Vancouver

Day 1: Thursday

General Information

We spent our first day in Vancouver exploring Grouse Mountain, located just outside the city. After taking the gondola to the top, we enjoyed the grizzly bear habitat and watched the lumberjack show. We then hiked to the actual peak of the mountain to the lookout point. The hike was fairly easy.Additional activities at the peak included a chairlift to the peak, zip lines, ropes courses, and a kids' canopy tour.

Grouse Mountain

Day 2: Friday

We rented bikes at Stanley Park and spent the day exploring the beautiful surroundings. The bike path ran alongside the waterfront, offering stunning views throughout. We stopped at the children's playground and sprinkler park for some fun, as well as at the beach to splash in the water. Then we ventured deeper into the park to enjoy its lush greenery. The ride was flat and scenic!

Stanley Park

Day 3: Shabbos

After a late morning and a delicious meal, we walked along the waterfront at Stanley Park, spending a long time watching the seaplanes coming and going at the nearby seaport.Once Shabbos was over, we visited The Real Canadian Superstore, which has an extensive kosher section, to pick up some melava malka and Chalav Yisroel ice cream.

Day 4: Sunday

We started the day at Lynn Canyon, walking across the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge, where the views of the waterfall and river were incredible. We then strolled alongside the river, admiring its beauty, especially at the natural pools formed by crystal-clear water.

Lynn Canyon suspension bridge

Next, we headed to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, walking along a path that sometimes hung over the cliff edge, offering breathtaking views of the canyon below. This experience is not for the faint of heart! After crossing the bridge, we explored the many mini suspension bridges that connected the trees, with our son joyfully jumping on them to make them shake.

Capilano suspension bridge

Day 5: Monday

We left the hotel early for our drive to Whistler, admiring the majestic mountains and turquoise lakes on both sides of the road.

Upon arriving in Whistler, we met our tour guide and strapped ourselves into a jeep for our ascent. The weather in Whistler is significantly cooler than in Vancouver, so we were glad we brought sweatshirts along!

The jeep took us to the peak of Whistler Mountain, where our guide pointed out the shrinking glaciers along the path. We then descended toward the riverbed, searching for gold in the rocks. We even found some with large chunks of gold embedded in them!

After the tour, we took the gondola up to the mountain peak and then rode the Peak-to-Peak gondola, suspended over the valley between two large mountains. The views at the top were spectacular, and we enjoyed some hikes around the peak.

We later visited a children’s play area nearby with rides and inflatable slides, which our son thoroughly enjoyed.

On the way back to Vancouver, we stopped at Green Lake to take in the stunning views of the green waters surrounded by glacier-capped mountains.

Green Lake

Day 6: Tuesday

We enjoyed another bike ride around Stanley Park, relishing the mountain and water views. We even spotted some starfish along the water’s edge— a first for us!

Afterward, we headed to Granville Island to pick up our boat rental. After a brief lesson on how to operate the boat, we set off. Riding the speedboat was exhilarating, with gorgeous views all around us. The more we drove, the larger the mountains became. The contrast of the green water against the mountains was absolutely stunning, and we especially loved watching a breathtaking Pacific sunset while out on the water.

Day 7: Wednesday

We headed out early again to catch our ferry to Victoria. Once our car was safely on board, we went up to the deck to take in the views of the surrounding water and mountains. The ferry ride itself was beautiful!

Upon arriving in Victoria, we drove to the opposite end of the island for our whale-watching tour. While boarding the boat, we admired the charming houseboats along the docks.

Houseboats in Victoria

The boat ride was incredibly fun, as we jumped over massive waves, giggling and holding our son tight. We got to see whales up close, marveling at their immense size and beauty. We also passed an island with a lighthouse and hundreds of seals sunbathing on the rocks.

Next, we visited Butchart Gardens, strolling through the stunning landscapes. This is not just another botanical garden; it’s something truly spectacular!

Butchart Gardens

Finally, we returned to the ferry for the last ride of the day back to Vancouver, and we were treated to an epic sunset once again.

Day 8: Thursday

On our last day, we treated ourselves and our son to a seaplane adventure! We chose a tourist flight that offered absolutely stunning views of the mountain peaks and lakes surrounding Vancouver, including many glaciers and beautiful blue alpine lakes.

After this breathtaking experience, we headed back to Granville Island to explore the local shops, enjoying some local and native products, as well as spending time at the kids market, and the adventure zone inside of it.

After savoring our last sunset in Vancouver, we made our way to the airport for our flight home.