The basic access tickets, called the Alpine Experience (adults $45, seniors $41, ages 13-18 $26, ages 5-12 $16), are available year-round and give you access to the Skyride, Theatre in the Sky, Lumberjack Show, Birds in Motion, wildlife refuge, and walking trails. To go higher up on the mountain, where the views are even more expansive, purchase a Peak Experience ticket (late May-Oct., adults $49, seniors $45, ages 13-18 $30, ages 5-12 $16), which adds a ride on the Peak Chairlift. The Ultimate Experience (late May-mid-Oct., adults $59, seniors $55, ages 13-18 $40, ages 5-12 $16) includes a visit to The Eye of the Wind, a mountaintop wind turbine. Separate lift tickets are required for skiing and snowboarding.
To incorporate more adventures into your Grouse visit, go zip-lining across the peaks ($75-115, including a Peak Experience ticket) or try paragliding (late June-Sept., $229, includes Peak Experience ticket if booked in advance). Early risers can have breakfast with the bears (8:30am Sat.-Sun. late Mar.-late June and mid-Sept.-mid-Oct., 8:30am daily late June-mid-Sept., adults $65, seniors $60, ages 13-18 $45, ages 5-12 $35, includes Alpine Experience ticket) at the wildlife refuge, a popular activity for families.
Looking for a challenge? An alternative to riding the Skyride to the Peak Chalet is to hike the Grouse Grind, a 1.8-mile (2.9-kilometer) trek up a forested mountain staircase, where you gain an elevation of 2,800 feet (850 meters). The trail isn’t technically difficult, but you’re climbing 2,830 steps, so it’s a workout. Hikers are allowed to walk uphill only and return to the parking area on the Skyride (one-way $10).
In winter, Grouse Mountain has 26 runs for downhill skiing and snowboarding, 14 of which are open at night (you can buy night tickets that are valid 4pm-10pm). It’s the only North Shore ski destination that’s easily accessible by public transportation. While many of the trails are relatively gentle, more advanced skiers should head for the Blueberry Bowl, where you can access more challenging runs from the Olympic Express and Peak Chairs. If you’ve arrived in Vancouver without proper winter clothes, you can rent jackets, snow pants, helmets, and gloves, as well as ski and snowboard gear. Lift tickets (full-day/night adults $61/48, seniors ages 13-18 $45/40, ages 5-12 $25/22, ages 0-4 free) include access to the Alpine Experience activities along with the ski and snowboard runs.
Other winter activities include snowshoeing on four groomed trails or ice-skating on the mountaintop rink. For these activities, if you’re not already buying a lift ticket to ski or snowboard, you need to purchase an Alpine Experience Pass.
The mountain’s fine dining restaurant, The Observatory (604/998-5045, www.observatoryrestaurant.ca; 5pm-10pm daily), in the Peak Chalet, serves seafood, steak, and other west coast fare. Make your dinner reservation in advance to obtain a complimentary Alpine Experience ticket for each member of your party. There are several casual eateries and snack shops on the mountain as well.
You don’t need a car to get to Grouse Mountain. From May through early October, a free shuttle departs from Canada Place every 30 minutes from 9am to 5:30pm (no 2pm departure) and returns from the mountain every 30 minutes from 9:30am to 6:30pm (no 1:30pm departure). Year-round, you can take public transit between downtown and Grouse; take the SeaBus from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay and change to bus 236 for Grouse Mountain, which will drop you at the mountain’s base.
MAP 9: 6400 Nancy Greene Way, North Vancouver, 604/980-9311, www.grousemountain.com; 9am-10pm daily
NEARBY:
▪ Get your thrills swaying high above the ground on the Capilano Suspension Bridge (click here).
▪ Work up a sweat by hiking up The Grouse Grind, known as “Mother Nature’s stairmaster” (click here).
S Capilano Suspension Bridge
Built in 1889, the 450-foot (137-meter) Capilano Suspension Bridge sways 230 feet (70 meters) above the Capilano River in a rainforest park. And yes, it does swing!
treetop trekking at the Capilano Suspension Bridge
Before you cross the bridge, follow the Cliffwalk, a series of boardwalks and stairways cantilevered out over the river. If you’re feeling brave, stand on the glass platform and look down (way down!) into the canyon where the river rushes below.
After you’ve made your way over the suspension bridge, explore the Treetops Adventure, a 700-foot (213-meter) network of gently swaying wooden bridges linking eight treehouse platforms. Many of the surrounding Douglas firs are up to 300 feet (90 meters) tall. Back on the ground, gentle walking trails lead through the rainforest.
