We landed in Vancouver after 3 weeks of pleasurable adventure exploring Canada by rail and coaches.
Two days seemed less but were just right to fit in the best of the beautiful city of Vancouver, and Victoria in Vancouver Island.
Here’s what we did.
Day 1 in Vancouver
We walked around the awesome waterfront, as it was steps away from our hotel, to get the first taste of this city.
We enjoyed an evening stroll along the waterfront with its pathways, playgrounds and areas to relax and enjoy the views. We saw many ships pass, including a Sternwheeler, and many cafés and restaurants are located here with waterfront view seatings.
Canada Place, ferry/ cruise ship terminal, Vancouver convention center, luxury hotels and an underground mall make this place popular. Harbour green park adds to the beauty with lawns and strolling paths and splash pad too.
Stanley Park
Next, we headed towards the popular Stanley Park – an absolute must-see in Vancouver.
All of 988 acres – largest park in Vancouver – is a green escape from the urban setting of the city. There are 400 ft of rainforest here – a treasure trove for nature lovers. In addition, you can enjoy scenic views of multiple bodies of water, mountains and trees.
The Stanley Park seawall is a seaside pathway that stretches 8.8km and boasts of fantastic views of English Bay. It’s perfect for a stroll, jog or cycle ride. There are several trails to choose from, beaches, and fun-rides in horse carriages around the park.
Stanley Park houses Canada’s largest aquarium – Vancouver aquarium and marine research centre. Its 4D movie theatre is worth a mention. The aquarium is one of Vancouver’s top attractions with all its fish, sea otters, sea lions, 4D theatre and various exhibits.
Another attraction in Stanley Park are the First Nations Totem Poles – some in the beautiful meadow setting at Brockton Point.
Capilano Bridge Park
The next big attraction is Vancouver is the Capilano Bridge Park with its suspension bridge, cliff walks and treetop adventure.
The Capilano suspension bridge – This 140-metre bridge hanging 70 metres above the capilano river is worth checking out.
Cliff walks – This place also offers challenging cliffwalks– a series of cliff side and cantilevered walkways above the rainforest clinging to the granite cliffside with awesome views of the canyon. It has two glass platforms – not for the fainthearted.
Treetop adventure – There are seven suspended bridges 34 meters above forest floor. Lovely outdoor activities for adults and children. View of the rainforest below.
The Capilano park also has its share of colorful Totem poles with finely chiseled features.
While we wandered around Vancouver at the end of the first day we passed by the Coal harbour and watched with interest the seaplanes taking off and landing regularly. It was beautiful! We thought why not take a sea plane flight to Victoria the next day.
If you are on a longer stay, Vancouver offers many more things to do and enjoy your time here.
Day 2 – Flight to Victoria
Early in the morning, we walked to Vancouver’s Coal Harbour and took the first available seaplane to Victoria. We simply had to experience this scenic seaplane adventure. It was a short 35- minute scenic ride and we soaked up in lovely aerial views as we crossed the Strait of Georgia. The plane flew quite low and we could take some nice pictures.
As we walked from the harbour, it is hard not to be impressed by the imposing Fairmont Empress Hotel staring at you with scarlet creeper on it (in fall). I think it is one of the prettiest Fairmont hotels.
Royal BC Museum
Located just minutes from the Victoria harbour and ferry terminal is this world-class museum of natural and human history – a truly awesome place to visit.
It took us about two hours to enjoy the museum and the Thunderbird Park next to it.
The history of Canada is laid out in a story form.The Museum has two parts – one dealing with human history and another with animal kingdom. The human history shows a sensitive treatment of first nation and its culture and an imaginative setting for the European part of the story. The natural world is also well portrayed, including the impact of global warming on the region.
The language forest has greetings in 34 BC languages.
The totems, masks and cultural treasures featured in the world-class First Peoples Gallery are well presented.
The Woolly Mammoth in his icy world is particularly interesting in realistic settings.
IMAX theatre with 3D performances add to the attractions here.
Butchart Gardens
Located just a short bus ride away are these breathtaking 55 acres of gardens blooming all year around.
Spring – tulips and daffodils fill the garden while in Summer the rose garden flourishes. In addition there are night illuminations, fireworks show and boat tours too.
