Tips for Visiting Vancouver

“Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.” -unknown

This September marked the biggest adventure our little family had ever gone on; a Disney Cruise to Alaska. It was a 7-day cruise leaving out of Vancouver, Canada. We had heard some great things about Vancouver so we wanted to spend at least two nights there before getting on the cruise. In hindsight I wish we would have had at least 3-4 nights there because we discovered there was so much to and just not enough time. But we made the best of our stay and I wanted to share my tips for visiting Vancouver with all of you.

1)  Book at least 3-4 nights. There are so many family friendly things to do while in Vancouver you will definitely want to stay longer than just 2 nights.

2) Stay near the waterfront. We stayed in the down-town area, also referred to as the city center, and although there were some cool sights within walking distance, it was much prettier and more open near the water front, plus walking distance to the port.

3) Take advantage of the free shuttle buses that take you around town to all of the tourist attractions. We were able to hop on a bus that took us to The Capilano Suspension Bridge with a large group of people and it was not a problem. Just make sure to check the schedules so you know when the last one leaves your location.

We scored this cute trolley on our way back to our hotel. The kids loved it!

4) Visit The Capilano Suspension Bridge. This was such a cool, one-of-a kind experience and I am so glad we decided to do it. I was gifted the tickets from the Vancouver Travel Bureau and I am so excited to share all of pictures from this amazing place.

There was one main suspension bridge that was crazy to walk across and I have to admit it was a little bit scary if you looked down. But once you got across there were lots of mini bridges, tree houses, nature walks and tons of other cool things to experience.

I would allow a full day to experience this in its entirety. A local had said we could do it in 2-3 hours, but I think we would have been really pushing it. I liked taking our time and allowing the kids to really enjoy the outdoors and all it had to offer.

5) The things I wish we had seen but ended up not having enough time: Grouse Mountain to experience the Sky Ride over the beautiful scenery and a meal at The Observatory, the Vancouver Aquarium, The Botanical Gardens and Granville Island with its Public Market, Kids Market, Water Park and more.

6) Makes sure you get a picture in front of the Canada sign. But make sure whoever takes the picture can fit in all the letters!;) LOL!

Have you ever been to Vancouver? If so, did you have a favorite place you visited?