In my previous post Vancouver Pt.2  I listed out all the places we went to eat during our stay in Vancouver. In this post I will mention all the touristy places that we visited.

Looking back at my photos, it seems my main focus was food so this post is going to be light.

The first word that comes to mind when describing this area of the city is Hipster. Gastown is known for its lively scene, indie art galleries, whistling Steam Clock, a mixture of souvenir stores, and coffee shops, all in a mix of Victorian & modern buildings. It is trickled with trendy food and drink spots, such as chic cocktail lounges and hidden restaurants serving everything from hole-in-the wall pizza to charcuterie boards. I recommend walking through the area at least once.

I couldn’t find a name for this specific area, but this street starting around Richard street until Nicola Street is a nice outdoor shopping mall. The strip has tons of stores, dispensaries and restaurants to shop at. Around the area is also the indoor mall: The Pacific Centre, with more shops and a food court as well as a large movie theater.

You have probably heard of Granville Island before, but it’s a small “island” on the south side of the city consisting of a large market, art galleries, restaurants, and more souvenirs. I didn’t have the opportunity to go here on my last trip, so this time I had to check it out. We ended up walking over there from our hotel, which ended up being a bit confusing, so I recommend taking the ferry or taxi. Of course the day we went happened to be the one Monday that the marketplace was closed for cleaning…so that was a bummer, but plenty of other shops and restaurants on the island were open. I recommend making sure the marketplace is open before going, since that is their largest attraction. 

We took the ferry back which dropped us at the Aquatic Center Ferry Dock. This was a nice location because it is right on the only sandy beach in the city. It was foggy for us, but I imagine on a warm sunny day this location would be packed. 

This is only worth mentioning because it was where one of the Airbnbs was that we stayed. I don’t think North Vancouver is the place to visit if you are just traveling for a short time, but if you feel the need to get out of the city and be in a more local neighborhood then take the SeaBus over and check out the cute, very clean neighborhood. It is also a closer location to the Suspense bridge, which we didn’t have time to do, but would love to check it out if I ever go back. 

Alright, that about sums up my second trip to Vancouver, Canada. 

If you have any suggestions on places to see or eat please comment below for others and myself to check out.