Particularly in the summer high season, the least crowded times to visit the bridge are before 11am or after 3pm. Take a free shuttle to the suspension bridge from several locations downtown. Call or check the website for seasonal schedules. By public transportation, take the SeaBus from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay and change to bus 236 for Grouse Mountain. Get off at Ridgewood Avenue, a block from the bridge park.
MAP 9: 3735 Capilano Rd., 604/985-7474, www.capbridge.com; 8:30am-8pm daily late May-early Sept., 9am-6pm daily early Sept.-mid-Oct., 9am-5pm daily mid-Oct.-late Nov., 11am-9pm daily late Nov.-early Jan., 9am-5pm daily early Jan.-mid-Mar., 9am-6pm daily mid-Mar.-late Apr., 9am-7pm daily late Apr.-late May; adults $40, seniors $37, students $33, ages 13-16 $27, ages 6-12 $14
Lynn Canyon Park
The 617-acre (250-hectare) Lynn Canyon Park is a little farther from downtown than the Capilano bridge, but it has its own suspension bridge built back in 1912—and it’s free.
Hiking trails wend through the park, including the 30 Foot Pool Trail and the Twin Falls Trail, which both lead to popular swimming areas (bring your bathing suit); both trails are easy and are 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) long, starting from the suspension bridge. The Ecology Centre (3663 Park Rd., North Vancouver, 604/990-3755, www.lynncanyonecologycentre.ca, 10am-5pm daily June-Sept., 10am-5pm Mon.-Fri., noon-4pm Sat. Sun. Oct.-May, donation $2) has kid-friendly exhibits about the region’s plants and animals.
To get to the park by public transit, take the SeaBus from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay, then change to bus 228 for Lynn Valley. The bus will drop you off about a 15-minute walk from the park entrance.
MAP 9: Park Rd., North Vancouver, www.lynncanyon.ca; 7am-9pm daily summer, 7am-7pm daily spring and fall, 7am-6pm daily winter; free
Lonsdale Quay
A food and shopping complex overlooking the water adjacent to the SeaBus terminal in North Vancouver, Lonsdale Quay is like a small-scale Granville Island Public Market. Vendors sell fruit, vegetables, seafood, sandwiches, and other prepared foods. Green Leaf Brewing (604/984-8409, www.greenleafbrew.com) makes craft beer; the Artisan Wine Shop (604/264-4008, www.artisanwineshop.ca) does complimentary wine-tastings.
A new contemporary art museum, the Polygon Gallery, is slated to open in November 2017 on the waterfront at the foot of Lonsdale Street, just east of Lonsdale Quay. It will be the new home for Presentation House Gallery (604/986-1351, http://presentationhousegallery.org), which has exhibited works by Vancouver and international photographers over the past 30 years.
The easiest way to get to Lonsdale Quay from downtown Vancouver is to take the SeaBus from Waterfront Station, a 12-minute ride.
MAP 9: 123 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver, 604/985-6261, www.lonsdalequay.com; 9am-7pm daily
Horseshoe Bay
The seaside village of Horseshoe Bay, 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of downtown Vancouver, is a departure point for BC Ferries’ routes to Bowen Island, Nanaimo (on Vancouver Island), and the Sunshine Coast. It’s a pretty spot for a picnic by the shore or for a quick break when you’re driving between Vancouver and Whistler.
Another reason to visit Horseshoe Bay is to take a two-hour Sea Safari from Sewall’s Marina (6409 Bay St., West Vancouver, 604/921-3474, www.sewellsmarina.com; 11am, 1:30pm, and 4pm Apr.-Oct.; adults $87, seniors and ages 13-18 $77, ages 5-12 $57). These scenic guided wildlife cruises in 30-foot (10-meter) Zodiac-style boats take you through the waters of Howe Sound, where you’ll spot seals and a variety of seabirds. The company offers a shuttl
e ($18 pp round-trip) from downtown Vancouver hotels.
By public transit from downtown Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay, catch bus 257 (Vancouver/Horseshoe Bay Express), along West Georgia Street, which takes you to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal in 45 minutes. The ferry terminal is in the village.
You can generally make the drive from downtown to Horseshoe Bay in 30-35 minutes. Allow extra time if you’re catching a ferry, since traffic congestion can cause delays. Returning to the city can take longer, too, since traffic often backs up on the West Vancouver side of the Lions Gate Bridge entrance.
