley park are only a few possiblities. you can also go up to groose mountain from where you have a fantastic view over the whole city.

i deeply recommend to go to vancouver island. victoria is one of the prettiest town i have ever seen. it is a beautiful spot. also the ferry ride from vancouver to vancouver island is amazing, you might even see some whales during this trip...and it is even free!! you can do the whale watching stuff as well, but as everybody else said it is VERY touristical and expensive. i did it as well some years ago, it was a good experience, but it is a lot nicer when you see them in the "real wildernes", without other tourists. you can also visit butchard gardens, they are beautiful as well. or in and around victoria there are so many possiblities for hiking or other outdoor activities (sook provincial park,...)! so you won't get bored there!! :)

hope i could help

Dont miss the Aquarium in stanley park and yes take the ferry over to the island. The island is gorgeous and very different from Vancouver.The victoria habour is always alive with street performers and be sure to hop on one of the harbour ferries and grab some fish and chips from barb's restuarant.

Great, thanks for your replies everyone. I'll make sure to go to Vancouver Island then (and I'll leave the whales in peace!)

Keep in mind, the ferry ride is 2 hours long each way, and then you have the bus rides to and from the ferry terminal. If you go by car, you may be in for a 1 or 2 sail wait at another 2 hours each wait, depending on traffic. However, the ferry trip is definitely the best thing to do, very much worth it all.

There is also A LOT to see in Victoria / South Vancouver Island. There is a lot to see in Vancouver as well, but in my opinion, with Victoria being more compressed, you can see more in less time. Consider staying overnight in Victoria or you may be in for a very long day trip.

If you want to make it a day trip, I'd recommend taking Pacific Coach Lines - they run from the Greyhound bus station in Vancouver (near Science World) to downtown Victoria for a little over $30 each way. The buses are guaranteed a spot on the ferries, so you won't get delayed, and they're a lot faster than public transportation. You can also get yourself out to Tswassen if someone can drive you and buy a bus ticket once you're on the ferry to take you into downtown Victoria.

wow, no way would I do Vancouver Island in a day. You'll just miss way too much.

At least try to fit in 2 - 3 days. And that's at a bare minimum.