The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
The Butchart Gardens consists of 5 gardens: Sunken, Italian, Japanese, Rose, and the Mediterranean.
Sunken garden is the garden most people remember. It is mind-boggling to stand at the top of this former quarry and look down into the massive gardens and pond. However, there are 4 other beautiful gardens to enjoy.
A special mention to the Dining Room restaurant located in the original Buchart family residence – great afternoon tea or high tea as it is called comes with some savory sandwiches and delicacies and sweets.
At the end of the 2nd day, we took the ferry back to the mainland for a different experience admiring the views of the beautiful island and colors of the dusk.
We said goodbye to these beautiful cities. Maybe we will visit again for a longer period?
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I did Vancouver over a long weekend one time; and I think your itinerary is perfect! It includes some of the stuff we did, but a few things that I WISH we had done.
I went to Vancouver during winter for a ski trip but I have to go back! Capilano Bridge Park looks amazing, love the look of the suspension bridge and cliff walks. I’d LOVE to take a seaplane across to Victoria as well – great itinerary and thanks for the inspo!
Wow, the bridges look particularly scary but I’d definitely do them. The tree top adventure also looks really fun. Did the sea plane to Victoria actually land on water? You certainly filled 2 days.
Looks like you really managed to see a lot in just two days. I really like the look of the Capilano suspension bridge and the sound of some challenging cliffs walks but the whole of Vancouver is just beautiful. Thanks for sharing your itinerary.
This looks wonderful for a 2-day itinerary, so much covered! I imagine it’d be perfect if we’re trying to do the entire country and don’t have much time on our hands!
Would love to walk on the Capilano Suspension Bridge and see the Royal BC Museum. A great itinerary for 2 days in Vancouver.
Hi Jan,
What a wonderful post on Vancouver, Canada. I have seen Canada from US side of Niagara falls. The view from the bridge looked beautiful and so did the totem poles. The collection of artifacts at the Royal BC museum are so tempting.
Thank you so much for sharing 💕
You covered a lot of ground in just 2 days. Vancouver is so beautiful it’s good you spent so much time outdoors. And hopefully you will return one day for a longer visit.
We are on our way west and so happy to have lots of time to enjoy Vancouver again. It should be fall when we are there so Stanley Park with the fall colours is definitely on our plans. Great that you got to fly to Victoria and take in the sights too. A very different experience. So many great day trip options from Vancouver for your next visit.
Wow museums and gardens, What else to ask for! Vancouver looks amazing. I was there a few years ago just for a very short period of time and I did not get to explore the place much. Hope I had visited the museum. I am definitely doing that for my next visit.
The beautiful west coast! I did this trip several years ago and loved Vancouver and Victoria. We took BC Ferries, hadn’t thought of flying that would have been some amazing views.
Wow – this is the perfect 2 day itinarary for Vancouver! The trip by seaplane to Victoria looks so fanstastic! Butchart garden looks lovely too. I will save this post for a trip to Canada!
This seems just an apt plan to go about exploring Vancouver in two days. Butchart Gardens looks a great place to spend some refreshing time. Canada has always excited us and we plan a two weeks tour if possible next year. Probably we would need more than 2 days in Vancouver to have enough time to also spend with my couple of friends based there.
Oh, that waterfront view is alluring! I appreciate the content and the category of the museum: one for the animal kingdom and one for the human history. It’s a strategic way of getting educated about the existence of both. I’m particularly curious about the Sunken garden.
SO much to see and do in Vancouver! You picked some great adventures for a two-day visit. But it reminds me that I want to petsit my way back there again! Thanks for the inspiration!
I would love to walk on those rope bridges and stroll through those gardens. I have to admit, this wasn’t on my list of places to visit, but now it is.
Two days only but I think you got to see the top attractions in the region, like Stanley Park, Capilano Bridge Park, and Victoria. And the walk along the waterfront looks lovely.
Wow, I had no idea there was so much to do in Vancouver. The sceneries look just great. Well, cities with waters are alluring most of the time. But I’d also enjoy the cultural sites for sure.
I love Vancouver and its surroundings. I spent almost a month in this city, and I still want to return. Great tips on how to plan a two-day stay! You show the most exciting places to feel the city’s atmosphere and see its most exciting attractions. I love the idea of taking a seaplane to Victoria!