Vancouver and Victoria Itinerary | Ultimate 4-days on the Canadian West Coast

The most western province in Canada is British Columbia. The province offers a ton of outdoor activities because of it’s mountain ranges, the Pacific coastline, Glacier National Park, and more. The 2010 Winter Olympics were hosted in Whistler Blackcomb. On the border of British Columbia and Alberta are the Rocky Mountains. Field, BC is home to the Emerald Lake Lodge and Takakkaw Falls. Vancouver, the largest city in the province, is known for its film industry and is a bustling, beautiful city on the west coast. Victoria, the capital of the province, is on Vancouver Island and a beautiful ocean city. Read on for a complete itinerary for visiting Vancouver and Victoria in 4 days.

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When to Visit Vancouver and Victoria?

Being next to the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver and Victoria stay relatively mild year round. Sunny summer weather is ideal for exploring but the summer season is also the most expensive. For the budget traveller, visit during spring or fall for good weather and get a bargain on hotels. Vancouver’s rainy season is October to June. Vancouver weather in the winter is mild compared to the rest of Canada with little snow in a season and above zero average temperatures. However, it is still rainy and we have short days in the winter (the sun sets before 5 pm).

Tourism Vancouver hosts Dine Out Vancouver food festival in February. The Cherry Blossoms bloom in mid March. Whale watching is best in April. The BC Spot Prawn and BC Halibut Festivals are in May, and the Asian-style night markets open mid-May. July and August are the best time to visit for festivals. September brings beautiful fall foliage and October is an all-out Halloween event. Winter is the best for snow sports and Christmas attractions.

How Long to Visit Vancouver and Victoria?

You can explore Vancouver in as little as 3 days and Victoria in 1 day. If you can stay longer, there’s more to see in Vancouver and Victoria so a 7-day visit would be ideal. This Vancouver and Victoria itinerary is for 3 days in Vancouver and 1 day in Victoria, with suggestions for what to do to add a few days.

Where to Stay in Vancouver?

There are 5 neighbourhoods that are ideal to stay in when visiting Vancouver. Yaletown is in the heart of downtown and perfect for the first-time traveller. West End is for the budget traveller and close to Stanley Park (included in this itinerary). Gastown is a well-rounded neighbourhood and has the best selection of restaurants (and where I stayed my first time). Chinatown is very close to Gastown and is the biggest chinatown in Canada! Coal Harbour is the best for vibrant night life and right on the waterfront.

Budget Stay: Cambie Hostel – Gastown. This is the cheapest place in the city in a great location, but it is known to be a party hostel. If you’re a light sleeper or don’t plan to be out late, I recommend the Cambie Seymour Hostel instead.
Mid-range Stay: L’Hermitage Vancouver. A central location in Vancouver.
Luxury Stay: Fairmont Hotel Vancouver or the Fairmont Vancouver Airport are both great hotels in fantastic locations. Stay downtown at the Hotel Vancouver or in the airport if you have an early or late flight.

Where to Eat in Vancouver and Victoria?

You’ll find amazing restaurants all through Vancouver and Victoria. Quintessential Canadian signature dishes you won’t want to miss include:

• Poutine. Invented in Quebec, Canada this is a dish with fries, gravy and cheese curd. If it’s not cheese curd, it’s not poutine!
• Saskatoon Berry Pie. The Saskatoon berry is found in the prairies and British Columbia and is a delicious fruit pie.
• Nanaimo bars. They were invented in Nanaimo, BC and are my most favourite dessert. A traditional Nanaimo bar includes: a graham wafer crumb and shredded coconut base, custard-flavoured butter icing in the middle, and a chocolate ganache on top.
• Butter Tarts. A delicious dessert with a flaky base filled with gooey semi-solid syrup made of butter, sugar, and eggs. I recommend the regular or pecan filled!
• Beavertails. Not a real beaver’s tail, this pastry is shaped like a beaver tail: flat and oval. They are topped with a variety of toppings including: cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, Nutella, etc.