MAP 9: Off Highway 1 West, West Vancouver
RESTAURANTS
Highlights
Downtown and the West End
Gastown and Chinatown
Yaletown and False Creek
Granville Island
Kitsilano
UBC and Point Grey
Cambie Corridor
Commercial Drive
Richmond
The North Shore
What should you eat in Vancouver? As in any major North American city, Vancouver restaurants span the globe, serving meals that take cues from Italy, France, Spain, China, Japan, and more. But here’s what Vancouver does best.
Vancouver is known for seafood, particularly salmon, halibut, oysters, and spot prawns, caught in regional waters. The city’s restaurants have embraced the “eat local” movement, so look for seasonal produce and locally raised meats. With a large Asian population, Vancouver has some of the best Chinese food in North America, as well as good Japanese and Korean fare. Vancouverites say, only half in jest, that the city has a sushi bar on every corner. Many non-Asian restaurants incorporate Pacific Rim influences in their dishes.
Son-in-Law Egg at Yaletown’s House Special
Vancouver’s most innovative restaurants are in Gastown, Chinatown, and along Main Street. In the West End, you’ll find a concentration of noodle shops, izakayas, and other Asian eateries. For the region’s top Chinese food, head to the suburb of Richmond, which has hundreds of Asian dining spots, both large and small.
British Columbia wines, from the Okanagan Valley or Vancouver Island, are good accompaniments to most Vancouver meals, as are regionally brewed craft beers. Plenty of bartenders have adopted an “eat local” philosophy, too, incorporating locally grown herbs, house-made bitters, and other fresh ingredients into creative cocktails and alcohol-free drinks.
HIGHLIGHTS
S MOST GLAM PIZZA SPOT: Nightingale serves gourmet pizzas in a buzzing dining room (click here).
S LIVELIEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT: Guu Garden is a spirited spot for Japanese tapas, even before they break out the sake (click here).
S BEST GLOBAL JOURNEY: From waffles in the morning to moules frites at night, Chambar takes you from Belgium to North Africa (click here).
S BEST REASON TO GO TO JAIL: L’Abbatoir is located on the site of Vancouver’s first prison (click here).
S MOST IMAGINATIVE CUISINE COUPLING: At Kissa Tanto, the chef draws on Japanese and Italian flavors to craft creative dishes (click here).
S BEST SEAFOOD WITH A VIEW: Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio is one of the city’s most scenic restaurants (click here).
S TOP THAI: Maenam impresses with its modern cuisine and contemporary cocktails (click here).
S WHERE CHOCOLATE LOVERS FIND BLISS: The chocolate is rich, dark, and homemade at Chocolate Arts (click here).
S WHERE TO WOO A WINE LOVER: The lengthy wine list makes West the oenophile’s choice (click here).
S WHERE TO TAKE YOUR FAVORITE VEGETARIAN: At The Acorn, you’ll find interesting plant-based fare (click here).
S BEST PIE: The Pie Shoppe bakes up delicious sweet things in a crust (click here).
S TOP CANTONESE DINING: High-end Bamboo Grove has an elaborate menu emphasizing fresh seafood (click here).
S BEST PLACE TO SET YOUR MOUTH ON FIRE: For fiery Chinese fare, plan a meal at New Spicy Chili Restaurant (click here).
S WHERE TO EAT LAMB, AND LOTS OF IT: Hao’s Lamb Restaurant uses every part of the sheep (click here).
S BEST DIM SUM: Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant prepares traditional and innovative dim sum (click here).
PRICE KEY
$ Entrées less than CAN$15
$ $ Entrées CAN$15-25
$ $ $ Entrées more than CAN$25
Downtown and the West End Map 1
MODERN CANADIAN
Hawksworth Restaurant $$$
In a chandelier-bedecked space at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia downtown, sophisticated Hawksworth Restaurant attracts expense-account diners, couples celebrating occasions, and gourmets savoring a fine meal with solicitous service. From the foie gras to wagyu flank steak to lobster with Korean rice cakes, it’s all about the luxe ingredients in the regionally influenced contemporary fare. If the dinner prices are too rich, splurge on a leisurely lunch or a light bites at the bar.
MAP 1: 801 W. Georgia St., 604/673-7000, www.hawksworthrestaurant.com; 6:30am-10:30am, 11:30am-2pm, and 5pm-10pm Mon.-Thurs., 6:30am-10:30am, 11:30am-2pm, and 5pm-11pm Fri., 7am-2pm and 5pm-11pm Sat., 7am-2pm and 5pm-10pm Sun.
