A wonderful getaway to British Columbia(BC)

This July fourth weekend we visited British Columbia, Canada.

Perfect getaway – mountain ranges, wonderful waterfalls, hiking trails, wildlife, lively downtowns…..

It all started with planning a rail trip to Vancouver after being inspired by the experience posted by Mona and Purvesh.

However after doing some more research and talking to people around we ruled out rail travel. Only because there was lots to do and we only had five days.

However after visiting this place rail travel is for sure on our to-do list.

How did we reach Vancouver?

We took a flight from SFO to Seattle and drove from Seattle to Vancouver.

This was only because for a family of 4 tickets to Seattle were cheaper.

Its a 3 hour drive from Seattle to Vancouver plus the time to cross the border approximately add another hour.

Border crossing was very easy they did not check anything except valid immigration status and related documents (passports and green cards). We could actually take fruits across the border!

There is a park and a monument Peace Arch Monument at the US-Canada Border. We saw people taking some pictures and strolling around there.

What did we do in BC?

We covered three cities – Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler.

Vancouver is a city of mountains, water and parks…..wherever you look you can find atleast one or all of it!

Bustling downtown with huge variety of restaurants and shopping.

We visited Capilano Suspension Bridge. 450 ft (137m) long, 230 ft (70m) high Capilano Suspension Bridge, Treetops Adventure and the exciting new Cliffwalk make this a very popular tourist attraction.

10 mins from the Suspension bridge is the famous Grouse Mountains. Breathtaking panoramic views of the city, sea and surrounding mountains unfold, culminating with a summit altitude of 4,100 feet. This place enjoys the status of  Vancouver’s most visited attraction. Variety of summer activities to do – zip lines, year round Gondola ride, enjoy some shows, watch a movie in Theatre in the sky, hike, spot some wildlife and the list goes on. You can easily spend half a day here depending on what activities you choose.

Next was Stanely park – Vancouver’s first, largest, and most beloved urban park! Just amazed by the size of the park (1000 acres) right in middle of Vancouver. This park offers everything – history, nature, culture, variety of food in and around the park. There are just amazing biking and hiking trails, paid swimming pools and water parks, beach fronts, children’s play areas. You can plan to spend one whole day here if you have the time.

It was 9.00 PM on Sunday evening and the park was packed with families enjoying barbecue dinner and the beautiful sunset.

Granville Market a beautiful marketplace with lots of stores offering variety of handicrafts and novelty products. They have a free waterpark for the kids. Public Market Place offers a fascinating assortment of colourful stalls, showcasing unique homemade products and the very finest in gastronomic delights. All fresh from the ocean, the oven or the field. It was a feast….we enjoyed the fudges, freshly baked bagels, variety of olives and spreads, teas and fresh fruits.

We went to Punjabi Market in Vancouver downtown…..but were disappointed with the food! Nothing as compared to Bay Area 🙂

Whistler

We drove from Vancouver to Whistler (approx 120 Kms).

Well this was the best part of our tour – Sea to Sky Highway!

If you thought Route 1 was beautiful just wait to drive down the Sea To Sky Highway!

Scenic ocean vistas, soaring mountains, dramatic waterfalls, bustling communities and parks all along the way. Regret that we do not rent a RV here and camp at one of the campgrounds on the Highway. Probably next time 🙂

We also visited Britannia Mining Museum on the way. They had a guided tour and a short movie on the mine which was lifeline of Britannia town between 1904 -1974. This was really good.

We stopped at the  location of  Winter Olympics 2010.

However we spent so much time on the way that we reached Whistler around 5.00 PM and missed the peak to peak Gondola. They close down at 5.00 PM which was surprising as most places were open till 8.00 PM during summer.

Whistler town is beautiful. Biking is the best way to really enjoy the town.

At the base of the Gondola there were kids related rides and of course our little ones had fun there. We drove back to Vancouver the same day.

Victoria

We took a ferry from Vancouver to goto Victoria- the capital of British Columbia. Having said that Victoria has lot of museums and historic buildings in addition to exhilarating views – an ocean or mountain (or both!) vista around every corner, and the city’s flower gardens are famous the world over.

We booked a Whale tour which was about 4 hours long and then headed to beautiful Butchart gardens. The garden is in full bloom throughout the year. Since we visited the park on Summer Saturday we could enjoy the spectacular fireworks after the sunset.

The whole experience on the ferry was also very pleasant. You can take your car on the ferry. Ferry was like a mini cruise with – Shopping center, multiple cafeteria, kids play area. There are ferries running every hour or so between Seattle and Victoria and between Vancouver and Victoria.

Canada is expensive. Food was at least 30% more expensive than the cost we pay in California. A Chipotle burrito bowl that costs $5.95 in Calif costs us $8.95 in Vancouver. Considering the conversion rate $1= Can$1.07 this is expensive. Every tour or activity was expensive as compared to Hawaii or some other holiday spot in US.

But it is also very beautiful….long sunny days(sunsets at 9.30 PM), cool breeze at night, and exhilarating scenery  made this a wonderful trip.