Looking to spend 3 Days in Vancouver? We’re sharing a detailed Vancouver itinerary and guide with everything you need to know before you visit including where to stay, what to eat, the best things to do in Vancouver, and more! Ready to plan your own Vancouver adventure? Keep on reading!

One of the best things about living in Seattle was how close we were to Vancouver, BC. It has definitely become one of our favorite cities we have ever visited. The mix of city life and nature is insanely gorgeous and makes for a fun and diverse getaway. Plus, the currency exchange rate is pretty awesome! 

We’re excited to share our go-to 3 days in Vancouver itinerary and guide that hits up our must-see spots, especially for first-timers. You could definitely spend more than 3 days in Vancouver, but this is a good starting point to see the big highlights of the city and surrounding areas!

When we lived in Seattle, we used to take day-trips to Vancouver to save money (we’d usually leave around 5 AM to give ourselves enough time to explore) and this guide can be easily modified into 3 different day-trips if you’d rather do that as well!

Looking for more things to do in Canada?

• Sea to Sky Highway Road Trip: The Best Stops from Vancouver to Whistler (+ itineraries!)
• How to have an EPIC 10 Day Vancouver Island Road Trip!
• 12+ FUN Things to do in Tofino on Vancouver Island (+ 3 day itinerary) 
• The BEST things to do in Campbell River on Vancouver Island (+ 2 day itinerary)
• 3 Days at Banff National Park
• Backpacking at Garibaldi Provincial Park
• 14 Must Eat Foods at the Richmond Night Market
• Watch all of our Canada vlogs and read all of our Canada guides!

Before embarking on your adventure, please review the Leave No Trace principles to ensure you leave every place better than you found it, so that others can enjoy these beautiful places for many years to come!

These seven principles include planning ahead and preparing, hiking and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly (pack out what you pack in!), understanding campfire rules and always fully extinguishing your fires, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors. 

When to Visit Vancouver

While the temperatures are bearable year round in Vancouver and snow isn’t a huge issue in the city, Vancouver, similar to Seattle, can be a bit rainy during certain times of the year.

The best time to visit Vancouver (in our opinion) is between June-September (May and October can also be great, but sometimes more of a gamble). The summer time in Vancouver is absolutely incredible! The temperatures are perfect, the sun is out, and there is way less rain. The snow in the mountains is also melting, which means that more hikes are accessible.

However, we have visited Vancouver many times during the rainier months and have always had a blast! Even during days with lots of rain, we have found tons to do, like suspension bridges and indoor markets, to still have fun despite the weather. The rainier months will definitely be less busy and cheaper, so if you don’t mind getting a little wet, the late fall, winter, and spring may be a great time for you to visit!

Getting to Vancouver

If you’re flying into Vancouver, you’ll likely be flying into Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which is just 14.7 km/9 miles from downtown Vancouver. This airport is huge and has tons of international flights and most US airlines, like American Airlines, Delta, United, and Alaska Airlines fly into it.

Vancouver is also only a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle, so if you have some extra time on your trip, we highly recommend crossing the border to visit Seattle or other amazing destinations in Washington!

Getting Around Vancouver

Photo by Diego Mazz on Unsplash

If you plan to hang out in downtown Vancouver and the surrounding areas (Day 1 of this Vancouver itinerary), you can definitely get around by a combination of walking, taking Uber or Lyft (which are new to the city and not as plentiful yet), hailing a taxi, and using Vancouver’s awesome TransLink public transportation system. We took the SkyTrain during one trip and they were great!

For days 2 and 3 of this Vancouver itinerary, you will definitely need to rent a car to explore the trails and nature outside of the downtown area.

​Where to stay in Vancouver

Downtown Vancouver has the most options for lodging and is close to everything, but if you want a more laid back, local feel (and want to spend a little less), we’d recommend also checking out the neighborhoods surrounding Vancouver. Here are some of the best places to stay both in downtown and in the neighboring areas!

Airbnbs

• Option #1: A 1 bed, 1 bath apartment in Mount Pleasant
• Option #2: A modern 1 bed, 1 bath guesthouse in North Vancouver
• Option #3: A studio guest suite in Kitsilano
• Option #4: A super cool loft in Gastown

Hotels

• The Burrard
• Hyatt Regency
• Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre
• L’Hermitage Hotel

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Day 1

1. Brunch at Jam Cafe! Get here right before they open to avoid long lines—it’s a small little place and it gets busy!
    
2. Grab some caffeine at Revolver Coffee, one of the best coffee shops in downtown Vancouver!
    
3. Rent bikes and explore Stanley Park! This park is a bit larger than New York’s Central Park and is full of city views, mountain views, water views, beaches, and so much more! We recommend renting bikes from Spokes to get around the park. The path around the park is 9km (about 5.6 miles) and takes 1-2 hours depending on how often you stop.
    
4. Visit the Prospect Point viewpoint for a nice view of North Vancouver and the Lions Gate Bridge. Tip: take the short trail behind the cafe to walk along the bridge!
    
5. Walk and shop around Granville Island, an island with an indoor public market, plus tons of outdoor vendors. Some good spots to visit:
   
   • Walk through the public market and grab snacks from the different vendors. We love Sen Pad Thai, Lee’s Donuts, Siegel’s Bagels, Stuart’s Bakery, The Lemon Square, and Kaylin & Hobb’s pickles. Note: Make sure you have some Canadian dollars on you. Some of the vendors don’t accept US dollars.
   • If you like to drink, take a tour and grab drinks at The Liberty Distillery.
   • Explore the many shops on the island. There’s a store for everyone: souvenirs, toy, jewelry, paper items, clothing, and even a broom store where you can see them make brooms!
      
