How To Spend One Day In Vancouver (Local’s Guide)

With over 8 million visitors a year, Vancouver is one of the best places to visit in Canada, and rightfully so. The stunning mountains in the north, the ocean minutes away from downtown, and many other adventures outside the city make it an excellent place to visit.

Born and raised in Vancouver, I know the city inside out and can confidently say that if you visit Vancouver once, you’ll always want to come back.

Since you’re here, you’re probably wondering how to spend one day in Vancouver. As your friendly local guide, I’m here to help you with ideas of what you can do and see to pack as much as you can in 24 hours.

How To Spend One Day In Vancouver

Depending on when you decide to visit Vancouver, what you’ll be able to see and do will impact what you’ll be able to see and do. For example, there may be events that may or may not be available during your visit, so keep that in mind.

Morning

First things first: breakfast. We have many locations if you’re looking for the best places to have breakfast or brunch in Vancouver.

I know food is a personal preference for everyone, so I want to mention that we have many trendy locations for breakfast, and there may be a line out the door.

However, some restaurants serve breakfast that aren’t specifically catered to breakfast and brunch, so there are also those options.

Some suggestions for breakfast/brunch:

• Breka Bakery & Cafe (open 24/7, 8 locations around the city)
• Nero Belgian Waffle Bar
• Jam Cafe (3 locations; the downtown location may have a lineup)
• The Naam (vegetarian and vegan spot)

After breakfast or brunch, head to Granville Island. Granville Island is worth visiting as it’s one of Vancouver’s biggest tourist spots and home to the arts.

The famous Granville Island Market is where you can find produce, seafood, meats, bakery items, and more from locally owned businesses.

Around the area, you can find many small businesses that have local Indigenous art businesses, shops, restaurants, and performing art centres.

Once you have explored Granville Island, take one of the False Creek Ferries across False Creek to walk along the Stanley Park Seawall Path to the Stanley Park Seawall from Sunset Beach (the stop is called the Aquatic Centre).

Walking the Seawall may take 1-2 hours or more, depending on your speed and the number of stops you make.

Of course, Stanley Park is Vancouver’s biggest tourist attraction and the largest but most loved park by locals. While there are many things to do in Stanley Park, walking the Seawall is, at least, the biggest thing to do while visiting Vancouver.

If you have extra time, I suggest also exploring the park, such as checking out the world-famous Vancouver Aquarium inside Stanely Park. There’s also Lost Lagoon, the Stanley Park Rose Garden, Prospect Point, and many walking trails.

Afternoon

Once you complete the Seawall, you’ll end up in Coal Harbour. From Coal Harbour, you can make your way to Gastown, which is Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood. There are many restaurants where you can have lunch, Canadian souvenir shops, and retail stores that you can browse.

Some suggestions for lunch:

• MeeT (vegetarian and vegan place)
• Gringo Gastown (Tex-Mexican)
• LOCAL (trendy pub-like spot)
• Steamworks (also a trendy spot)

If you can’t decide where or what to have for lunch, you could do the Vancouver Food Tour in Gastown. While it’s a mid-afternoon experience, this 3-hour walking tour will take you through Gastown while listening to stories about the neighbourhood and experiencing an assortment of food tastings with also alcohol tastings.

➡️ Check Prices & Availability Here for Vancouver Food Tour in Gastown

After Gastown, you can visit North Vancouver and explore Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Another one of Vancouver’s top tourist destinations, you can explore the 450-foot (137-metre) suspension bridge and other attractions in the park, such as a cliff walk.

However, if you’re visiting during the holidays, the park holds its annual Canyon Lights, where they decorate the park with thousands of Christmas lights and decorations.

Getting to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park by local public transportation is easy. Coming from Downtown Vancouver, head to Waterfront Station and take the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay. From there, take the 236 bus. It will take approximately 25 minutes to get to the park.

➡️ Check Prices & Availability Here for Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

Evening

To be honest, there aren’t and are many things to do in Vancouver at night; again, when you visit Vancouver, these events may or may not be happening.

There are many local pubs, bars, and clubs that are open late sometimes they have live entertainment. There are also karaoke locations that run late at night and comedy shows at Granville Island.

One local thing to do in Vancouver is to watch a local professional sports game. Vancouver is home to many professional and up-and-coming players on affiliated professional teams.

The Vancouver Canucks is the professional (ice) hockey team, the Vancouver Whitecaps is the professional soccer team, and the BC Lions is the professional Canadian football team.

