3 Things I'm Looking Forward To In Vancouver, Canada

Last updated on 6 July 2024

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Today’s the day I’m off to Vancouver!

This evening I’m getting on an Air New Zealand flight across the hemisphere line, landing in Vancouver before we left NZ. Time travel is a strange thing. While we’re only going to be in Vancouver for a day and a half, so I’ve booked a Hop-On Hop-Off bus so we get the most out of our time in the city.

I’ve been looking at ‘things to do in Vancouver’ lists for a while now, and I’ve managed to narrow it down to 3 things that I’d really like to check out, if we can make it work. Much like my ‘3 Things I’m Looking Forward to in Chile‘ post, I thought I’d share it with you, and you can let me know if there’s anything I really mustn’t miss while I’m there.

The First Nation totem poles in Stanley Park

Perhaps it’s the similarity between these and some of the Maori carvings in New Zealand that draws me to them, but I’ve always loved the brightly painted totem poles of North America. While I didn’t see any in my last trip in 2010, I’m definitely keen to check out the totem poles in Stanley Park. Thankfully, it’s on the bus route, so I’m 99% confident that we can make this work.

Granville Island

I hear there’s great shopping on Granville Island. Again, it’s a stop on the bus route around the city, so hopefully we have time to check out the stores. As far as I can gather, there’s a lot going on at the market, which is open 7 days a week. I suspect you definitely need more than an hour or so to truly get around it, but hopefully we can get a good idea in the short time we’ll have there. If there’s any specific shop or food stall I need to check out, do let me know!

Gastown

Apparently this popular district is a must-see. The city’s oldest neighbour is home to the famous steam clock, and is adorned with cobbled streets, boutique shops, and vintage lampposts. You had me steam clock. Seriously. I definitely need to wander around these streets for a short while, even if it’s just that, a wander through. Though I hear it’s a good place to pick up some souvenirs too, so a stop in a shop or do might just do the trick.

So there we have it! There’s plenty more that I’m really looking forward to in Vancouver, but if I were to list them all we’d be here all day. Tomorrow is our Hop-On Hop-Off day, so check in on Instagram stories to find out if I managed to get to all these places!

Is there something in Vancouver that I really must see? Let me know in the comments!