Vancouver 3-day itinerary

Rent a bike at Spokes on Georgia Street (C$12/hour) and ride the Stanley Park Seawall — a 10km paved loop around a 1,000-acre rainforest peninsula. You'll pass the totem poles at Brockton Point (carved by Coast Salish, Haida, and Kwakwaka'wakw artists), the Lions Gate Bridge, Siwash Rock (a sea stack from Squamish legend), and Third Beach. The North Shore mountains rising directly from the ocean across the inlet create one of the world's great urban panoramas.

Walk to Gastown — Vancouver's founding neighborhood (1867). Cobblestone streets, the whistling Steam Clock, and heritage buildings housing boutiques and cafes. Lunch at Meat & Bread (C$13–16 porchetta sandwich) or Tacofino on Hastings (C$6–8 fish tacos). Walk south to Chinatown — one of the oldest in North America. The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (C$14) is a serene Ming Dynasty-style garden and the first of its kind built outside China. The Chinatown Night Market (summer Fri/Sat) is lively.

Take the AquaBus (C$3.75) from the foot of Hornby Street to Granville Island. Browse the Public Market — local cheeses, fresh seafood, artisan bread, and free samples that amount to a meal. Walk the brewery district — Granville Island Brewing (C$8–10 pints) was Canada's first microbrewery. Take the AquaBus back to Sunset Beach for sunset. Dinner on Denman Street — Guu with Garlic for Japanese izakaya (C$10–18 tapas plates) where the staff shouts enthusiastic greetings.

Take the SeaBus from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay (C$3.10, 12 minutes) — the crossing has stunning skyline views. Bus 236 to Grouse Mountain for the Grouse Grind — a 2.9km trail gaining 853 meters of elevation, nicknamed "Mother Nature's StairMaster." The gondola up is C$69 (includes mountain activities). Alternatively, Lynn Canyon has a free suspension bridge (vs C$62 at Capilano), beautiful old-growth forest trails, and a swimming hole at 30 Foot Pool.

Return to Lonsdale Quay — a waterfront market with food vendors, artisan shops, and the best view of the Vancouver skyline across Burrard Inlet. Lunch at the market food court — Turkish gozleme (C$10), Korean bibimbap (C$12), or fish and chips (C$14). Walk east to the Shipyards District — a revitalized dockyard with craft breweries, the Polygon Gallery (free contemporary art), and the Shipyards Night Market (summer Fridays, free entry). Rent a SeaBus bike back.

SeaBus back to Waterfront and subway to Main Street — Vancouver's hippest neighborhood. Walk "Brewery Creek" along Main between 2nd and 7th Avenues — 33 Acres Brewing (C$7–9 pints, minimalist space), Brassneck Brewery (C$7–9, rotating experimental taps), and Main Street Brewing. For food, Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie (C$14–24 mains) blends Sichuan and Taiwanese flavors in a gorgeous heritage room. Or Budgie's Burritos (C$10–14) for West Coast-style burritos.

Head to Kitsilano — Vancouver's beach neighborhood. Kits Beach has mountain views, volleyball courts, and the Kitsilano Pool (C$6.50) — the largest outdoor saltwater pool in Canada at 137 meters long, heated, and overlooking English Bay with the city skyline as a backdrop. Walk the beachfront path to Jericho Beach for a quieter stretch of sand. Breakfast at Fable Kitchen on 4th Avenue (C$14–18) for farm-to-table brunch or Naam Restaurant (C$10–14) for legendary vegetarian fare, open 24 hours.

Bus to the University of British Columbia campus. The Museum of Anthropology (C$18) is world-class — Arthur Erickson's glass and concrete Great Hall frames massive Haida and Kwakwaka'wakw totem poles against the mountains and ocean. The Bill Reid masterpiece "The Raven and the First Men" is here. Walk to Wreck Beach — Vancouver's clothing-optional beach at the bottom of a 400-step staircase through old-growth forest. The beach has food and drink vendors (cash only) and spectacular cliff views.

Return to English Bay for one final Vancouver sunset — the applause tradition continues nightly. Walk Davie Street through the West End — Vancouver's vibrant LGBTQ+ neighborhood with rainbow crosswalks and diverse restaurants. Farewell dinner at Vij's on Cambie Street (C$20–35 mains) — India's flavors reimagined with British Columbian ingredients, no reservations, and consistently rated one of Canada's best restaurants. Or keep it casual at Japadog on Burrard (C$7–10) — Japanese-style hot dogs that are a Vancouver icon.