4 Days in Vancouver: A Forested Brewery, a Bikeable Seawall, and Indigenous-Led Talks with Trees

Written By HTCadmin

Article from AFAR, by Chloe Bergé

Chloe Bergé is a Vancouver-based journalist and writer specializing in travel, culture, conservation, and the outdoors. Her work explores the relationship between people and place, with stories that highlight adventure, sustainability, and the natural world.

A resident shares their favorite haunts and insider tips to make the most of a long weekend in this Pacific Northwest city.

The Pacific Northwest city in Canada is bursting wtih seaside forests and diverse culture.
Photo by Peter Skaronis/Unsplash

  • Day 1: Explore the city’s seaside park and contemporary art downtown

  • Day 2: Sip, eat, and spa your way through Mount Pleasant

  • Day 3: Feast your eyes, mouth, and mind on Chinatown and Black history tours

  • Day 4: Wander museums, markets, and beaches on the West Side

  • Where to stay: Vancouver hotels

Forests of ancient cedar trees, the cobalt Pacific Ocean, and an urban vibe that’s multicultural and unhurried: Vancouver, British Columbia, is the quintessential Pacific Northwest city. It’s often touted as one of the few places in the world where you can ski in the morning (on the North Shore or farther afield in Whistler) and then kite-surf or paddle-board in the afternoon.

What’s more, this laid-back, walkable metropolis has an increasingly innovative global food scene and a provocative art culture, and it will host seven FIFA World Cup matches in 2026.

I was born and raised in Vancouver. In fact, my mother went into labor with me in the city’s iconic Stanley Park (which I’ve always felt should grant me some sort of special citizenship status). This long-weekend itinerary was crafted from a lifetime of my own experience and with intel from other local experts.

Head to the Vancouver Art Gallery on Robson Square for Indigenous art and L’Abattoir in old-timey Gastown for French Canadian food. Photo by Oleg Mayorov/Shutterstock (L); courtesy of L’Abattoir (R)

Day 1: Explore the city’s seaside park and contemporary art downtown

Where to eat

Sights + activities

Morning: Talk to the trees in Stanley Park

Start your stay in Stanley Park with a Talking Trees Tour with Talaysay Tours. On a 60- or 90-minute stroll, the Coast Salish–owned and –operated company shows guests the significance of the park’s trees and plants in Indigenous medicine, food, and technology.

“People think of Stanley Park as a public park, but that’s our home,” says Talaysay Campo, co-owner of Talaysay Tours. “The stories we share are about how we lived on and connected with the land, and how we’re taking care of our land in the best way possible.”

Afternoon: Bike the seawall

Rent a bike from Spokes (just outside the park), and follow the seawall waterfront path for six miles around the park’s perimeter. Linger at Brockton Point Lighthouse for ocean views, or break up the hour-long ride with a pint of craft beer at Stanley Park Brewing, hidden among the trees.

Leaving the park, pedal to Coal Harbour and refuel with crab mac and cheese or fish and chips on Lift’s seaside patio. From there, either walk, take a rideshare, or continue cycling on downtown’s bike lanes to the Vancouver Art Gallery and Bill Reid Gallery, the latter of which focuses on Indigenous Northwest Coast art.

Evening: Dinner in lamplit Gastown

Cobblestone streets lit by old-world, gaslight-style streetlamps lend a romantic atmosphere to dinner and drinks in historic Gastown, once the city’s meatpacking district. At the industrial-style bistro L’Abattoir, dine on chef Jasper Cruickshank’s French-meets–West Coast cuisine, like baked Pacific oysters and pork jowl confit.

Cap off the evening with a flight of organic and natural British Columbia wines at Is That French, around the corner from L’Abattoir. It’s on Blood Alley, named after grisly local lore or its history as the geographic heart of the city’s past butcher trade—no one knows for sure.

Try aromatherapy snowballs at Kolm (left) and a Michelin-starred moon menu at Burdock & Co. (right) Courtesy of Kolm (L); photo by Håkan Burcuoglu (R)

Day 2: Sip, eat, and spa your way through Mount Pleasant

Where to eat

Sights + activities

Morning: Lattes and spa sessions

Mount Pleasant, just south of downtown, has become one of Vancouver’s most creative culinary neighborhoods. It includes the “Michelin Mile,” a five-block stretch on Main Street with 12 Michelin-recommended restaurants.

“Mount Pleasant brings together artists, young families, tourists, and discerning foodies,” says Amelie Nguyen, cofounder of the neighborhood’s beloved Bib Gourmand Vietnamese restaurant Anh and Chi. “I’d wake up to a salted caramel latte at Small Victory or head to Melo Patisserie for the charming romance in every detail that pastry chef Melo creates.”

After you’re properly caffeinated, slough off any lingering fatigue by luxuriating in a sauna—complete with aromatherapy snowballs—and ice-bath session at Kolm, or revive dehydrated skin at Formula Fig, which has gained a cult following for its medical-grade yet efficient facials (30 minutes).

Afternoon: Vietnamese lunch and pottery workshop

Grab a table in Anh and Chi’s airy dining room. Opt for the Street-Side Platter (a DIY vermicelli noodle wrap feast inspired by Hoi An street food), bánh xèo (savory, crispy crepes), or Grandma’s Crab Tomato Noodle Soup.

After lunch, take a 10-minute Uber ride to Community Clay for a therapeutic and fun wheel-throwing pottery workshop. “You can also walk off lunch with a relaxing stroll and stock up on gifts to bring back home from Front and Company, Welk’s, Eugene Choo, and Wallace,” says Nguyen.

