Vancouver was the second leg of our Pacific Northwest vacation, following three days in Seattle.
And while Seattle had been on my travel bucket list since 2004, Vancouver was the destination I was most excited to visit.
I had high expectations before we arrived. Between the mountains, beaches, forests, waterfront paths, and Virgin River filming locations, I knew I was going to fall in love.
Somehow, it still exceeded them.
After four days, I didn’t just like Vancouver. I wanted to move there yesterday. I was looking up real estate after visiting Lynn Canyon, mentally choosing a neighborhood in Kitsilano, and trying to figure out how quickly we could plan another trip. Now I want to experience Vancouver again in the summer and see what it’s like in the fall.
Every person in our group agreed that we should have spent the entire week in Vancouver instead of dividing our time between Seattle and Vancouver. Four days gave us enough time to see a lot, but not nearly enough time to do everything we wanted.
Here’s how we spent our four days in Vancouver, what we loved most, and what we’d change when we inevitably go back.
Vancouver at a Glance
- Stayed: Hyatt Regency Vancouver
- Length: Four days
- Transportation: Rental car and lots of walking
- Favorite attraction: Lynn Canyon
- Favorite meal: Central’s Teriyaki Salmon Bowl
- Best coffee: Tim Hortons
- Would I go back? In a heartbeat
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, and I would absolutely stay there again. The location was perfect. We could walk to Canada Place, Gastown, and plenty of restaurants, while still having easy access to the rest of the city.
The rooms were spacious, the kids loved the pool, and having a Starbucks right inside the hotel was an unexpected bonus. The front desk staff was also really helpful when we needed assistance with our rental car, valet service, and a few questions during our stay.
If we were spending a week or more in Vancouver, I might consider renting an Airbnb to experience a neighborhood like Kitsilano. But for a first visit, the Hyatt Regency was an excellent home base.
Day 1: Arriving by Amtrak
Instead of flying from Seattle, we took the Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver.
I’d read so many people rave about this train ride that I expected nonstop coastal views. There were definitely some pretty stretches, including several bald eagles, but the scenery wasn’t quite as dramatic as I’d imagined.
One thing I wasn’t prepared for? The Seattle station.
It was a little confusing figuring out customs, and there weren’t many food options. If you’re taking this route, I’d definitely recommend bringing snacks.
Once we arrived in Vancouver around 12:30 p.m., customs took only a few minutes, and we headed to pick up our rental car. Unfortunately, that’s where things went sideways.
For reasons I still can’t explain, I thought scheduling our rental pickup only a couple of hours after arriving would be plenty of time. I wanted to pick it up that afternoon so we could hit the road early the next morning, but between getting our phones connected, navigating the station, and finding the rental counter, we were cutting it close.
Then they handed us the keys to an Expedition.
Chris and I are used to driving midsize SUVs, so trying to maneuver what felt like a small bus through a downtown parking garage was…an experience. We made it exactly one night before exchanging it for a minivan, which ended up being a much better fit for our group of six. We literally drove the SUV to the hotel, parked, and then drove it back to Avis the following morning to exchange it.
After settling in at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver (which I’d absolutely stay at again), we spent the afternoon exploring the area around Canada Place.
One of the unexpected highlights was stumbling across a free Olympic exhibit inside the convention centre. A staff member pointed us toward it, and it ended up being such a fun surprise.
That evening, after the family called it a night, Chris and I grabbed drinks at Dublin Calling before wandering over to English Bay.
That walk along the seawall became one of my favorite memories from the entire trip. The weather was perfect, the sun didn’t seem interested in setting anytime soon, and everyone was simply outside enjoying the evening.
It was the first moment I remember thinking, “I really like this city.”
Day 2: The Sea-to-Sky Highway
The next morning started with another visit to Avis to exchange our giant SUV for the Batmobile. Best decision of the trip.
From there, we headed north along the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and wow. The drive completely exceeded my expectations.
Our first stop was Shannon Falls.
Even from the road, the waterfall is hard to miss. Standing at the base made me realize just how massive it actually is. It’s one of those places that’s difficult to capture in photos because you don’t realize just how massive it is until you’re standing there.