S Nightingale $$
Owned by chef David Hawksworth of the high-end Hawksworth Restaurant, Nightingale sings a slightly less formal song, though you still get the chef’s trademark glamour in the buzzing two-level dining room downtown. The lengthy menu pairs sharing plates and pizzas, teaming up dishes like octopus with capers and fermented chili, maitake mushrooms tossed with pecorino-brown butter and hazelnuts, and fried chicken with preserved lemon yogurt, with straightforward (like cherry tomatoes, basil, and fior di latte) and wilder (like braised beef, kale, and gorgonzola) pies. To drink? Their own “Nighting-ale,” from a local craft brewery.
vibrant vegetables at Nightingale
MAP 1: 1017 W. Hastings St., 604/695-9500, https://hawknightingale.com; 11am-midnight daily
Forage $$
The kitchen team at Forage, the contemporary dining room at the Listel Hotel in the West End, sources ingredients from local farmers, fisherfolk, and, yes, foragers, and crafts them into locavore plates to share. Snack on bison jerky as you sip one of the B.C. craft beers or wines on tap. Then graze on kale salad with caramelized apples, corn risotto, or seared tuna with mushroom “soil.” Centered around a large U-shaped bar, and furnished with lots of natural wood, the restaurant is a good choice for breakfast or brunch, too.
brunch at Forage
MAP 1: 1300 Robson St., 604/661-1400, www.foragevancouver.com; 6:30am-10am and 5pm-late Mon.-Fri., 7am-2pm and 5pm-late Sat.-Sun.
Royal Dinette $$
Styled like a Parisian brasserie, Royal Dinette is a lively spot for inventive farm-to-table dining downtown. Start with a local craft beer or a fun cocktail, like the “Burning Man” (house-made kombucha spiked with your choice of vodka, gin, rum, pisco or cachaça). The kitchen makes its pasta fresh daily, creating dishes like squid ink bucatini with sea urchin butter or celeriac ravioli with Asian pears. With options that might include heirloom carrots with sprouted wheat and crème fraîche, or brussels sprouts with pickled garlic, vegetables get special treatment. And how do you choose from smoked salmon with kohlrabi and caramelized whey, or rhubarb-braised short ribs? Find some willing dining companions and share.
MAP 1: 905 Dunsmuir St., 604/974-8077, https://royaldinette.ca; 11:30am-2pm and 4:30pm-10pm pm Mon.-Fri., 5pm-10pm Sat.
SEAFOOD
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar $$$
Sink into a cream-colored banquette at elegant Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, where the service is polished and dishes like citrus-cured hamachi, roasted sablefish with grilled mushrooms, or lingcod and clams with nori and dashi highlight local seafood in refined Asian-accented preparations. You could stop in for a glass of bubbly and fresh oysters at the long marble bar, too. Boulevard shares its space with the Sutton Place Hotel downtown.
MAP 1: 845 Burrard St., 604/642-2900, www.boulevardvancouver.ca; 6:30am-11pm daily
YEW Seaf
ood + Bar $$$
The menus change with the seasons at YEW Seafood & Bar, in the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver downtown, but you’ll always find a variety of options from the sea, perhaps wild salmon with watercress and leeks, a Niçoise salad with fresh albacore, or a traditional bouillabaisse. It’s a stylish setting for a business lunch, festive dinner, or drinks with seafood small plates. Surprisingly, YEW also offers an upscale vegan menu.
MAP 1: 791 W. Georgia St., 604/692-4939, www.yewseafood.com; 7am-2:30pm and 5pm-10pm daily
CHINESE
Dinesty Dumpling House $$
Watch the dumpling makers at work at Dinesty Dumpling House, and that’s what you should order, too: Shanghai-style soup dumplings, pan-fried pork buns, and steamed vegetable and egg dumplings. Handmade noodles, fresh greens with garlic, and the unusual omelet with pickles are also tasty choices in this bustling West End eatery, where the tables are packed in tightly. They also have several locations in Richmond.
MAP 1: 1719 Robson St., 604/669-7769, www.dinesty.ca; 11am-3pm and 5pm-10pm Mon.-Fri., 11am-10pm Sat.-Sun.
Peaceful Restaurant $$
Visit this simple and friendly local chainlet for northern Chinese dishes, including hand-pulled noodles, lamb, and dumplings. Try the mustard seed salad (carrots, celery, and vermicelli in a mustardy dressing), the Xinjiang cumin lamb, or the “cat ear” stir-fried noodles, shaped like orecchiette and tossed with vegetables and pork. Peaceful Restaurant has several other locations across town.
Moon Vancouver Page 9