6. If it’s a warm day, head over to Kitsilano beach and catch some rays or the sunset. This beach has beautiful views of the city and mountains!
    
7. Have dinner at La Taqueria Pinche, which is one of our favorite taco spots!
    
8. Want dessert? (The answer is always yes!) Enjoy some delicious ice cream at Rain or Shine.

Day 2

1. Have coffee & breakfast at 49th Parallel. We love this coffee shop, which also has great donuts and we always make a stop here when we’re in Vancouver!
    
2. Spend the day exploring more of Vancouver’s beautiful nature! First stop: Lynn Canyon Park, which is a free park with a cool suspension bridge and trails. We recommend getting here early, as it gets super busy!
   • Note: there is a very popular suspension bridge in Vancouver called Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. It’s home to a suspension bridge, cliffwalk, and treetops adventure. However, it costs $43 CAD/$33 USD a person and is always jam packed. We prefer Lynn Canyon over Capilano because of the price and its smaller crowds, but if you want to experience multiple bridge attractions, Capilano is really cool!
      
3. Hike to St. Mark’s Summit (6.84 miles, 1,509 ft elevation gain) or to Bowen Lookout (2.5 miles, 361 ft elevation gain), which can be a side trip on your way to St. Mark’s Summit or a hike of its own. We suggest bringing a lunch to enjoy at the top!
    
4. Stroll around Lighthouse Park, which is a beautiful park in West Vancouver with trails, a lighthouse, and views of Vancouver.
    
5. Head back to downtown Vancouver and explore the Gastown neighborhood. Some top things to do:
   
   • Make a coffee stop at Timbertrain Coffee Roasters
   • Watch the steam clock go off (every 15 minutes)
   • Walk the tree lined, cobblestone streets and check out some of the shops
      
6. For dinner, check out The Flying Pig or Tuc Craft Kitchen!

Want to get 30% off an AllTrails+ membership? Click this link or use our code aplusk30 (you must redeem this code on the website, not the app)!

We use AllTrails+ on every single hike and it is the most helpful hiking tool out there! Some of the features we love are offline maps (so we can navigate even without cell service), wrong-turn alerts, and its 3D maps feature, so we can get a feel for trails before we hike.

Day 3

1. Have coffee and breakfast at The Federal Store. We recommend their feta & avocado toast!
     
2. Drive part of the Sea to Sky Highway! This is one of the most beautiful drives and part of what makes the Vancouver area so incredible. Check out our Sea to Sky Highway Guide with all of our tips for the drive and the best stops between Vancouver and Whistler. But for a half day trip, we recommend stopping at:
   • Shannon Falls–A quick stop to see the third highest waterfall in BC.
   • Go on the Sea to Sky Gondola! This costs $40 CAD/$28 USD roundtrip if you buy in advance and on a nice day, it’s worth the cost. You can either hike to the top (4.67 miles one way, 3,012 ft elevation gain) or take the gondola to the top, but either way you’ll have incredible views of Howe Sound and the mountains. There is a suspension bridge at the top and some shorter trails to different viewpoints. 
     
     Don’t want to pay for the gondola? Here are some free hikes in the area that will give you a similar view:
     • Murrin Provincial Park (Quercus Viewpoint)–1.24 miles, 427 ft elevation gain
     • Stawamus Chief–6.84 miles, 1,969 ft elevation gain
         
   • Porteau Cove–A nice spot to stretch your legs, admire the scenic Howe Sound from ground level, and walk around on the pier.
       
3. After exploring the Sea to Sky Highway, head back into Vancouver for dinner! We recommend trying a classic Canadian dish: Poutine at Fritz European Fry House! This is a tiny grab and go spot with lots of poutine options, including gluten free! We recommend getting pulled pork on yours.

If you have extra time…

Food

• Medina Cafe: One of the top brunch spots in Vancouver. We have yet to try it, but hear the wait can be crazy!
• Cactus Club Cafe
• Meat & Bread
• Japadog
• Phnom Penh
• Tacofino
• Guu with Garlic
• Buddha-Full

Coffee

• Pallet Coffee Roasters
• Finch’s Tea and Coffee House
• Nemesis Coffee
• Nelson the Seagull
• Cafe Orso

Sweets

• Bella Gelateria
• Earnest Ice Cream
• Purebread
• Nero Belgian Waffle Bar
• Bon Crepe
• Elephant Garden Creamery

Activities

• Head up to Whistler! Need some ideas of things to do there? Read our Sea to Sky Highway Guide for some of our favorite things to do in Whistler.
• Stuff your face at the Richmond Night Market! The market is only open from mid-May to mid-October every year, so if you’re in town during these months we highly recommend checking it out!
• Check out Capilano Park and Cleveland Dam!
• Hike up Stawamus Chief–6.84 miles, 1,969 ft elevation gain.
• Hike up Grouse Grind–1.8 miles one way, 2,799 ft elevation gain. This hike is referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster” due to the 2,830 steps you climb up. You hike to the top and then take the gondola down.
• Visit Deep Cove + Quarry Rock. Deep Cove is a cool little area in North Vancouver. It’s also home to Quarry Rock, a popular and easier hike that’s 2.4 miles and has a 328 ft elevation gain.

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