Things to Do in Vancouver: Itineraries, Costs and Food

The full seawall loop is close to 10km and flat, doable on foot in a morning or by rental bike in 90 minutes to 2 hours. Go early or off-season for a car-free feel, since it's shared with cyclists and can get crowded midday in summer. Could not verify current bike rental pricing against an operator site; check before you go.

One ticket gets you the suspension bridge itself plus the Cliffwalk (a narrow walkway cantilevered off a granite cliff) and the Treetops Adventure rope bridges through old-growth firs. It's privately owned and priced accordingly; the free, less vertiginous Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge nearby is the budget alternative.

The gondola from the base to the 1,100m summit is the easy way up; the Grouse Grind, a steep 2.9km trail straight up the mountainside, is the free, brutal alternative that locals treat as a fitness test rather than a scenic walk. Views back over the city and the Strait of Georgia are the payoff either way.

The Great Hall's floor-to-ceiling totem poles and the Bill Reid works are the centrepiece of one of the best Northwest Coast First Nations collections anywhere. It's on the UBC campus, a 25-30 minute bus ride from downtown, so pair it with a walk around campus or Wreck Beach rather than treating it as a quick stop.

A working industrial site turned public market, artist studios, and theatres under the Granville Street Bridge. The small Aquabus or False Creek Ferries passenger boats from Yaletown or Kitsilano are the fun way in, cheaper and faster than walking around by road.

The geodesic dome on False Creek is a Vancouver landmark on its own, and the exhibits skew toward families with kids, hands-on science over static displays. Reachable by SkyTrain (Main Street-Science World station) or the Aquabus from Granville Island.

A 450-foot suspension bridge across the Capilano River canyon through temperate rainforest, with a treetop walkway. It's touristy and priced like it, but the actual bridge and canopy walk deliver on the photos. Go early to avoid the tour-bus crowds.

Gondola outside Squamish up Mount Habrich with floor-to-ceiling window views over Howe Sound, plus summit hiking trails. Better value and less crowded than the in-city gondola options. Worth the drive out if you have a car for the day.

A punishing 2.5 km, 800-metre-elevation stair trail up Grouse Mountain, nicknamed Mother Nature's Stairmaster. A centennial Multi Grouse Grind Challenge event runs June 22, 2026. This is genuinely hard, not a casual walk, know that before you commit. The view and the bragging rights are real.

28-km uninterrupted waterfront path circling Stanley Park and downtown, past beaches and harbour views. Free, flat, bikeable or walkable. The single best way to see the city without paying for anything.

A simulated flight ride at Canada Place using a moving seat and giant screen to fly you over Canadian landscapes. Fun once, especially with kids. It's a ride, not a real attraction, don't expect more than 8 minutes of content for the ticket price.

Seasonal open-air night market in historic Chinatown running Friday through Sunday evenings, starting mid-May through fall, with food stalls and vendors. Only runs seasonally, check it's actually open before you go, some past iterations of Vancouver night markets have shut down. Good cheap-food option when it is running.

Spot prawn season runs roughly May through June and is treated as a local event, with restaurants building menus around it. Sockeye is available longer and just as good grilled simply.

A large Japanese population supports a serious ramen scene, tonkotsu and miso broths that hold up against Japan itself. Lines form at the well-known shops during dinner hours.

Richmond has one of the largest concentrations of authentic regional Chinese food in North America. Skipping the trip out and eating dim sum downtown instead is the biggest food mistake visitors make here.

Hot dogs with Japanese toppings, teriyaki and wasabi mayo among them, a Vancouver-born idea that's become a minor local icon. Fast and cheap between stops downtown.

A cluster of taprooms within walking distance of each other, a good way to spend an afternoon between meals. Better for casual drinking than serious food.

A strong Vietnamese community means good pho is easy to find away from downtown, usually cheaper than the seafood and Japanese options that get more visitor attention.

A croissant-cookie hybrid, chocolate chip cookie dough baked onto a croissant, sold at Faubourg's three Vancouver bakeries in Kerrisdale, downtown, and West Vancouver. This has real staying power for a pastry trend. It is still on the menu with fresh 2026 reviews, not a one-week flash. Some reviewers say the pastry runs dry and too crunchy, so try it but do not expect a life-changing bite.

A Montreal-style bagel loaded with garlic butter and cream cheese, one of a handful of items Destination Vancouver's own social team flagged as a current viral food. Bagel as dessert is a real Vancouver moment, not just one shop's gimmick. Worth a stop if you are already in the neighbourhood, not worth a trip across town on its own.

A food hall pulling in respected local chefs under one roof, with newer stalls like Mee Bar (Cambodian) and MaKaam (from Baan Lao's owner) landing in spring 2026. The safer bet over any single stall. It concentrates several of Vancouver's better chefs in one spot, so if one vendor disappoints there is a backup two steps away. Good for a first visit rather than a repeat pilgrimage.

Annual two-week festival (Sept 25 to Oct 4, 2026) where dozens of bakeries across Metro Vancouver each release a limited-edition croissant, now in its fifth year. 37 vendors this round, from Bisou Bakehouse to Daan Go Cake Lab. It's a bakery crawl with a scoreboard, plus a Taste-Off and a Most Creative Croissant judging. Fun if you like lining up, exhausting if you try to hit more than five spots in a day.

A matcha shop that started as a rotating pop-up around Vancouver before landing a permanent home in Mount Pleasant, then a second location in Gastown. The pop-up-to-storefront arc is a decent sign it wasn't just a hype cycle. Worth it if you care about matcha grade and prep, less so if you just want a green drink for the photo.

A Japanese-style cafe serving omurice, the ketchup-rice-and-omelette dish, alongside coffee. Local coverage keeps landing on this as the city's omurice spot. It's a niche comfort dish, but if you want to try it, this is where people point you.