Evening: Choose from Indian flavors or a moon menu

In Burdock & Co.’s intimate, low-lit dining room, chef Andrea Carlson—the first female chef in Canada to be awarded a Michelin star, in 2022—conjures hyperlocal, seasonal magic with her Moon Menu Series, six set menus that evolve throughout the year.

Newer on the scene is Elem. Here, chef Vish Mayekar marries the flavors of his hometown of Mumbai with global spices and techniques in a delightfully original menu. Don’t skip the medjool date glaze lamb skewers, and tuna bhel, a modern take on an Indian street food made with puffed rice.

To end the night, pull up a barstool at lively June and imbibe in a Mushroom Old Fashioned and Soft Serve Du Jour, like rhubarb or matcha—if you’ve managed to save any room.

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden was the first Ming Dynasty–style garden outside of China. Photo by Gerry Matthews/Shutterstock

Day 3: Feast your eyes, mouth, and mind on Chinatown and Black history tours

Where to eat

Sights + activities

Morning: Tour through Chinatown

Even if you call Vancouver home, guide Judy Lam Maxwell, who has worked as an advocate for preserving Vancouver’s Chinese heritage for more than 25 years, will show you a different side of Canada’s largest Chinatown. Grab a coffee at Propaganda, where Lam Maxwell’s historic Chinatown tours begin (and also where she often hosts her excellent dumpling-making classes). Then follow her through the streets as she points out fifth-generation tailors, stops at treasured dim sum eateries, and introduces you to elders who gather over the din of mah-jongg games inside century-old Chinese society houses.

After the two-hour tour, grab a spring roll or steamed bun at New Town Bakery. “The best spring rolls outside Hong Kong,” notes Lam Maxwell. Then weave around weeping willows, koi ponds, and bonsai trees in the peaceful Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Built in 1986, it was the first Ming Dynasty–style garden outside of China. Wrap up the morning with a visit to the Chinese Canadian Museum, housed in the 1889 Wing Sang Building.

Afternoon: Ramen and Black history tour

A sweet and spicy aroma beckons from behind the steamy windows of The Ramen Butcher. “The broth, daily handmade noodles, and fresh ingredients make this ramen restaurant my favorite in town,” says Lam Maxwell.

After you’ve slurped down a hearty bowl, head to the nearby Strathcona neighborhood, where Hogan’s Alley used to be. Also known as Park Lane, this alley was home to Vancouver’s largest Black diaspora community in the early 20th century, a community that was displaced in the 1970s by the construction of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts. Explore Vancouver’s past and present Black culture on a walking tour with Hogan’s Alley Society or the African Descent Society BC.

Evening: Omakase in a jazz café and a horse-betting speakeasy

Behind some of Chinatown’s unassuming facades are the city’s most exceptional restaurants and bars. Indulge in omakase at Kissa Tanto, which blends Japanese and Italian flavors in a room inspired by the traditional jazz cafés, or kissas, of Japan.

Wander over to Meo or the lauded The Keefer Bar for an atmospheric nightcap, or try your luck at the door of Bagheera, a speakeasy hidden within the horse-betting shop Happy Valley Turf Club (you’re there to bet on King Louie, if anyone asks).

After a day at the industrial-chic Granville Island market, watch the sunset on Jericho Beach. Photo by Chad Montgomery/Unsplash (L); photo by EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock (R)

Day 4: Wander museums, markets, and beaches on the West Side

Where to eat

Sights + activities

Morning: Stall-hop at an island market

Granville Island may be a popular stop for visitors, but it’s also frequented by locals for the market’s fresh produce, flowers, and artisan shops. Set out on a morning Granville Island Market Tour with Vancouver Foodie Tours, and you’ll taste the best of the vendors (22 tastings, to be exact).

If you’re exploring on your own, founder Michelle Ng notes that Benton Brothers Cheese and Oyama Sausage Co. are must-stops. “Try the Kazu Coppa sausage, a collaboration with an artisan sake maker, or the duck truffle pate,” says Ng.

After meandering through the market, pop into locally owned shops for hand-dyed indigo textiles and locally penned books, at places like Allison Wonderland, Upstart & Crow, Maiwa, and Kids Market.

Afternoon: Shop in a hippie haven and stroll past Indigenous public art

From Granville Island, walk up West Fourth Avenue deeper into the Kitsilano neighborhood and watch out for locals brandishing yoga mats and bike helmets. Once a hippie haven in the ’60s, the area epitomizes Vancouver’s outdoorsy, active culture, making it a great place to people-watch while grabbing a matcha and a doughnut at Their There. Stop at Anian, an upcycled Vancouver Island slow-fashion company, for one of their wool button-ups and a beanie—practically a West Coast uniform. “Eat at Maenam for refined Thai food,” recommends Ng. “I love the tom kha soup and halibut green curry.”

Afterward, pop in a taxi or Uber and head farther west to reach the University of British Columbia campus and visit the Museum of Anthropology, dedicated to the art and culture of First Nations peoples. “Visit the museum, but walk the land that surrounds it too—and if the Haida House is open, I highly recommend going inside,” says Camille Georgeson-Usher, senior curatorial advisor on Indigenous art at the Vancouver Art Gallery. “UBC also has a significant collection of Indigenous public artworks.” Cross the street to the Belkin Art Gallery for its Decolonization Tour to discover them.

Evening: Grab a sunset slice

One of my favorite things to do in Kitsilano is grab a wood-fired Margherita pizza to go from Nook and savor a slice on Kits or Jericho beaches as the sun sets over the water.

HTCadmin

https://chinatowngirl.ca
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