Welcome to Vancouver, Canada! In this post we will be discussing, places to stay, eat, and experience life in this outdoorsy, west coast city! As well we have a few general local travel tips and recommendations, a local recipe and we’ll be talking the how, when, and why of one of our favourite Vancouver photos. For more information on the top things to do and experience, and a detailed 3-day itinerary, please check out our posts, “Top 10 Things to do in Vancouver, Canada – Explore and Experience” and “3-Day Itinerary for Vancouver, Canada – How to Make the Most of Your Time”. Let the planning begin!

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1. Places to Stay in Vancouver:

False Creek

Depending on how long you’re staying and how many people you’re travelling with you could also checkout AirBnB or VRBO. I always check out the reviews, then look at price and location. We also use these trusted travel sites, www.expedia.ca and www.hotels.com. Here are some suggestions to see if any pique your interest, but there are a lot of accommodations in this city to choose from, so have some fun with it, go through different travel sights, we have links to the ones we us above, if you start early there is no stress, just excitement in the process! Downtown Vancouver can be a little pricey, so if you can’t find anything in your price range, you could look just outside the city, but near a transit line, so you can easily get into town. Also, if you create and account with Expedia or Hotels.com you can get discounts on stays and can take advantage of their incentive programs.

The Douglas, Autograph Collection– This is where we stayed, using our Marriott points, as it’s a little on the more expensive side. It is in a great location, beautiful, great service, has all the conveniences, has a 6^th floor large patio with a pond and restaurant and a view of the attached BC Place, which is all lite up at night, was a great sight. Lots of restaurants within walking distance, a bakery around the corner, convenience store and a gelato shop very close. It’s about a 5-7 mins walk to False creek’s Plaza of Nations dock, so great to catch the water taxis or for a pretty walk and 10 mins to the Stadium – Chinatown Train Station. It’s also close to the Chinese Garden, Robson St (for shopping) and Yaletown. Located at 45 Smithe st.

Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront – Located at 1133 Hastings St. W. Another great location, a 3 mins walk to the Convention Centre in Coal Harbour a great place to stay if you want to do either the whole 28km Seawall walk as this is close to the start, or you could still do a portion of it, like the section around Stanley Park and break up the walk into sections. This hotel has great reviews, a restaurant, pool, gym, parking and breakfast for a fee, pet friendly, luggage storage, outdoor space and has accessible features. The price is average for Vancouver.

Level Vancouver – Yaletown – Located at 1022 Seymour St, in the Yaletown neighbourhood. Walkable to all the amazing restaurants, cafes, bakeries and shops in the Yaletown area, False Creek seawall path and David Lam dock for the water taxis. Level Vancouver offers apartment style suites with kitchens and laundry. They have a pool, gym, steam room, outdoor areas with BBQ grills, so a great place to stay for families or groups travelling together. A little more on the higher price, but you get the convenience all that an apartment can offer.

Hotel Belmont Vancouver – This hotel was built in 1912 but was fully renovated in 2019 so has a cool modern vibe in a historic building. It’s close to Robson St. shopping and the large Pacific Shopping Centre, 15 mins walk to Canada Place and 15 mins in the opposite direction to the David Lam Dock on False Creek. The hotel has bike rentals, luggage storage, parking and breakfast for a fee, an attached restaurant, and pet friendly.

The Burrard – Located at 1100 Burrard St. Build in 1956 but has been renovated, keeping the 50’s vibe. They have free bike rentals, parking and breakfast for a fee, restaurant options at the hotel, luggage storage, a gym and pet friendly. It’s a 20 mins walk to Canada Place in Coal Harbour, 15 mins walk to the BC Place stadium and a 20 mins walk to the David Lam Ferry dock on False Creek.

2. Places to Enjoy some Local, West Coast Eats:

View from the Cactus Club in English Bay

Tacofino in Yaletown

Tap & Barrel Bridges on Granville Island

We typically don’t make reservations, unless there’s an activity included with the food, like a Show or a food tour or there is something really special about the food or location. We find that if you make reservations, it dictates the pace of your day. We like stopping when we’re hungry or when we see a place that piques our interest. That said, here are a few suggestions of what Vancouver has to offer, some we enjoyed, and some come highly recommend! We do read reviews as well, we think it’s important, especially the negative ones to see what people are complaining about, but we’ve learned over the years to “take them with a grain of salt” not every restaurant can be perfect every time and some people just like to complain. We like to make sure there are more good reviews then bad and read what the issues are, sometimes it might be something that doesn’t concern us. This city is known for its seafood, west coast, clean healthy eating, power bowls and more.

Cactus Club – There are 4 locations in the downtown area, 357 Davie St. in Yaletown, 588 Burrard St near the Pacific Centre, 1085 Canada Place in Coal Harbour and 1790 Beach Ave. in English Bay. Their hours very slightly but are approx. 11:30am to 12:00am. We’ve eaten at a few of these and have never been disappointed, but the one at English Bay is my favourite because of the amazing views of the ocean. They offer seafood, pasta, power bowls, salads, burgers, steaks, great drinks, and a happy hour, lots to choose from. One of our go to places when we’re visiting Vancouver.

