Winter Weekend in Vancouver

WINTER WEEKEND IN VANCOUVER

Canada is cool! When I count how many countries I've been to, I always throw Canada in there because I've been to Niagara Falls and family camping trips that I'm too young to remember. But I just spent a weekend in Vancouver, British Columbia- so now it really counts!

TRIP DETAILS:

Starting location- Santa Maria, California
Destination- Vancouver, British Columbia
Dates- February 9th-12th
Airline- WestJet
Weather- 30-47 degrees F mostly sunny, no rain
Budget- less that $800 (for 2 people)
Travelers- Me and my boyfriend Kyle (thanks for the xmas present 😎)

FRIDAY

We flew into the Vancouver airport on a Friday morning. The flight from LAX isn't so bad and if you're lucky enough to get the window seat you can see picturesque mountains (and Mt. St. Helens!) over the Pacific Northwest. The airport is very organized and Kyle got his checked bag before I could make it through the bathroom line. 

I was excited for the public transportation- partly because I had not used it in a while and partly because I researched it pretty well. After you exit the airport, it's just a short escalator ride to the train line. We used the automated machines to get a "Compass" card for the day. It is $10 a day for unlimited use, but a $6 charge for buying the card (but you can return it for a full refund.) 

After taking the train to downtown, we hopped on a bus north to the West End where our AirBnB was. We stayed in a one bedroom apartment in a quiet residential area that was walking distance to a lot of cool places.

We learned that happy hour is a big deal and found a few places to celebrate the weekend. A restaurant by Stanley Park and a Brewery downtown did not disappoint. Walking around Gastown at night was pretty touristy, but worth the pictures. 

SATURDAY

Saturday was a nature day. We took a bus to a ferry to a bus and ended up (after getting lost a few times) at Lynn Canyon Park in North Vancouver. The ferry was included in the public transportation day pass and the park was free entry. We ventured further to this park because we heard it was less crowded and there was a free suspension bridge. There was a decent amount of people on a Saturday morning, but we were still able to get some amazing pictures. It was colder over here but worth the trek.


In the afternoon we explored Granville Island. It is technically not an island, but we took a smaller ferry (more like an 8 person boat for $7 each) to check out the market and breweries there. The market was Kyle's favorite. I think he just liked how many food options there were and that you could get a little sample and move on to the next booth! It was crowded here, as to be expected at one of the cities main tourist attractions. We went to Granville Island brewery for a tasting and had maple flavored beer, oh Canada!

SUNDAY

Waking up early and hanging out in our AirBnB was lovely. The sun comes up late this time of year and businesses aren't open until 9 or 10. We meandered around our area and found the nearest breakfast place. It was small and filled with locals, and my favorite part of the trip. After breakfast, we walked towards Stanley Park only to find that there was a race going on. And apparently it was Family Weekend, a long weekend celebrated in Canada. 

We decided to make it a walking day and see the most of the city. We went back towards Gastown in the day and browsed the gift shops. The streets got less crowded as we moved towards China town. I don't recommend that street. As we turned a corner, we came to find all of the cities homeless population. There were hundreds of people and cops. It all seemed peaceful, but it was a surprise to come up on such a sight (and smell) when you just leave a touristy area. 

After that, we found a pretty Chinese garden in the middle of a city block. We walked across the water to the Olympic Village. It really is quite a view from there. It seems like every street in Vancouver has a glimpse of water or mountains. We walked even further to get to a hipster brewery that was standing room only, but the beer was good. 

MONDAY

An early flight got us up before the rest of the city. We retraced our steps back to the airport. Note to travelers: the buses don't run very early in the morning on a holiday and cab drivers try to get the most out of their drive. There is no uber or lift in Vancouver. The lines for security and customs took unexpectedly long. Although it is convenient how their is a US area of the airport to check back into the country even though you're not technically there yet. After more waiting and a few Tim Hortons breakfast sandwiches, we were on our way back to California.

RECAP:

Vancouver is as cool as I thought it would be! In our short experience,  people were friendly and helpful. The food was good and the beer was better (and not too expensive!) The views around the city are beautiful and it's easy to get around. A peaceful and laid back vibe shadowed our weekend. I want to go back to see what it can offer in different seasons!