After being thoroughly spoilt aboard Viking Venus cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage, disembarking in Vancouver felt a little like being evicted from the womb.
Suddenly there was no lovely crew looking after us, no fabulous meals magically appearing and, most alarmingly, we were going to have to start making our own decisions again.
Fortunately, Vancouver proved a pretty fabulous place to be evicted into.
There was, however, a small matter to address.
After days of being extremely well fed – and watered – aboard Viking Venus, there was some calorific cruise damage to undo.
Our Vancouver mission was therefore simple: walk and cycle as much as humanly possible and try not to eat and drink quite so much.
Within hours of arriving, we somehow found ourselves dancing and singing along to Earth, Wind & Fire at the PNE Fair Summer Night Concert. The PNE Fair is a massive late-summer tradition running for more than 100 years, featuring agricultural displays, live summer concerts, food stalls, midway games and exhibition halls.
And frankly, when September starts playing on a balmy Vancouver evening, ship lag doesn’t stand a chance.
It was a brilliant and completely unexpected start to a long weekend in a city that continued to surprise us.
With only a couple of full days before our flight home, we were determined to squeeze in as much as possible. Fortunately, Vancouver makes that remarkably easy. It’s compact, walkable and blessed with that rather unfair combination of ocean, mountains, beaches and forests – all seemingly within minutes of downtown.
Next morning it was time to work off some of the previous night’s dancing, so we jumped on bikes and headed for Stanley Park.
Cycling the famous Seawall has to be one of the best ways to see Vancouver. The route hugs the waterfront, serving up one gorgeous view after another – harbour, beaches, mountains and city skyline – while Stanley Park itself feels wonderfully wild considering it sits right alongside downtown.
This is sightseeing without feeling like sightseeing. You pedal, stop for photographs, gawp at another view and pedal some more.
Then it was time to test our nerves at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.
The famous suspension bridge hangs high above the Capilano River, surrounded by magnificent temperate rainforest.
I’d seen all the pictures, but there’s quite a difference between admiring them from the safety of your phone and actually walking across a bridge that moves beneath your feet!
Beyond the headline bridge, there’s plenty more to explore among the treetops and forest, making Capilano an easy half-day escape into nature.
And that’s the beauty of Vancouver. One minute you’re in the middle of a buzzing cosmopolitan city; the next you’re surrounded by enormous trees with a river rushing somewhere below.
Our long weekend also had to include Granville Island, another Vancouver must-do and a complete contrast.
The bustling Public Market is foodie heaven, packed with colourful produce, baked goodies, cheeses, seafood and all manner of temptations. Unfortunately a bit more calorific damage did occur here!
Outside, the former industrial district is filled with artisan studios, quirky shops, cafés and waterfront spots – perfect territory for wandering without much of a plan.
And wandering is something Vancouver does particularly well.
We walked, cycled, explored and, naturally, ate and drank our way around as much of the city as our limited time allowed.
No visit to Vancouver would be complete without a wander through Gastown, the city’s oldest neighbourhood and arguably its most photogenic.
Cobblestone streets, handsome heritage buildings, independent boutiques, bars and restaurants give it a completely different feel from Vancouver’s shiny downtown.
And yes, we joined everyone else gathered around the famous Gastown Steam Clock, waiting for it to puff, whistle and perform. Tourist cliché? Absolutely. Did we take the obligatory photo? Of course we did…but here is a fun but slightly disappointing fact. The clock is actually run by an electric motor!
Gastown is also dangerously good territory for aimless browsing, which inevitably led to another important Vancouver activity: shopping.
And when in the birthplace of Lululemon, it seemed almost rude not to investigate.
The Vancouver-born activewear brand opened its first store here in 1998 and somehow my carefully planned “just a quick look” turned into rather more of a workout for the credit card.
With Vancouver locals seemingly able to make leggings and trainers look appropriate for absolutely every occasion, it’s easy to get swept up in the city’s athleisure obsession.
Still, after all that dancing, cycling, walking and suspension-bridge wobbling, surely a little retail reward was justified?
At least that’s what I told myself as another Lululemon bag joined us for the walk back to the hotel.
Calorific damage: improving. Financial damage: best not discussed.
Coming straight from our Viking Inside Passage cruise, Vancouver was the perfect finale. We weren’t quite ready to give up those mountains, forests and waterfront views, but we were very ready for some big-city energy.
Perhaps that’s what I liked most about Vancouver: you don’t have to choose between a city break and an outdoor adventure.
You can cycle beside the Pacific in the morning, wobble across a suspension bridge in the afternoon, graze your way around Granville Island – and, if you’re very lucky, spend your first night dancing to Earth, Wind & Fire.
Not bad for a long weekend.
My only regret? We didn’t have longer.
Images (except steam clock) courtesy Destination Vancouver
