How to Enjoy One Day Travelling in Vancouver

Vancouver is often cited as one of the most beautiful and livable cities in the world. And it really is. It's also one of the major departure ports for Alaska cruises. So if you're connecting with a cruise ship here, a side trip around Vancouver before you sail makes a great bonus for your vacation. I'm forever running into tourists from the states who've just flown in that morning, are leaving on a ship the next morning, and are looking for ways to enjoy the city quickly and on foot. (Maybe they can sense my "American-ness" and figure I'm a good person to ask.)

So let's set up a likely scenario. (Pull up a Google map of Vancouver and play along.) If your hotel room came as part of your package, your hotel's probably downtown. If you're doing it yourself, that's where you want to be because that's where Canada Place is, and that's where the cruise ships dock. So your plane landed in Richmond fairly early local time, you've taken a rather lengthy cab ride downtown, checked in, gotten some local currency from the concierge, and here you are in downtown Vancouver with the rest of a lovely summer day to spend, and you don't have a car.

Fortunately, Vancouver has a very good public transit system. Fares are $2.50 per person, and that gets you a ticket that's good across the system for 90 minutes, so you can transfer buses if you need to. If you don't spend much time someplace, you might even be able to get back on the same ticket. Check the expiration time printed on the edge before you throw yours away. But in general figure on $5 a person round trip bus fare. When changing money, be sure to get a supply of Toonies (Canada's $2 coin) and quarters.

You've got time to do two, maybe three things if you're quick. And you're going to want to have a good dinner. So here are some options that won't make you waste your day getting from place to place, and will give you the best experience of the city in a short time.