Vancouver Weekend Itinerary

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When visiting a destination over a weekend, it’s always hard to decide what to include on your itinerary, and where to start! This was our first time in Vancouver together, so we really just relied on Google searches, Pinterest, and some advice from a few friends on what we “must see.”

There really is so much to do in the Vancouver area, that it was hard to decide what should take priority. We ended up splitting our time between good eateries, indulging in the many seafood offerings of the city, and exploring some beautiful parks and gardens!

We visited Vancouver in the fall so spending so much of our time in the parks and gardens was really a treat since we were surrounded by such beautiful fall colors. We’ve put together an overview of all the different things we got to see (and eat!), and you’ll find a more condensed Vancouver weekend itinerary at the end of this post.

Where We Stayed

As with any large city, there are always plenty accommodations to choose from. We used Hotels.com to book as we had a free night waiting to be used (back when they had the stay 10 nights, get 1 free reward) and found the rest of the nightly rate fit within our budget (we usually try to average $200.00/night or less).

When we look at hotels, price is of course always a factor, but we also consider location (we like to make sure there is a good amount of restaurants and activities within walking distance), and in large cities like Vancouver, you want to consider what the parking fee is going to be.

L’Hermitage Hotel

788 Richards St, Vancouver, BC V6B 3A4, Canada
https://www.lhermitagevancouver.com/

Checking into L’Hermitage was awesome and seamless. They really know how to treat their guests here, whether it’s with a warm welcome or each night with their turn down service (that includes chocolates!!!).

The location of the hotel was very central (in between popular areas like Yaletown and Gastown), and it was the best bang for our buck – a four star hotel with an overnight parking rate of $31 CAD at the time (a decent rate believe it or not compared to some other hotels in the area). The parking rate in 2026 is now $45 CAD.

You can read our full review of our stay at L’Hermitage and see more photos of the hotel here.

Vancouver Food & Drink

We focused primarily on seafood dishes this trip (as suggested by a local) and we really had some delicious food. You can read our full food diary here, but here is a quick rundown on each place we got to try.

This place is a really great stop for happy hour. If you like fresh oysters, get a front row seat at the bar to watch the shuckers work their magic! When we visited, oysters were $1 CAD each on happy hour but they are now $2 (still a great deal considering normal price starts at $3.50 a piece).

They also serve other seafood delights that include ceviche, crab cakes, clams, etc. (when we visited, they had a tasty scallop risotto).

We also had a Canadian beer tasting experience and they had a great seasonal sour beer on tap when we were there.

Ciao Bella

Don’t we all crave a giant plate of pasta every now and then? Well, we found our giant plates of pasta (and at half off too – thank you Monday pasta special). I got the Vongole (linguine and clams), and Micah had the Linguini alla Mediterranea.

Permanently Closed: Unfortunately, Ciao Bella has recently closed but there are plenty of other great Italian places in the city!

What to Do in Vancouver

Gastown & The Steam Clock

Be sure to get out and walk around the city. We saw so many beautiful buildings and murals on our walk from the hotel to Gastown!

One of Gastown’s main attractions is the Vancouver Steam Clock. It was built in 1977 to cover a steam grate and is one of only a few in the world. It doesn’t do much but emit steam but it does look quite lovely in the beautiful neighborhood it calls home.

Take an Aquabus Cruise

Taking the Aquabus is a fun little way to get around Vancouver. We took the Aquabus from David Lam Park over to Granville Island, but you can get a day pass to cruise around at the other stops on the route. It’s a great way to get beautiful waterfront views of the city, especially if it’s a nice sunny day. Check out their website for more info: http://theaquabus.com/.

Granville Island

Between all the different shops and restaurants on the island, along with the enormous public market, you could easily spend hours wandering through everything. We grabbed some delicious smoked salmon and some French macarons to munch on later, and ended up having lunch and beers at Granville Island Brewing.

The market has a great food court area (I’ve gotta go back for one of those pot pies), along with a plethora of stalls selling baked goods, fresh seafood, fruits, veggies, etc. – you name it, they’ve got it!

There is a food tour that operates here, or you take yourself on a self-guided tour through the throngs of people and find specific items that really strike your fancy. For those non-foodies out there, there is a ton of shopping to be done on the island. I snagged my souvenir magnet at one of the shops!

For more on our visit to Granville Island, check out our post here.

VanDusen Botanical Gardens

We spent a whole afternoon wandering through the gardens at VanDusen, and probably could have spent hours more if it wasn’t for that darn happy hour calling our name! As I mentioned above, we visited in the fall so the colors were really quite amazing.

There is a small fee for entry (check current ticket prices here) and it’s an easy 15-minute car or taxi ride from downtown, depending on traffic.

If you want to see more photos of VanDusen in the fall, check out our post about our visit to VanDusen here.

Stanley Park

We decided to take a drive around Stanley Park on our last day in Vancouver. Since it was a rainy day, we were kind of at the mercy of the breaks in the rain. Luckily, the rain held off long enough for us to get around the park and see some of the sights. I know we barely scratched the surface of this place! One of the things that I would love to do when we go back is walk the sea wall (when the weather is nicer).

You do need to pay for a parking pass for the day, and you’ll find pay stations located in each of the parking lots throughout the park.

Be sure to stop near the Lion’s Gate Bridge. Not only is the bridge beautiful, but the views from the top of the cliff looking down at the water are just amazing!

Bloedel Conservatory (At Queen Elizabeth Park)

If you want to find a place to warm up in the cool fall or winter weather, you’ll find a tropical climate contained within the dome that is Bloedel Conservatory at Queen Elizabeth Park. There are many beautiful birds in here (most of which can fly freely – except for the parrots), and it’s a fun and educational way to spend an hour or so.

There is a small entry fee for the conservatory and you can find more info and photos on our visit in this post.

Queen Elizabeth Park

After your visit to the Bloedel Conservatory, consider taking a walk through the rest of Queen Elizabeth Park. The park itself really is too big to really explore the whole thing at once, but there are some beautiful areas located right next to the conservatory. See if you can find the metal love lock sculpture!

If you want to see more photos of Queen Elizabeth Park, check out my full post on Queen Elizabeth Park here!

Our Itinerary Summary

Now that you’ve got the details on everywhere we went, here’s how it went day by day:

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And if you’re looking for a little more on our trip to Vancouver, check out our Vancouver vlog!

Hopefully this post gives you some good ideas for your next trip to Vancouver! On our next trip, I really want to check out the food truck scene, Capilano Suspension Bridge, and catch a Canucks game. Do you have any suggestions for us to add to our next trip there?