How to Spend 72 Hours in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Admittedly this is a very trite recommendation for a first place to visit in Vancouver, but no trip to Canada is complete without a visit to Tim Hortons, so you may as well start as you mean to go on. What’s more, they’re absolutely everywhere, so you’ll have no trouble finding one.

This Canadian coffee shop/bakery chain was founded just over 60 years ago and has grown internationally since then, with close to 6,000 stores now open worldwide. What better place to go for breakfast to set you up for a day of exploring? Probably plenty to be honest, but it’s a Canadian institution and it does a pistachio white hot chocolate, so I’m on board with it as a place to grab something quick without wasting time thinking about where to get the best coffee in the city.

This museum is a little out of the way, but is well worth the bus trip and $25 entrance fee. It’s found at the University of British Columbia and offers an insight into world arts and cultures, with a strong emphasis on the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. Its collection is as fascinating as it is extensive, with several unique interactive displays bringing to life the significance of the items and artefacts on show.

After returning downtown from the Museum of Anthropology, the Davie Village is a fun change of pace and a great spot to spend the afternoon and evening. It’s the beating heart of Vancouver’s LGBT+ community and is home to a vast variety of bars, businesses and shops that show off the city’s friendly and inclusive spirit. Highlights of the area include bars like Score on Davie, The Park Pub and Numbers Cabaret, Vancouver’s longest running gay bar.

For those not visiting for nightlife, it’s also worth heading to the Davie Village Bakery and The Only Vintage clothing shop, which has seemingly endless rails, from which hang an array of fantastic vintage items.

Still in the Davie Village, this poutine spot is undoubtedly the best place to try the national dish in Vancouver. Although this meal originated in Quebec, it’s still good to give it a go whenever you’re in Canada. To be honest, I’d go to La Belle Patate wherever I was in the world, it’s that good. Heaven forbid they open a branch in London – I’d be much heavier and poorer for it, with no choice but to work my way through its vast and expansive menu that offers no fewer than 36 different types of poutine, alongside other Canadian classics like steamie dogs, pogos and Montreal smoked meat sandwiches.

What’s more, their gravy is 100% vegetarian, so it’s the perfect place for people of most dietary persuasions. It also serves local craft beers and had the ice hockey on the TV. It could only have been more Canadian if I’d eaten my meal with Bryan Adams and Celine Dion.

I will never tire of seeing whales in the wild. This was my third successful outing, after finally seeing the awe-inspiring creatures on trips to Akureyri, North Iceland and Tromso, Norway last year. Thankfully, this was a much warmer outing and didn’t require half an hour of putting on a dry suit before boarding the boat as I’d previously had to endure.

We set sail on a small yellow and blue vessel from the port of Steveston, a quaint little harbour town about an hour from the centre of Vancouver. Loaded with a packed lunch and my camera, I joined the enthusiastic and friendly crew for one of their five-hour expeditions and, within an hour, we had located two orcas out hunting for food not too far from a small islet. Surrounded by a stunning backdrop of snowcapped mountains and forests, the whales (technically dolphins) surfaced around us intermittently, gradually getting braver and edging closer to the boat. Their beautiful black dorsal fins could be seen elegantly slicing through the surface of the water before they’d let out a puff of water and air before diving back down to find more food. It was a joyous experience to be in their company, but far from the only sighting of the day.

We later spotted a grey whale lazily floating about in open water, while we were also greeted on our return to the marina by sea lions and bald eagles, posing majestically on rocks and lookout posts not far out to sea.

Among its diverse population, Vancouver is home to a thriving Asian community, meaning it’s home to some fantastic Asian restaurants. Fortunately for me, one such place, Ramen Danbo, was just down the street from my hotel. I was amazed when I first saw the line of people waiting to get in, stretching all the way along the street. The last time I’d been in a queue that long was to see Arcade Fire (another great Canadian export). This, however, was for a simple bowl of noodles. Or so I thought. But my motto when travelling is that, if the line’s long, it’s usually worth joining. And that rule was once again proved right.

After a full day out at sea, this nourishing bowl of joy was exactly what I needed. The deep umami flavours, the firm, chewy noodles, the crisp bite of the gyozas…It was simply sensational and truly worth the wait. If you’re in Vancouver you must go there.

I’m a firm believer that cities need plenty of green spaces. Too much concrete isn’t good for anyone’s mental health and it’s always good to get back to nature as much as possible. And Vancouver’s Stanley Park is a miracle of a green space. It’s a shining example of just how much nature can be packed into a city, and just how good it can be to wander aimlessly in a forest for a few hours. I’d go there every day if I lived in Vancouver.

Sadly, a morning of exploring is all my tight schedule would permit, but it was a special morning, during which I saw bald eagles, belted kingfishers, seals, herons, wood ducks and hummingbirds, with the towering rainforest buffering out the noise of the city, despite it being just a stone’s throw away. It’s a magnificent oasis of beauty and calm and I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite as special on any city break elsewhere.

That said, I went on a drizzly weekday morning and I’d be amazed if, on sunnier days, it’s not absolutely rammed with locals and tourists trying to uncover a bit of peace and quiet.

In my quest to try and eat as much as I could in Vancouver, I headed to Granville Island Public Market, which has both crafts and food for customers to find. Sure, the handmade souvenirs were all nice enough, but were something of an afterthought for me, as I went headlong into a free sample frenzy to replace all the energy I’d spent trying to cover as much of Stanley Park as I could in one morning. I started small, with nuts covered in chocolate and raspberry before working my way through maple candies, Nanaimo bars and others before finally parting ways with some cash in exchange for the best slice of banana cream meringue pie I’ve ever had.

Again, I could easily have spent much more time at Granville Island Market, with plenty of breweries and food stalls offering delicious products for visitors, many of which I sadly left without trying. Next time.

From Granville Island Market, the Aquabus Ferry is the perfect way to explore more of the city, with some people even using them to do Aquabus pub crawls. There are 13 of the little boats in total, which look more like seafaring greenhouses than anything you’d normally expect to see on the water, and they bob about between eight different stops along False Creek. A day ticket is a very affordable $20 and lets you sail as much as you like for 24 hours. They’re also so frequent, that you sometimes find yourself with your own private captain, sailing you from place to place, providing excellent recommendations for the best bars and restaurant to visit once you arrive at your next dock.

Declaring itself to be Vancouver’s first modern Lebanese restaurant, Nuba is still going strong almost 20 years after Victor Bouzide opened its first location so he could share his grandmother’s cooking with Canada. Now, it has three more locations throughout the city, with Najib’s Special, a crispy roasted cauliflower tossed with lemon and sea salt and served with tahini the star of its menu. For those overwhelmed with choice, the sharing platters are a great way to make sure you get plenty of the good stuff without overordering.