Vancouver, Canada

This past February, Donavan and I traveled to Vancouver to visit our two closest friends, Caroline and Steve, who moved there in the last year for Caroline's masters program at the University of British Columbia. I debated on leaving this one out of my travel guides because my priority was to spend time with my friends, but I still do have some recommendations that I believe are worth sharing! We did some nice hiking, ate at some great restaurants, explored the nature, and skied in Whistler for a day. Vancouver is the perfect place for anyone who loves to explore nature and do some outdoor activities.

Before you dive into the all the things to do, I want to preface that we had a car (thanks to Caroline and Steve) for all the activities we did below. While there is public transportation in the city and a shuttle to Whistler, I would highly recommend renting a car if you're wanting to make the most out of your time in Vancouver and explore all of it's beautiful nature and roads.

Explore Kitsilano

Kitsilano is the neighborhood where Caroline and Steve live and I loved this area. It's on the west side of Vancouver and has more of a residential/local vibe. They also have some great shops on 4th avenue such as Patagonia, Lululemon, Mejuri, Peak Performance, and more if you want to do some shopping. We spent a lot of time in the area near Jericho Beach and walking along Point Grey Road  - the houses along the water are absolutely stunning  and each one of them are designed so uniquely. You know you're growing up when you start to get excited about the architecture of wealthy houses!

Quarry Rock Lookout Hike

If you're wanting to hike and see a beautiful view of the water and mountains, this is the one for you. It was the perfect length, about 2.5 miles and was an easy hike through the forest. There is a some uphill, but the views are definitely worth it.

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is on the northern most part of Vancouver right before the bridge takes you to North Vancouver. You have to drive through it, to even get to North Van so you can't miss it, but it's a beautiful place to walk along the water or through the trails!

Day trip to Whistler

While we all would've loved to spend multiple days skiing in Whistler, it's extremely expensive and the four of us could not afford more than one $200 daily pass and multiple nights in a hotel, so we made do with what we had. We woke up super early and drove from Vancouver to Whistler to get there by 8 am, so that we could spend the entire day skiing and make the most of our money. I was completely in awe at how big of a ski resort it was and the magnitude of the mountains - I definitely see why it's $200/day and I can say that it was worth the money. After 8 hours of skiing, we had an après-ski drink at one of the bars, and headed back to Vancouver in the evening. I'd love to go back one day when I can spend multiple days in the resort, but sometimes you gotta just do things on a budget! Something is better than nothing, right?

Ferry to Bowen Island

Bowen Island is a quiet little island off of West Vancouver where you can see yet another beautiful view of the nature and water. We took a ferry (that you can drive onto) and took about a 20 minute ride across the water - that was a beautiful experience in itself! We only spent a few hours one afternoon on the island which was plenty to grab some hot chocolate and walk through some boutiques, and visit the lighthouse. 

Cocoa West, 581 Artisan Ln, Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G2, Canada

Wren Boutique, 589 Artisan Ln, Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G2, Canada

Cape Roger Curtis Lighthouse

Dundarave Park, 25th St, West Vancouver, BC V7V 4H8, Canada

One thing I was a little bummed about during our trip was how rarely the sun came out. The one evening that it did, we were literally chasing the sunset in West Vancouver to try to find a good spot to watch the sun go down. We found this park on the map and it ended up being the perfect place on the water to watch the sunset. It's a beach, so it would also be a great spot to hang out and sunbathe in the summer!

Coffee

Mon Pitou, 1387 W 7th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6H 1B8, Canada

Emma Leger, a Canadian influencer from Vancouver who I've followed for years, always posts about how great his coffee shop is, so I decided to see what all the hype was about. Turns out, she was right. It's the cutest French-inspired cafe that has a beautiful interior as well as some patio tables right outside. We had coffee at a couple of different places during the week, but this was the only one worth writing home about (literally). They also serve food which I definitely want to try next time I'm in Vancouver.

Food

East is East, 3035 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2G9, Canada

I would probably say that this is up there as one of the best restaurants I've ever been to in my life. They are a diverse Eastern restaurant that serve Indian, Afghan, Persian, and other cuisines from the middle east. They are known for their Silk Road Feast - you pay a flat rate (I think it was about $40) and you can order an endless amount of food from the Silk Road Menu. This was such a great way to try many different dishes such as Afghan Eggplant, Persian Gormeh Sabsi, Tabouleh Salad, Curry, and more. The ambience is also extremely warm and inviting, and feels like you're in a Middle Eastern oasis. If you go on the weekends, there is live music with a harp and congas. I ate so much that I had to unbutton my jeans, but the experience was 10/10.

Sahel Restaurant, 3207 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2H5, Canada

As I've mentioned in other travel guides, when I'm in a city that is very international, I always try to look for Persian restaurants since there are none in Indiana. This one was good and was very casual. It was your typical middle eastern restaurant where half is a market and half is a restaurant - but that's how you know you're in an authentic spot!

Hello Nori, 1165 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1B5, Canada

If you guys remember from my NYC guide, the hand roll sushi bar I went to in New York was my favorite sushi restaurant I've ever been to. When I saw they had one in Vancouver, I knew it would be the closest I would get to that place in New York. While it wasn't as good as the one in New York, it was still a great place and it's always nice to get a different type of dining experience. They don't take reservations so plan ahead to wait in line for a little bit - it's bar-style seating so it's all first come first serve.

Casereccio Foods, 2480 Vine St, Vancouver, BC V6K 3K8, Canada

This Italian pasta bar makes all of their pastas in-house and had great authentic dishes. You can also build-your-own pasta by picking the type of noodle and sauce. It's a tiny restaurants and we couldn't get a table last minute (so make reservations ahead of time) but we ended up taking the food home and it was a great comfort-food takeout option as well!

Drinks

Grapes & Soda, 1541 W 6th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1R1, Canada

If you're wanting a chill night out to have some drinks, this little wine and cocktail bar was a perfect place for that. I would recommend making reservations because it's a tiny place but they have some great drinks and little bar snacks!

To be completely honest, I didn't put much thought into my outfits for this trip and I wore some version of the same outfit every day. Very unlike me, I know, but it was honestly kind of nice to not worry about my outfits for once. As I mentioned in the beginning, I was mostly focused on spending time with my friends and knew that we would be doing a lot of casual things. My number one suggestion would be to look at the forecast before your trip. I didn't realize how rainy Vancouver was in the spring and didn't bring a rain jacket (which was my biggest regret). I would dress casually and bring some athleisure, and be prepared to walk through trails or parks at any time since this is a big part of visiting Vancouver! If you're spending more time in the city, you can dress up a bit more and also bring nicer clothes for dinners out. And of course, if you go to Whistler, have all of your ski gear ready! I actually got the amazing opportunity to work with Halfdays and I loved the thermals and ski suit they provided me for my trip!