We are planning a vacation to Victoria and Vancouver the first week in September. We only have a week, should we visit both cities or just one or the other?
There are two existing threads about this, both have some good info, but both are over 10 years old.
I would love to get some current opinions about where to go/what to see.
We like nature but also like historical buildings and art museums.
If I was in Vancouver, I’d visit the VanDusen Botanical Garden.
Or if you’re more into gigantic formal bedding schemes there’s Butchart Gardens, which has summer evening concerts.
Curiously, both are described as occupying 55 acres.
My personal advice would be based on 40 year old experience, so not much use to you. But I fondly remember the ferry ride from Vancouver to Victoria. Lots of pretty little islands and beautiful scenery on the way. I enjoyed Butchart Gardens, but if you’re not into flower gardens, it might not be for you. There’s also a replica of Anne Hathaway’s cottage near the gardens, but we didn’t go to see it.
I liked the museum near the Empress Hotel. At the time, they had a very good and extensive First Nations collection. Also nearby was a typically cheesy wax museum – good for the laughs.
We also enjoyed just walking around the town and stopping in the local shops. Strong British vibe.
Vancouver is a big city. It is very pretty though, and Stanley Park (and its zoo) was fun. Gastown at the time was still a work in progress. It’s probably on its way to urban decay by now!
UBC had a natural history museum with “visible storage”, so you could pull open the drawers and look at all the stuff that wasn’t “featured”. That was cool.
Thanks for that. I have been debating if it’s worth knocking out that big of a chunk of time just for transportation.
Nice, thanks!
Will you be driving?
The ferry ride from Victoria to Vancouver is about 90 minutes if all goes well, and you will want to make reservations. Don’t plan to eat on the ferry if you’re any sort of foodie: the food is not great. The drive from Victoria to the ferry terminal is about 45 minutes; from the ferry terminal on the other side to Vancouver, about an hour if you’re outside of rush hour. That may help you determine if you want to do both cities.
The Royal BC Museum in Victoria is cool. Here’s the website with the current exhibitions:
Vancouver Art Gallery:
I’ve been to Vancouver 3 times and though it’s touristy, I’ve made it a point to visit the public market on Granville Island each time I’ve been in the city. I always made it a point to buy salmon jerky (it used to often be called “squaw candy”, but the word “squaw” is now considered politically incorrect.) Some places which sell it call it “salmon candy”, though. It is salty and sweet, but generally not as dry as beef jerky.
Granville Island Public Market
Right, so about 4 hours either way? That’s my concern, that might amount to 8 hours of travel out of my week. But Victoria does seem like a cool spot.
Yes, it could easily be 4 hours. The ferries usually work pretty well, but stuff happens and vehicle traffic is unpredictable, with a tunnel and a couple of bridges between the terminal and Vancouver.
Gastown is always in a state of renovation, trendiness, good restaurants, cool stuff, touristy crap (t-shirts, key chains, that sort of thing) and terrible poverty and homelessness.
For some reason, the steam clock attracts astonished visitors, though it was built in the 1970s and the actual clock is powered by electricity.
Heh, that’s about how it was 40 years ago!
Eva Schnitzelhaus in Victoria is terrific German food.
Of course now “The Old Spaghetti Factory” no longer counts as the cutting edge of cuisine!
I ate there!
It’s still there, though the menu has been redone a little
In Vancouver find a Japadog stand for one of the best hot dogs you will ever eat. If you don’t believe me listen to Anthony Bourdain.
You might get some suggestions for Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver. Don’t listen to them. It’s crowded with tourists, and costs a chunk of change.
Instead, if you want the same experience, do what the locals do: visit Lynn Canyon. It’s got the same kind of suspension bridge, a pleasant lakeside trail around Lynn Lake, daredevil kids jumping into the river far below, free parking, and no admission charge.
My Vancouver business associates tipped me off to Lynn Canyon when I was there on a business trip. I’m glad they did; I’ve been back a number of times since, and Lynn Canyon is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and take a nature break.
Hey, thanks for that suggestion. I’ve looking at it online - added to my to-do list. That place is beautiful.
When we visited a couple of years ago, we did a “food tour” of the market and really enjoyed it, touristy though it was. Turns out some of the tour guides are local actors, and I work in the theatre, so we did a bunch of a shop talk in addition to the food tasting.
In Vancounver there’s Bard on the Beach. This year they’re doing Much Ado About Nothing and Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Thank you.