Vancouver What to Expect

sweaters pants shorts t shirts shoes rain coat hahaha...maybe some hiking gear if you like to hike because we got lots of nature around the city...a CAMERA FOR SURE...you also need some bear spray and a shovel to build your igloo hahaha just kidding its warm kinda..

Cycle around Stanley Park in Vancouver. Great way to take in the place. We got the kids to wear their sunsuits so we could stop and paddle at the beaches and there was a great playground with water canons.

The new Canada Line Skytrain is now running, so you can take that to get into downtown Vancouver from the airport in less than half an hour.

Best Greek Restaurant: Antatole Souvlaki, bottom of Lonsdale Avenue. Chicken Souvlaki with rice, roast potatoes, greek salad, tzatziki, and pita bread: $17 (pricey for Greek, but the quality and atmosphere make it well worth it.) Try the Strawberry Daquiri or the Sour Apple Martini! Raglans, nearby is a genuine Tiki Bar with Monsoon Bowl cocktails and bar snacks. Just up the street a couple blocks and accross the street on the corner is another bar with a massive cocktail menu. Drinks are pricey for Vancouver but reasonable for the creativity involved. Lonsdale Quay is fun to wander around and shop, and outside there is live music in the summer. It is also a main transit hub of North Van, as all the busses that go everywhere stop there and you can catch the seabus, either for practical purposes or for the view. On the otherside at Waterfront Station, don't have the paninis at Jugo Juice, I got food poisoning. Lynn Canyon suspension bridge is FREE compared to the expensive and touristy Caplino Suspension Bridge.

Robson ave is a blast. To bad the Canucks suck. Give China town a visit.

Great city to visit and it reminded me a lot of Auckland with the harbour and ranges like the Waitakares. Great public transport with ferries and buses (some on cables) as well as a light rail system. Fantastic shopping (if you still have money when you get there). I would recommend going to the aquarium to see the beluga whales as well as many other sea creatures and the museum at the University has many treasures from the first nations as well as from Maori and Pacific people. Fantastic totem poles. Take a walk through Chinatown as it is worth it and stock up on souvenirs made by the first nation peoples of British Columbia.

If you're a sushi lover, then without a doubt, you have to make sure that you plan a visit to one of the numerous Japanese restaurants during your visit. Without a doubt, you can't beat the freshness and the price quality ratio.

My favourites? Sushi Town on Hastings Street in Burnaby for all round value, and Ebi Sushi on Granville street if you want some all-you-can-eat goodness.

The new Canada Line Skytrain is now running, so you can take that to get into downtown Vancouver from the airport in less than half an hour.

Best Greek Restaurant: Antatole Souvlaki, bottom of Lonsdale Avenue. Chicken Souvlaki with rice, roast potatoes, greek salad, tzatziki, and pita bread: $17 (pricey for Greek, but the quality and atmosphere make it well worth it.) Try the Strawberry Daquiri or the Sour Apple Martini! Raglans, nearby is a genuine Tiki Bar with Monsoon Bowl cocktails and bar snacks. Just up the street a couple blocks and accross the street on the corner is another bar with a massive cocktail menu. Drinks are pricey for Vancouver but reasonable for the creativity involved. Lonsdale Quay is fun to wander around and shop, and outside there is live music in the summer. It is also a main transit hub of North Van, as all the busses that go everywhere stop there and you can catch the seabus, either for practical purposes or for the view. On the otherside at Waterfront Station, don't have the paninis at Jugo Juice, I got food poisoning. Lynn Canyon suspension bridge is FREE compared to the expensive and touristy Caplino Suspension Bridge.

Robson ave is a blast. To bad the Canucks suck. Give China town a visit.

Great city to visit and it reminded me a lot of Auckland with the harbour and ranges like the Waitakares. Great public transport with ferries and buses (some on cables) as well as a light rail system. Fantastic shopping (if you still have money when you get there). I would recommend going to the aquarium to see the beluga whales as well as many other sea creatures and the museum at the University has many treasures from the first nations as well as from Maori and Pacific people. Fantastic totem poles. Take a walk through Chinatown as it is worth it and stock up on souvenirs made by the first nation peoples of British Columbia.

If you're a sushi lover, then without a doubt, you have to make sure that you plan a visit to one of the numerous Japanese restaurants during your visit. Without a doubt, you can't beat the freshness and the price quality ratio.

My favourites? Sushi Town on Hastings Street in Burnaby for all round value, and Ebi Sushi on Granville street if you want some all-you-can-eat goodness.

