Next April/May, for our 10 year anniversary, my wife and I have planned a short cruise with a lot of family that will take us from LA to Vancouver, BC. Those few of you who know me really well know that even though this is still nearly a year away, I can’t just set it aside and not think about it. I’m a planner; it’s what I do.
So I’m thinking about the time we’re going to have in Canada and wondering what precisely I want to do with it. We’re departing on a Thursday afternoon and arriving in Vancouver on Sunday morning. The only requisites are spending some time in Vancouver and visiting some relatives in Seattle, but beyond that, we’re pretty much on our own, and we have the entire week off for the trip.
Now, we are somewhat limited on funds, although we have plenty of time to save up. We want to be mindful of not overdoing it on hotel costs. But I’m also thinking it’s a great opportunity to see more of Canada than just Vancouver, if that’s reasonable.
I wanted to get some other people’s opinions about how best to spend our time. Should we spend the entire week in Vancouver? Should we hoof it over to neighboring provinces? Should we fly across the country to, say, Toronto and tour that area for a couple of days? I would love to take the train across Canada, but that turns out to be both expensive and more time consuming than I’d like.
Anyway, let me have it. And featherlou, if you’re reading, feel free to chastise me for missing out on Calgary last year.
Pretty expensive, though. I took the train, and while it was impressive, I had more fun actually hiking in the Rockies. I’d get a guide book, leave Vancouver for a while and get into the mountains. I did a fair amount of hiking around Lake Louise, but you don’t have to go all the way to Alberta to do some hiking.
My advice is not to try to visit more than one region of Canada if you only have a week. It’s a classic error. Distances are enormous. You’ll wind up spending too much of your time just shlepping through airports. Vancouver + rental vehicle + time in the mountains is perfect for a week.
Agreed. There are lots of urban things to do in Vancouver (Concerts, museums, galleries…), and lots of wonderful nature within an easy drive. Something else to consider - a one or two day trip to any one of the Gulf Islands . Some of them are quiet, car-free (cycling around is fabulous), the locals are friendly. Highly recommended. I wouldn’t try to see too much more - Calgary and Banff are worth a week or two on their own, likewise Toronto and the rest of south-western Ontario, likewise Montréal, Québec, well, all of Canada really. We’ll try to make the place worth a second trip for you…
Agreed with everyone else. If you only have a week, you’re better off staying in BC. The Gulf Islands are a good idea, Vancouver Island is also nice, or maybe the Okanagan, particularly if you like wine tasting, as there are tons of great wineries through there.
Basically, the options are endless. What do you and your wife prefer, as in are you more interested in sticking around cities, or getting out into the wilderness, or something in between?
Can I just say that I find it rather amusing that someone would be visiting Vancouver from California and wonder if they shouldn’t just pop over to Toronto for a bit while they’re at it?
Vancouver > Toronto - 4370km
Los Angeles > Toronto - 4053km
I know there’s the whole border thing, but the very question just seems silly to me.
A good part of Canada is indistinguisable from the United States in most city/burbs and rural is rural no matter where you go in CA/USA. I’d say with that in mind , either head up to the arctic north and visit churchill or some other settlement that you will never see or plan to see again in your life , or visit old quebec city for a taste of something different but closer.
Let’s see: Get off plane look at tundra. Realize that tundra is boring. 5 minutes later get back on plane. Assuming planes land there as I couldn’t find any flights to Churchill on Expedia from Vancouver. That would leave dog sled from Winnipeg or a rail link that takes 35 hours one way. Probably not within their time frame or budget.
Closer to what? Certainly not Seattle. They would be better off visiting Victoria (which I’d recommend). While on Vancouver Island make sure to go here: Buchart Gardens
Also, you can rent a car and take one of the many recommended circletours: Circle Tours BC
Or maybe learn to sail: Island Cruising
Check out the locations link. A great way to relax, learn something new, and see nature.
I have to agree with this. Americans are very fond of telling, say, Europeans, how big the USA is. What they don’t realize is how much bigger Canada is. “Popping over to Toronto” from Vancouver is akin to “popping over to New York” is from LA. But unlike the USA, there’s still plenty of Canada to the east. At least another two or three hours in the air.
With that being said, the OP expressed interest in cross-Canada train travel. It is possible to take a train only part-way–say, from Vancouver to Edmonton, Alberta. From Edmonton, you can rent a car to go south to Calgary, then west back to Vancouver. Rental drop-offs are common in Alberta and BC because tourists want to go through the mountains, so the cost is not as great as you might think. Something to think about anyway. At any rate, consider the train–with a double bedroom for you and your wife, and meals included in the price, you’ll find yourself back in the old days when people really did take the train long distances, and it’s rather nice. I’m speaking from experience; I’ve done it myself. Think about it anyway, and I’d probably be able to handle any questions about the train you might have.
Just for the record, I do (and did before) completely understand that traveling to the other side of Canada is not a short distance. The LA to NY analogy is apt. The thinking was that since I will truly be a foreign tourist seeing Canada for the first time, maybe I should try to hit the highlights across the country, just as someone from Europe might want to hit both LA and NY.
Based on responses here, however, I am definitely of the mindset that there’s no need to leave British Columbia on this particular trip.
As much as I like to tout my part of BC (Vancouver Island), if you are into the wine thing at all–plan 3 days in Vancouver, then 3 days in Kelowna (or Summerland, Pentiction or wherever). There are a couple of nice vinyards here on the Island, but the Okanagan is really home to some of the best wines in North America. (Especially if you like some big reds).
And looky here: the Spring Wine Festival will be on in your timeframe:
