Vancouver is only 140 miles from Seattle, about a 3-hours drive depending on the border crossing. It’s truly an exotic getaway!
Downtown Vancouver offers easy access on foot or by bike since the city is quite flat and streets not so wide. The bike ride is a great way to start the visit.
Thanks to the bike trail on the waterfront (Spokes bike rental), you will enjoy spectacular views, green spaces and well-integrated urban planning.
A gentle lifestyle emerges from this city.
A stop at the Cactus Club Cafe , on English Bay Beach, offers a full west view, nice cocktails and a sundeck on the beach.
Created by two Vancouver art lovers, you can admire contemporary artists’ paintings. The English Bay Café has a Jean-Michel Basquiat!
An elevator ride of forty seconds will take you up the Vancouver Lookout (551 feet) Tower where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city and its surroundings.
For the shopping lovers, Robson, Howe and Granville Streets are bustling and offer an eclectic selection of brands including luxury boutiques.
If you’re tempted by a Ladurée macaron, it’s possible!
Along with Chinatown, the district of Gastown is the oldest. Charming with its brick buildings, bars, authentic shops and nightlife.
But just a few steps away (Downtown Eastside), another side of things is revealed right on the concrete of the streets: poverty, misery and drugs. (sensitive souls refrain).
Granville Island with its big indoor market is also a great place to walk around. From Kitsilano Beach you will have a beautiful view on Vancouver and don’t forget to wander through the University of British Columbia (UBC).
For more adventurous and thrilling activities, head over to the suspension bridges around Vancouver.
Isabelle Guibourgé