Tap and Barrel – There are 3 of these downtown, 75 Athletes Way in the Olympic Village area, 76-1055 Canada Place in Coal Harbour and 1696 Duranleau St on Granville Island. Their hours vary slightly from approx. 11:00am to 11:00pm, depending on the day and the individual restaurant. They have great seafood options, salads, handhelds, bowls, pizzas, vegan options, and a great weekend brunch. Plus, great drinks and happy hour deals. The location in Coal Harbour is near the water and very close to the Hullo Ferry terminal, so we’ve eaten at this location a number of times while waiting for the ferry over to Nanaimo. The Granville Island one is great for their outdoor space with amazing views of False Creek.

Tacofino – One of our favourites!! There are 2 locations in the downtown area, 122-1050 W Pender St. in Coal Harbour (open 8:00am to 4:00pm during the week and closed weekends) and 1025 Mainland St. in Yaletown (open Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday from 11:30am to 10:00pm and Friday and Saturday it’s open 11:30am to 12:00am, closed on Mondays). We ate at the Yaletown location, they have indoor and outdoor seating, it can get pretty busy though, so be prepared to wait if needed, you order at the counter, get your table, then they bring your meal when it’s ready. We’ve also eaten at the one in Victoria and the original taco truck in Tofino and it has always been delicious for us, the guacamole is really good, so make sure you order a side of it with chips, we’ve ordered a number of different tacos and have not been disappointed!

The Black Frog – Located at 108 Cambie St. in Gastown, right near the famous Gastown Steam Clock, you can actually see it from the restaurant. This is pub fare food, was tasty, good service, have been twice, and enjoyed ourselves both times. It’s open Monday to Thursday 11:30am to 12:00am, Friday 11:30am to 2:00am, Saturday 12:00pm to 2:00am and Sunday 12:00pm to 12:00am.

Pane Formaggio – they have 2 locations 868 Beatty St. near the BC Place stadium and the end of Robson St. and 840 Howe St. right near the Pacific Centre. Open 7:00am to 7:00pm Monday to Friday (Tuesdays it opens at 7:30am) Saturday 8:00am to 6:00pm and Sundays 9:00am to 6:00pm, hours differ a little between the 2 locations, so check the website. They had great croissants, scones, and cookies, plus service fresh baked breads, sandwiches, sweet and savory pastries, hot drinks, smoothies and more. This place was around the corner from where we were staying, so stopped by a few times, (the Beatty St. location) and really enjoyed it.

Caffe Artigiano –Located at 429 Howe St a few blocks from Canada place, but there are several locations around the city, so check out their website. Open from 8:00am to 6:00pm during the week and 8:00am to 5:00pm on the weekends. They serve specialty coffees, organic teas, flavoured lemonades, great Italian sandwiches, wraps, breakfast sandwiches, parfaits, delicious baked goods, and more. We just happened upon this place, we were hungry, and it was there, it was a happy coincidence!

Breka Bakery and Cafe – There are 4 locations around town, 855 Davie St. in Yaletown, 812 Bute St. just off Robson St, 821 Denman St, near Coal Harbour and 740 W Hasting St. near Canada Place. This café has great baked goods, sandwiches, drinks with gluten-free and vegan options and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, crazy I know. Definitely worth a try.

Nemesis – Located in Gastown at 302 W Hastings St. This trendy Coffee shop serves an all-day brunch, delicious baked goods, and drinks. Open every day, 8:00am to 4:00pm.

Café Medina – Located at 780 Richards St. right in the middle of town off Robson St. not far from the Pacific Centre. It is known for its fabulous brunch, it’s very popular, so is generally busy, so reservations are recommended.

3. A Few helpful local tips and Recommendations (and more):

Gastown Steam Clock

Getting from the Airport to the Skytrain into town:

Getting into the downtown area from the airport is super easy by train. So, once you get off your plane, follow the signs for baggage and the exit. On your way, you’ll start to see signs for the Canada Line skytrain, follow those, it will bring you up another level and across a glass covered walkway to the station. The Skytrain starts at the airport and ends at the waterfront, so if there is a train there, it’s the right one to get on. There are ticket kiosks here where you can get your ticket, follow the prompts, when it asks you about the zone you’re going to, look at the map above to help you out. The ticket will print out, use that to get through the turnstiles, make sure you keep it handy as you’ll need it again to get out once you reach your destination. The last stop on the skytrain is the Waterfront station, which takes about 25 mins, and the train comes every 5 – 7mins. This was an easy way to get into Vancouver.