There are so many amazing Vancouver foods/ restaurants it’s hard to make a top list but some of my tops include:

• Japadog. You’re going to want to try a special dog and it’s way better than you think it will be!
• Tacofino. You’ll find some of the best seafood in Vancouver. The fish tacos at Tacofino are the number 1 rated in the city.
• Meat & Bread. Specializing in making the best sandwiches in the city, the grilled cheese is absolutely delicious.
• Lee’s Donuts. Established in 1979, it is one of the best donut shops in Vancouver.
• The Diamond. A specialy craft cocktail lounge in the heart of Gastown. I love that their menu is orangized by “types” such as boozy, refreshing and notorious!
• Chau Veggie Express. A plant-based Vietnamese restaurant for those who don’t eat meat!
• Ramen from Ramen Danbo
• Dim Sum from Kirin Seafood Restaurant
• Granville Island Brewery. Hip craft brewery on Granville Island.
• Pajo’s Fish & Chips. Another fantastic restaurant to try some of the best seafood in the country!

A small selection of some of the amazing Victoria foods/restaurants to try include:

• Red Fish, Blue Fish (open seasonally): hand’s down the best fish tacos I’ve ever eaten. There will be a line and I promise it’s worth it to wait.
• Ferris’ Oyster Bar.
• Be Love (Vegan).
• Pizzaria Prima Strada

What to Pack for Vancouver and Victoria?

British Columbia is one of the the warmest provinces in Canada with yearly averages above freezing. Winter temperatures average around 7-8°C (45°F). Summer temperatures average around 20-22°C (68-72°F). The rainiest months in Vancouver are January to March and October to December. There are a wide variety of activities to do in Vancouver and Victoria including: hiking, nightlife, exploring the city, swimming at the beach, biking, etc. Vancouver and Victoria are relatively casual and hip cities.

Read more: Vancouver Packing List for Anytime of Year

How to Pack a Clothing Capsule for Travelling

How to Get to Vancouver?

Vancouver has a large international airport so it’s easy to fly to. You can also drive across the US or Alberta borders.

If you’re flying, hop on the skytrain to get from the airport to the city. On weekdays, you’ll likely need to get a 2-zone ticket (less than $10 CAD) to head into Vancouver but on weekends it’s the same price to travel in all zones ($3.50 CAD per trip or $10 CAD day pass).

How to Get to Victoria?

You can travel by ferry or fly. BC Ferries offers a variety of options for getting to Victoria from Downtown Vancouver. You can take the bus or your car to the ferry boat. Give yourself approximately 4 hours (one way) from Downtown Vancouver to Victoria. The ride is absolutely stunning so sit and enjoy yourself! If time is of the essence, you can take a flight that lasts about 30-40 minutes (one way).

Vancouver and Victoria Itinerary | Suggested 4-days

Day 1: Granville Island, Olympic Village

Granville Island. Head to Granville Island for the public market, Granville Island Brewing and more. You can get there by “water taxi” ($8.50 CAD for a roundtrip), by bus, by car or by foot. If taking the water taxi, head to Hornby Street or David Lam Park. The Granville Island Public Market has a great selection of food, souvenirs, and art. You can book a Granville Island Brewing tour. The tour costs less than $10 CAD, includes a 45 minute guided tour of the small batch brewery and comes with 3 samples. Head to the Kid’s Market, a kid-centric shopping mall. You can also rent kayaks or canoes to head out on False Creek. Lee’s Donuts are fantastic (but there’s always a giant line up!). Rent a bike or walk along the Island Park Walk which wraps around False Creek.

Olympic Village. Olympic Village was built for the athletes attending the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Rent a kayak with Creekside Kayaks between May and October. See Olympic Village Square (restaurant hub) and walk through Hinge Park. Eat at Tap and Barrel for dinner or stop at Craft Beer Market for a drink. Science World is great for families during the day or a fun after-hours event monthly called After Dark (includes special exhibits, shows and a bar). Rent a bike from Mobi – a bike share program that allows you to pick up and drop off bikes around the city. Bike along the paved ocean route trail in Olympic Village.

Cherry Blossoms. If you’re visiting in mid March/early April, you might be lucky and see the beautiful cherry blossoms around the city. Check out this map for all the places to find them!

Day 2: Canada Place/Digital Orca, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Stanley Park and Seawall, Gastown

Canada Place and Digital Orca. Head to Canada Place for the free shuttle to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and check out the digital orca.

Capilano Suspension Bridge. The Capilano Suspension Bridge is a quick bus ride from downtown Vancouver and a fantastic destination. There is a free shuttle and you can hop on the bus at Canada Place. It is recommended you purchase your tickets online in advance. It’s approximately a 20 minute bus ride to the park and a beautiful drive! For $59.95 admission, you can cross the suspension bridge, walk through the treetop adventure and along the boardwalk and check out the cliffwalk for amazing views of the bridge. People spend an average 2.5 hours at the park.