There’s also the Abbotsford Canucks (or the baby Canucks as we locals like to call them) as they’re the farm team for the Vancouver Canucks that train all of our drafted rookies and players that could eventually play full-time in the National Hockey League (NHL).

There’s also the Richmond Night Market, where you can enjoy various Asian cuisine, desserts, and drinks. There’s also live entertainment, shopping, and fair games.

The Richmon Night Market usually runs from April until the first week of October. So if you’re coming during that time, it’s a fantastic experience to try different types of Asian food.

There are many places to grab dinner around the city; some locations are along Robson, where you can typically find more Asian foods; West 4th Avenue, where there’s more variety; West Broadway, between Larch Street and Collingwood Street, there’s also a wide variety of options, and Main Street also has options as well.

Some suggestions for dinner options:

• Phnom Penh (my absolute favourite restaurant, Cambodian and Vietnamese)
• The Eatery (I’ve been coming here since I was 13, one of my favourite places, a funky Japanese restaurant)

Have Extra Time?

If you have extra time, there are a handful of places that you can check out while in Vancouver.

Here’s a list of options:

• Queen Elizabeth Park
• VanDusen Botanical Garden
• Deep Cove
• Steveston
• Lynn Canyon

Queen Elizabeth Park is a popular local park in the heart of Vancouver. It’s one of the best places to take Instagram photos, check out the flowerbeds in the spring, and see the Bloedel Conservatory.

VanDusen Botanical Garden is home to over 75,000 plant species from around the world on 55 acres of land. During the holiday season, the garden is decorated with millions of lights and festive decorations.

Deep Cove is one of the best places to kayak in Vancouver. Many tourists and locals also like to hike up to Quarry Rock; it’s an easy hike that shouldn’t take you more than an hour.

Steveston is a tourist spot in Richmond. You may recognize the village as a popular filming location, as Vancouver is known for being a popular location for the filming industry.

Lynn Canyon was a local hidden gem but has grown into a popular tourist location. It has a 30-foot pool fed by glacial water, which is popular during the summer. There’s also a smaller suspension bridge and many hiking trails.

Best time to visit Vancouver

The best time to visit Vancouver is summer, June, July, and August. This time is also the best time for the weather. However, accommodations will be more expensive, and it will be very busy.

But if you’re willing to sacrifice the good weather for cooler weather and rain, I suggest visiting in spring or fall. Winter will also have higher accommodation prices, and winter activities will be busy.

Where stay in Vancouver

If you’re wondering, as a first-time visitor to Vancouver, where to stay, these are a few options for some of the best hotels downtown.

💎 Best Luxury Hotel – Rosewood Hotel Georgia

✅ Excellent Location
✅ Highly Rated Customer Service

The Rosewood Hotel Georgia is a beautiful high end hotel that is located in the middle of Downtown Vancouver. It has all the amenities that you’ll need, including on-site restaurants, an indoor pool, a workout facility and more.

⚖️ Best Mid-Range Hotel – Hotel BLU

✅ Free WIFI
✅ Complimentary Bike Rentals

Hotel BLU is an eco-friendly environment upscale hotel. It also has all the amenities you’ll need, plus there’s a charging station, paperless check-ins, an indoor pool and more.

🎯 Best Budget-Friendly Hotel – Best Western Plus Sands

✅ Excellent Location
✅ 24-Hour Front Desk

Best Western Plus Sands is a budget-friendly hotel a couple of blocks from English Bay Beach. It offers workout facilities and is within walking distance of many things to do around the area.

How to get around Vancouver

The best way to get around Vancouver, even without a car, is by public transportation using the SkyTrains and buses. It’s the easiest, and Vancouver has a vast network where public transportation can take you.

Vancouver also has Uber, Lyft, and taxis if you prefer to travel privately. However, prices can vary and be expensive depending on where you plan to drive to and from.

How many days do I Need In Vancouver?

Ideally, if you’re looking for things to do only within the downtown area and North Vancouver, I recommend spending a weekend or three to four days in Vancouver.

If you’re looking to explore more places outside the city, I’d recommend spending seven days in Vancouver or at least two weeks covering Vancouver and other places like Vancouver Island.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many things to do in Vancouver in one day. However, if you have more than one day in Vancouver, I highly recommend you explore everything the city has to offer and explore outside of Vancouver, such as more localized locations and the islands.

Have a good day 🙂