Tourist office:

One very helpful thing to do when you first get to any city is to check out their Tourism Office. If you’re staying in a hotel, they often have a rack with lots of brochures and tourism books and maps, which is great and this might be all you need, but if you’re staying in a vacation home, they might not have as much information available, so locating your nearest tourism office is always a good idea. They can provide city maps, brochures on things to do, have information on tours and answer any questions you might have, making your stay more enjoyable. In Vancouver there is an office at 200 Burrard St. Unit #210, Open 11:00am to 4:00pm during the week, but closed on Saturday and Sunday. It’s called Destination Vancouver.

Using Points:

Whether it’s Airmiles, Aeroplan, hotel chain, or credit card points, collect them religiously and use them for travel!! We have stayed in some amazing places using points, some we normally wouldn’t have even looked at because of the price, we’ve used points for flights and rental cars too. They are so satisfying to use, but you have to get to know what is a good value and what isn’t. For example, if you’re using Airmiles for flights, the points cover the flight cost and you pay the taxes, so generally the taxes cost us in the range of $200, which is reasonable, but if we fly to Europe from Canada, the taxes were over $700, (I was told this was because their airport taxes were higher) I was shocked, it didn’t make sense to use the points for that, so you have to get to know how to best work you’re points, but once you do, you’ll be hooked!

Start your off Day Early:

Start your day off early, this will always be my suggestion! When I say early, I’m talking 6:30/7:00am, but I know that’s not for everyone, so just get started as early as you can and always keep in mind open/closing hours and open/closing days for the attractions that you really want to see. If there is something you really want a photo of without people in the shot, start there! For more information on the advantages of getting up early, check out our post “Three Significant Reasons to Get Up Early, while Travelling”.

Speaking the Language:

For some people speaking different languages comes easy and for some, it does not, I’m the latter. Although it’s not easy, I always make an effort to learn at least the pleasantries when I’m travelling. It’s one of my many favourite things to do! I also carry a language pocketbook with me, and I have google translate on my phone! I also like the free language app, Duolingo!

6. Booking Activities and Tours:

When it comes to booking activities and tours we always check out Viator or Get Your Guide, they both have so much to offer all around the world, from food tours, cooking classes, whale watching, walking tours, hop on hop off buses, entry fees for popular city attractions, locale things to do and lots more. Check them out the next time you travel.

**Any pricing, opening/closing hours and days listed here are as of July 2025 and are subject to change, so be sure to check before you go. I like these websites: or for all your current information. Destination Vancouver and City of Vancouver.

4. Our Fav Photo from our time in Vancouver, Canada:

Often, we choose a photo that really gives us a feel for the city or town we’ve visited, some are a special moment we shared that will provoke a memory, or an iconic building, or maybe just a beautiful sight we happened upon in the early morning light. But sometimes you’re just in the right place, at the right time, this was one of those moments. So, we choose this photo because of the cool factor, (the poor Koi fish might not agree). We had to be fast, but we always look at what could make a nice background when taking a photo of an object. As we started to look and move around, we saw these pretty peonies flowers and loved them. The focal point is obviously the Beautiful Blue Heron, but we like that we can see the greenery he is standing on, him in the centre, the pond, the greenery and bright flowers blurred in the background. The only edit we made was to brighten it slightly, we didn’t really need to do anything else. We took this photo at the amazing Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, well worth the visit.

5. Vancouver Recipe:

West Coast Breakfast Bowl

How to Make the West Coast Breakfast Bowl:

Start your day the healthy, west coast way with a hearty breakfast bowl that’s as energizing as it is delicious. Vancouver’s take on the breakfast bowl ranges from wholesome ingredients like roasted potatoes, eggs, sauteed greens, veggies and home-made sauces to avocados, fruit, yogurts, seeds, and nuts. You can find these delicious bowls served in cozy cafes all over the city or try your hand at making them at home. There are a lot of variations of the breakfast bowl so have some fun with it and experiment, we’ll get you started here. For this recipe, which we modified until we got what we liked, check out our post “How to make the West Coast Breakfast Bowl.”

6. References:

Focus on the Journey!

All of this information, research and suggestions came from our own experiences we had while exploring this west coast charmer, Vancouver, Canada. As well, we spent countless hours reading travel books like, DK Eyewitness, Top 10 Vancouver and Vancouver Island, and multiple Travel blogs and Vancouver tourism websites like, Destination Vancouver and City of Vancouver. These all gave us great insights into what we wanted to explore and discover. We hope you found this information helpful!

7. The Wrap up

In Coal Harbour

We hope these tips and recommendations help you plan an amazing adventure filled with new experiences! Don’t forget to try new things, talk to the locals, indulge in traditional foods, people watch, enjoy nature, speak a little of the local language, but most of all, focus on the journey!

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Thank you,

From, Wild Meadow Studio

Where we, Focus on the Journey,

By: Beth de Verteuil

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Tips and Recommendations, Your Travel Guide to Vancouver, Canada

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