I recommend buying a piece of homemade fudge and an ice cream – both were amazing and made in house. There is also a cute “Trading Post Gift Shop”, live music and a small restaurant serving burgers, hot dogs and fries.

Stanley Park. Take the free shuttle from the Capilano Suspension Bridge park to Stanley park (about a 10 minute bus ride). You have to let the driver know you want to stop there or they won’t. Rent bikes at Mobi to bike along the Seawall to enjoy the scenery.

It takes approximately 2 to 3 hours to walk the entirety of the seawall, or one hour to bike. Keep your eyes peeled for the Siwash Rock, Lion’s Gate Bridge, 2010 Olympic Aboriginal Welcome Work, an Indigenous mural, and the Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremonies site.

Gastown. Gastown is a wonderful neighbourhood for nightlife and food. Hapa Izakyu for sushi is amazing. Meat and Bread makes the most delicious sandwiches. Visit the Gastown Steam Clock, an iconic landmark in Vancouver. For photographer’s, take photos of Vancouver’s Flatiron Building. Happy Hour is often between 3-6pm and some places have a second happy hour from 9 pm onwards. See the city from above from the Vancouver Lookout. Visit local bookstores like The Paper Hound, McLeods and Albion Books.

Day 3: BC Ferry to Victoria, Butchart Gardens, Fisherman’s Wharf, Parliament

BC Ferry to Victoria. Take the BC Ferries from Vancouver to Victoria. There are a few options to get to Victoria but the BC ferries package is super simple. The package includes a coach bus at one of a few designated stops. The coach drives right onto the ferry (no wait), you get off to enjoy the scenery for 1.5 hours then hop back on the ferry to drive into downtown Victoria. It is easy and quick. There’s a restaurant and shop on the ferry as well.

Butchart Gardens. Although this is outside Victoria, it’s absolutely worth the stop! Take an hour bus to the Butchart Gardens and give yourself about 3 hours at the gardens. Read this post for a full review of the gardens.

Fisherman’s Wharf. A cute area with house boats, floating houses and restaurants and a beautiful view of the city. Enjoy local restaurants and shops, or just stop by to check out this unique and beautiful, colourful neighbourhood.

Day 4: BC Ferry to Vancouver, Kits Beach, Gastown, Vancouver Public Library

BC Ferry to Vancouver. Take the ferry back to Downtown Vancouver in the morning. Spend the rest of the afternoon at Kitsilano Beach and grab a drink/some food in Gastown.

Vancouver Public Library. An absolutely stunning library, the circular exterior is incredibly aesthetic for photos.

Honourable Mentions

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. There is a very large tree at the space centre that is perfect for photos and to see the Vancouver skyline. It’s a huge cherry blossom tree so head there if you’re visiting in mid March/early April!

VanDusen Botanical Garden. General admission tickets are sold on site. Ticket prices range for adults from $8.60 to $11.90 (+GST), depending on the season.

Bloedel Conservatory. General admission tickets are sold on site with a first come-first serve bases. Ticket prices are $7.20+GST for adults.

Capilano River Regional Park. A beautiful park with lakes, trails, picnics and cycling trails.

Grouse Mountain. The Grouse Grind is 2.9-kilometre trail and unique and challenging hike. You’ll be climbing 2,830 steps up a mountain but you must book a download ticket to take the Skyride down. You can also purchase a ticket in advance to take the Skyride both ways to visit the mountain top attractions. Plan to spend a few hours hiking the Grouse Grind and atop the mountain.

Habitat Island. This island offers the best views of the Vancouver skyline.

Cypress Bowl Lookout. A 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver brings you to an amazing lookout. Bring your telephoto lens for epic views at sunset!

West Van Trestle Bridge. Near the Cypress Bowl lookout you’ll find this 200 m trestle bridge that is lit up at nighttime.

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. A free suspension bridge is in Lynn Canyon Park. About a 20 minute drive from Downtown Vancouver, you can visit this beautiful free bridge if the Capilano Suspension Bridge is not in the budget.

Yaletown Station. There is a hanging art installation at the Yaletown Station. Recently it was these beautiful pink umbrellas!

Visiting the Canadian West Coast? Read these posts for more inspiration:

• Banff Road Trip | Ultimate 4-day Fall Itinerary
• Visit the Stunning Butchart Gardens | Day Trip from Victoria, BC