BC trip

[AJCts411]

Taking a family trip on the Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver in July. (w/2 boys 11&13). after arriving in Vancouver, we will have for 4 nights and will be renting a car, no problem doing some driving, spending a night somewhere. also, What are some of the must do's in the Vancouver area (best location to stay). Is crossing to Victoria a must?

 

[echino]

Lots of hiking between Vancouver and Whistler. If you go to Whistler, you can take the gondola up and hike alpine trails. Some great views up there.

 

[easyrider]

Stanley Park, Granville Island, Muesuem of Antropology, Capilano Park and a ghost tour in Gas Town not in any particular order. Check out the websites to see if you might like it.

Bill

 

[sue1947]

Walk the bike paths on either side of False Creek using the little ferry boats to go back and forth; with a lunch stop at Granville Island. ferries
You can walk down the hill from either the Worldmark or VI timeshares to False Creek. Though July is prime time and it will be difficult to get into those spots for a few nights.
South of town, near the town of Delta is the George Reifel Wildlife refuge. Nice trails and lots and lots of birds including a family of Sandhill Cranes that started from a single male who decided that flying to New Mexico for the winter was too darn hard. Reifel bird refuge

Walk the outer edge of Stanley Park or rent a bike. The walk along the water is my favorite. The park is huge and there are a lot of different options to help your kids expend some energy.
Victoria is great and one of my favorite cities, but with only 4 days, I'd skip it for this trip. Or choose Victoria over Vancouver. Splitting the time between the 2 means a lot of time getting from one to the other. The ferry ride from Tswassen is beautiful, but expensive. You could take one of the float planes from Vanc to Victoria's Inner Harbour. There's a very good museum next to the Parliament buildings right on the Harbour plus more walks and more of those ferries to get around.

 

[geist1223]

Grouse Mountain. If you Zipline remember to buy your tickets at the Office by the Waterfront before you take the Bus to Grouse Mt. Eat at the Banana Leaf. Burnaby Village Museum. If you Bike around Stanley Park remember to start on the north side (counter clock wise).

 

[Dori]

Crossing the Capilano Bridge was amazing!

Dori

 

[Tacoma]

The boys would probably like the Ride over Canada ride at Canada Place. I would also suggest kayaking at Deep Cove, This is a beautiful small town feeling spot on the north side. Go early as parking is tricky to find. Also maybe the gondola near Squamish I haven't done it but I'm sure the views would be fantastic. Vancouver is awesome you will enjoy it.

 

[easyrider]

Lots of hiking between Vancouver and Whistler. If you go to Whistler, you can take the gondola up and hike alpine trails. Some great views up there.

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I think the Red Bull Joy Ride is in July. The mountain bike trails are amazing at Whistler.

Bill

 

[VanX]

Ride the Seabus between downtown and Lonsdale Quay. Checkout the Shipyards stores and restaurants before heading back downtown by Seabus again

 

[geist1223]

When we travel to British Columbia we choose either Vancouver or Victoria. We never try and combine them. There is too much to do around each City. Maybe on a 2 week trip.

We live in Salem, Oregon. This summer we are going to Vancouver for a week. Then driving to Canmore for 2 weeks. In that it is a long drive home from Canmore we will stop in Vancouver for a few days on the way home. A few years ago we stopped in Birch Bay on the way home. Did not like the area at all. In fact we checked out early to go home to Salem. Even the folks that worked at the Timeshare recommended going into Bellingham if you wanted to go out to Dinner.

 

[Chrispee]

Since you’re taking a Rocky Mountaineer trip I’m going to assume that you are a family who would enjoy the float plane trip to Victoria. It offers a unique perspective of both Vancouver and Victoria that not many people get to experience.

Depending on the prevailing winds, you will likely get a close aerial view of the Lions Gate Bridge, Stanley Park, the Southern Gulf Islands, and Victoria’s inner harbour.

The flight itself only takes around 35 mins and it’s super easy with no airport/security hassles. The Harbour Air terminals at both ends are downtown.

 

[jabberwocky]

You’ve gotten some good recommendations so far. Our kids when they were in the same age range as yours really enjoyed the aquarium (easily pair this with a trip to Stanley park). Science world is good for those inclined on exercise their brain. Granville Island has a little tourist-trap vibe for me - but the Kids Market has some neat stuff on occasion.