We spent about an hour exploring the park and taking in the towering trees surrounding us. We have trails and mountains back home, but this felt entirely different.
From there, we continued to Watershed Grill, better known to Virgin River fans as Jack’s Bar. As a full-fledged Virgin River nerd, this was obviously a nonnegotiable stop.
Seeing it in person was surreal. Somehow it looks even prettier than it does on television. We stopped for brunch and secretly hoped filming might be happening while we were there, but no such luck.
We had hoped to visit one of the Olympic sites in Whistler, but it was unexpectedly closed that day, so our stop ended up being much shorter than planned. From there, we continued to Brandywine Falls.
This was probably the only stop I’d skip next time. The walk felt much longer than we expected, and by the time we reached the suspension bridge we’d been searching for, it didn’t quite feel worth the effort.
Back in Vancouver, we had dinner at Central, where I ordered the Teriyaki Salmon Bowl.
It was so good that I ordered it again when we went back the next day for lunch.
Day 3: Lynn Canyon, Stanley Park and Gastown
Day 3 was our family’s last full day in Vancouver, although Chris and I had one more day after they left. We wanted to do something outdoorsy that was relatively close to the city and didn’t require an overly ambitious itinerary, so we chose Lynn Canyon and Stanley Park.
We started the morning at Lynn Canyon. The big draw for us was the suspension bridge, which is located just beyond the main entrance to Lynn Canyon Park.
The suspension bridge was fun, but the real magic began once we started hiking.
We were surrounded by towering trees, crystal-clear water, and the beautiful swimming area known as 30 Foot Pool.
Trail runners passed us every few minutes, somehow making running through the forest look so appealing that I briefly decided I should become one, even though my knee has other opinions.
It felt less like a tourist attraction and more like somewhere locals genuinely spend their weekends.
By that evening, I may or may not have been scrolling through Vancouver real estate listings just to see what houses cost.
After grabbing snacks from the Lynn Canyon Café and visiting the Ecology Centre, we drove back toward downtown through Stanley Park. Our goal was to visit the totem poles, but Stanley Park is enormous, and despite having the destination saved in Google Maps, we somehow parked much farther away than expected.
With a two-hour parking limit and an estimated 40-minute walk each way, our increasingly hungry group decided the totem poles were not happening that day.
Once we were back downtown, we stopped at Central for lunch, where I ordered the Teriyaki Salmon Bowl for the second day in a row. No regrets.
After that, our family went swimming at the hotel pool, and Chris and I went to find the Gastown Steam Clock. The clock whistles and releases steam every 15 minutes.
Day 4: Mel’s Cabin and Kitsilano
After Chris’s family headed home, we had one full day left to ourselves.
As a Virgin River fan, I couldn’t leave Vancouver without hunting down a few filming locations. Our first stop was at Murdo Frazer Park in North Vancouver, home to Mel’s Cabin from Virgin River. Finding it took a little more detective work than expected, but once we did, it looked exactly like it does on the show.
From there, we spent the rest of the day exploring Kitsilano. We started with an easy, relaxed walk along the beach from the volleyball courts toward the yacht club.
The views were beautiful, especially once we reached the stretch lined with waterfront homes.
Afterward, we walked up to West 4th Avenue to browse the shops and explore more of the neighborhood.
Between the beach, shops, walkability, and residential feel, Kitsilano quickly became one of my favorite parts of Vancouver. Naturally, I began mentally moving into one of the houses along the path.
My Honest Take
Looking back, there’s really only one thing we’d change. We would spend all seven days in Vancouver.
Vancouver completely stole the show.
There are still so many places we didn’t have time to visit, more hikes we want to do, and neighborhoods we want to explore.
I knew I probably wouldn’t leave feeling finished with Vancouver, but I wasn’t expecting to still be thinking about it nearly every day after coming home.
Vancouver was the destination I was most excited to visit, and somehow, it still exceeded my expectations. So yes, we’ll definitely be back. Preferably yesterday.
Have you been to Vancouver? Tell me what I should add to my list for next time.
More From Our Vancouver Trip