Vancouver, BC is one of the most beautiful cities in the world with an insane number of things to see, people to meet and experiences to have. I would encourage any and all travellers to hit me up with any questions they may have when visiting this gorgeous place as it is my home city!

Accessing/ Exchanging money: There are dozens of places this can be done all over downtown, the airport, banks, etc. Simply use the internet or a phone book to make this happen.

Activities: My biggest recommendation here will be to take a walk along the Sea Wall... it's stunning and you're able to capture a lot of scenery... that being said, to place all activities here would take me hours, perhaps days!

Sightseeing/ attractions: Just to highlight a few-- The planetarium's spectacular; Any number of beaches and my favorite's Spanish Banks; The Sea Wall; English Bay; Cypress Bowl; Grouse Mountain; Telus World of Science which is subsequently also the former home of EXPO '86; The Vancouver aquarium; HSBC celebration of lights... And the list could go on for hours.

Nightlife: The nightlife here is lots of fun with most clubs downtown staying open until 4am. Bear in mind that most clubs have a zero violence and obnoxious behavior tolerance policy as well as a dress code- So try to look your best :) My favorite club downtown Vancouver would likely be the Roxy... great for a good time and the dress code's a little bit relaxed.

Food Resto's: Vancouver pride's itself on a world class variety of food. My top recommendations are: The Boathouse, Vij's, The Mongolian Grill, Tsunami Sushi... and oh man, sooo many more!

Health: All Canadians have medical health care provided to them as part of their citizenship... As a visitor, you'll be happy to hear that Canada has wonderful doctors and hospitals. There is generally a bit of a lengthy wait at a hospital if you need care, so I will recommend a clinic if it's possible for you. Always make sure you have medical insurance before you come to Canada from abroad!

Transportation: Vancouver, unlike most metropolises does not have a subway, instead we have a skytrain. This monorail train runs very frequently and encircles the majority of the city. For your other transportation needs, we have a decent Bus transit system (translink.bc.ca), as well as a Seabus and taxi's if need be. With the exception of the taxi, the rest are all connected and one can purchase a pass to use them all. If you're staying for a shorter period of time, please use the translink site quoted above to determine how much change you'll need to ride transit- oh, and make sure it's exact change! Vancouver is a health conscience, environmentally friendly city, so bicycle riding is encouraged, so feel free to buy, bring, or rent one of those!

Danger Annoyances: No city is without these! Just like every other city in the world beware of pick pockets, and homeless people asking for donations (which isn't too bad, because they'll ask for the donation, you say no and they leave you alone). Also, keep away from East Hastings as it's home to the largest homeless/ drug addict population in Vancouver.

Gay/Lesbien Travellers: Vancouver's a very homosexually friendly city! For a pride filled time, head up to Davie and Denman streets downtown. Every August long weekend is also Pride Parade time which is complete with a Pride Dinner cruise around the Vancouver Harbour! The entire city gets involved with this wonderful event. I recommend my favorite book store in the city called Little Sisters which also has a plethora of information on events in the city aimed at our gay and lesbien population!

What to bring: Ahahah! Bring an Umbrella! Or don't and head down to the Umbrella shop on Granville Island and choose a fun and funky one! Vancouver is located in one of the rainiest parts of the world as BC is home to a natural rainforest! Also bring a small back pack or carry all that allows you to stroll the city hands free. Bring sunscreen, a map, a smile and a great attitude!

Hotels accommodations: As for where you're gonna stay... if you can't couch surf like myself, might I suggest any number of super fun hostels around the city! If you're looking for something far more upscale and fancy, we have several hotels for you to choose from: The Hotel Vancouver, The Westin Bayshore or the Hyatt. For something somewhere in the middle, there are tons and tons of hotels to choose from... just use google!

Lastly, Interacting with locals: Just be nice, smile and try to speak English! So, if English is not your first language, bring a phrase book and try to muddle through it. Most of the time we think it's simply adorable when people at least try! Also don't be surprised if someone doesn't speak to you... sometimes, they don't speak English either or they're in a hurry to run off! But 99% of the time, people will stop and offer what help they can. Oh, also, if you need help in a hurry, feel free to just walk into a store and ask! They normally know the area and again, will do what they can.

Good luck and I hope to hear that you've visited my fair wonderful city that I hold so very very close to my heart :)

Beautiful nature, very nice people, great weathers..i dunno, loving it!

What a city..... 2h north skiing, 2h south golf, on sailing coast and YVR Island around the corner!!