Vancouver Canada: Spend Two Days in this Amazing City

Vancouver quickly became one of our favorite cities, if not our favorite city we’ve ever been to. We made it to Vancouver by extending our Alaskan cruise that was in July. We took a cruise that ended in Vancouver, and decided to take advantage and stay a night in Vancouver. Because our ship docked early in the morning, and our flight took off late the next day…we got pretty much a full 2 days in this amazing city. We could have spent way more time here, but these two days were a perfect amount for our first time in the city. It filled our foodie souls.

So here’s a first timer’s guide to the city. All the places we went, saw, stayed, and ate. All the insight we gained on the city, and all the things we want to come back to. The less than 48 hour guide to Vancouver.

Vancouver Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Check into the hotel + drop bags off. Because our cruise ship arrived in the city so early, and we disembarked by about 8 am, we chose a hotel that had baggage storage. It was also convenient that we could then have the hotel store our bags again the next day since our flight took off well after check out. 

• Hotel Details: We stayed at The Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. This hotel was a little on the pricier side, however, we purposefully wanted a nicer room after staying in a small room on a cruise ship with no windows. And let me tell you, the VIEWS from this hotel room, amazing. Floor to ceiling windows, big space, nice bathroom. It did also have a pool, and a bar/restaurant. We also felt the location was in a nice spot. Very walkable. If you’re coming from a cruise, it took about 10 minutes to get to the hotel. That walk with suitcases wasn’t our favorite, but it wasn’t terrible. Downsides, you had to pay for movies if you wanted to watch one. With the price of the hotel room, we found this to be a little much.

We started exploring by getting a cup of coffee from Elysian, which was very close to our hotel. And then we just walked around, kind of getting our bearings on the city before exploring further. If you know us, or have read any of our other blog posts, you know that one of our favorite things to do in a new place is to just walk around. This way you get get an idea of the city, and an idea of things you want to make sure you add to your trip. It also allows you to find stuff you maybe didn’t know you wanted to experience by just having a set itinerary that you put together prior to your trip. 

Afternoon

We eventually made our way to Granville Island, as we were excited to check out the market and eat a ton of yummy local food. This market is INSANE. And we mean that in the best way possible. There are a ton of food places there – ranging from vegan to fish to thai to donuts. There’s also a full market where you can do a ton of grocery shopping, as well as stores that sell jewelry and other fun trinkets. We loved that there was a huge outdoor area as well, that allowed you to enjoy the Vancouver sun, while enjoying your delicious food at a picnic table. They also had live music which was an added bonus. Beware of the seagulls…they are not shy. 

• How to get there: Take a ferry. We took a ferry via Aquabus. It cost $11.76 USD for two round trip tickets. It was a quick trip across the water from Hornby Street to Granville Island. This ferry also takes you to other places, including Yaletown and The Village. We only got a round trip ticket to go to Granville Island and back. You can also walk across the bridge to get there but this option would take a lot longer. 
• Places we ate at Granville Island Market:
  • Chau Veggie Express: Vegan and vegetarian friendly Vietnamese inspired food.
  • Lee’s Donuts: For amazing donuts. Try the lemon filled!
  • Kaisereck Delicatessen: German style food. They also have their own separate seating outside.
  • Longliner Seafoods: Local seafood.
  • Fraser Valley Juice and Salad: Fresh salads, vegetables, and salad rolls. I got a nice pasta salad.

Granville Island is also much more than just the market. This surprised us actually. So we walked around and found that there were restaurants, breweries, and shops. We did want to check out Grandville Island Brewery, however, they were closed due to construction. We ended up at Tap and Barrel and sat outside on their upper deck, and enjoyed amazing views of the city. The atmosphere here was very cool, and the staff was extremely friendly. Though we did not get any food from here, the beers they had on tap were refreshing and exactly what we needed. 

Evening

We explored Yaletown. Filled with tons of restaurants and bars, this was definitely a hip part of town. We were able to walk there from our hotel.

For dinner we landed at a Thai place (can you tell we love Thai food?) and it was, chefs kiss! The name of the restaurant is Zab Zaab. This restaurant was very small, both for their indoor seating as well as their outdoor seating, but we definitely think it’s worth it to check it out. Even if you have to wait. Menu items that we got, and would definitely get again – Deep fried tofu to start, the corn salad and green curry for our main courses. We also got a Thai beer and a yummy mojito mock-tail.

We ended our night by purchasing a really terrible movie at the hotel, that was very much not worth it. But you live and you learn. 

Day 2

Bike Stanley Park. This was the part of visiting Vancouver and what we were most excited for, and it did not disappoint. There’s two ways you can go about this. One is finding a bike rental spot in Vancouver (there are plenty). I’m assuming they rent out bikes by the hour. You pick up your bike from a rental place, and you drop it off at the same rental place when you’re done. We opted to download an app to use their city bikes. Rogers is the app they use, and each station has detailed instructions on how to rent a bike. This is also charged by the time you use, however, we liked this option better because there were multiple places to pick up/drop off your bikes. The app also offers a map of bike stations around both Stanley Park and the city. 

Vancouver in general is extremely bike friendly, and so is Stanley Park specifically. There’s maps everywhere, and very well marked roads. This is a great way to explore Vancouver, and Stanley Park. The views are so amazing, and the activity is a lot of fun. Bring sunscreen if you go in the summer like us, as we definitely got some sun burn. You’ll bike by lakes, in the woods, alongside beaches, and around winding roads. Pass by food stands, restaurants, tennis courts, and pools. You’ll see yachts, city skylines, and a lot of happy active people and pets alike. 

Eat at Stanley Park Brewery. Try the Sweet Potato Waffle Fries. Food was really good and so were the beers. We both opted for lighter refreshing beer as it was super hot outside. This brewery is on the bigger side as far as seating goes. The main brew pub is two stories, and then there’s an additional outdoor seating area. This additional outdoor seating area does have its own waitlist as an FYI. We did have to wait for a table as it was busy. There are tennis courts in the surrounding areas, and there was a tennis tournament going on during our wait so it helped pass the time. 

We also stumbled upon a fun street hockey tournament. What a joy to watch, and such a fun random thing to do. We ended our day at Bar One for a cocktail before grabbing our bags and heading for the airport.

Vancouver Quick Recap

• Places to Stay:
  • Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre: On the more expensive side – for the time we went. (Saturday night in July). Great location + views. Walkable from where cruise ship docks.
  • There are plenty of other hotel options. What we found while we did our research was that the closer to the cruise ships docks you are, the more expensive the hotels will be.
• Places to Eat and Drink:
  • Zab Zaab: For some really good Thai food, located in Yaletown.
  • Stanley Park Brewery: For some really good brewery food, nice atmosphere, and refreshing beers.
  • Breka Bakery and Cafe: For a nice grab and go coffee and breakfast in the morning. There is also seating. There are a few locations within Vancouver.
  • Bar One: This bar is a nice small bar located in the lobby of the Sheraton Vancouver.
  • Jugo Juice: For some really good smoothies.
  • Elysian Coffee: Good for a quick cup of coffee to walk around the city with. There are also a few locations of this coffee shop in Vancouver.
  • Granville Island: There’s so many food options here, especially at the market. We tried a variety of different places. See the full list under day 1 of this post.
• Things to do:
  • Bike Stanley Park
  • Take a ferry to Granville Island
  • Walk the city and take in the culture and vibes

We absolutely cannot wait to make it back to Vancouver, and we hope you love it just as much as we did. If you’re making your way to Vancouver before or after your Alaskan cruise, be sure to also check out our Alaska Port Stops Reviews, and our post all about Alaska Cruise Excursions here!