Vancouver offers a unique blend of urban sophistication and natural beauty, making it a captivating destination.
City Highlights Tour and Lookout (Photo courtesy of GetYourGuide.com)
When seen through the lens of a guided city tour, one can immerse oneself in the vibrant tapestry of Vancouver’s culture, history and breathtaking landscapes. These experiences reveal the hidden gems and stories of Vancouver. We’ve curated a list to help you choose the tour that meets your needs. Selected from tours highly ranked by enthusiastic travelers, our selection encompasses a diverse range of options, including two bus tours, a bike tour, a walking tour and multi-activity tour. These tours are poised to unveil the heart and soul of Vancouver in a way that will enrich your travel experience.
City Highlights Tour and the Lookout
Hop on board the Gray Line Westcoast Sightseeing bus for a 4.5-hour tour introducing the city and its stunning views. The professional tour guide introduces such iconic landmarks as Canada Place, the Olympic Cauldron and Robson Street. Winding through Vancouver, the bus drives by historic and modern architectural wonders before stopping at the 1,000-acre Stanley Park. The visit there is an opportunity to see historic First Nations Totem Poles and take in the ever-changing rainforest and shoreline scenery. After the park, the tour visits English Bay and Granville Island Market. The latter is a place where all food, art and music are locally produced. Next up are explorations of Chinatown and the historic Gastown. The tour ends at the Vancouver Lookout with an elevator ride 553 feet above the city streets where participants can get an incomparable view of the ocean, the lush Coastal Mountains and the city lights. From $65.69 per person.
Highlights Tour with Lookout and Capilano Bridge
Highlights Tour with Lookout and Capilano Bridge (Photo courtesy of GetYourGuide.com)
With so much to see and do in Vancouver, it isn’t easy to take it all in. It’s why Landsea Tours & Adventures offers a 6.5 hour comprehensive bus tour that lets participants explore Vancouver’s hotspots and visit special landmarks. It’s a tour that features both a sky-high view of the city from the Vancouver Lookout and an immersion into nature with a walk along the Capilano Suspension Bridge where you can look down at the trees through the glass floors of the Cliffwalk. For 90 minutes, participants will get to wander the suspension bridge to take in the best that the forest has to offer. The fully narrated bus tour meanders through the Gastown district, Chinatown, Vancouver Harbor and Granville Island. Participants will get to spend time on the sandy beaches of English Bay, viewing the Stanley Park totem pole display and wandering around the Granville Island art community. From $123 per person.
Vancouver Bicycle Tour
Vancouver Bicycle Tour (Photo courtesy of GetYourGuide.com)
For those seeking a more physically active tour, Cycle City Tours invites visitors to take a five-hour spin. With sights of friendly beavers and towering trees, the guided tour begins with a leisurely ride through the world-famous Stanley Park, including along the stunning seawall and all the forested trails within the park. Next, participants cycle through English Bay, soaking up the beaches and ocean views. Growling stomachs will get tended to as the tour arrives in Granville Island for a 45-minute break to find lunch and take in the local art. Traveling along False Creek’s seawall, cyclists will hear stories about Expo ’86 and the 2010 Winer Olympics as the tour passes by the Olympic Village complex and Science World. Spinning through Chinatown and Gastown, the guide will speak of the city’s beginnings as a logging outpost. After a brief stop at Vancouver’s first pub, the cyclists will return to the marinas and waterfront as the tour ends. From $84.47 per person.
Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour
For those seeking the less-told tales of the city, Forbidden Vancouver offers several walking tours that delve into darker side led by an insider, expert guide. This walking tour features a 2-hour exploration of the secrets of Stanley Park, a place with dark forested trails, historic totem poles, a famous sea wall, bizarre public art and notorious crime scenes. Participants start at the Vancouver Aquarium and then take a little-used path through the forest to visit such landmarks as Coal Harbour, the Lions Gate Bridge and Deadman’s Island. The guide shares stories of Captain George Vancouver and the4 tragic history of the island. After a photo opportunity and bathroom break at the totem poles, the tour meanders through the park to show off its art, the seawall and a long-lost cemetery. It’s then time to head into the groves of giant trees, some of which are centuries old. It’s a chance to travel trails that few tourists know about, even taking in a long-lost indigenous village known as Whoi Whoi. From $27.68 per person.
5 Days in Vancouver Multiactivity Adventure Tour
5 days in Vancouver tour (Photo courtesy of GetYourGuide.com)
With so much to do in Vancouver, why limit a tour to a single day? Globalduniya Canada wants to pair visitors with a guide who loves Vancouver so that they can embark on a 5-day adventure where the can experience the best the city has to offer. The multi-activity tour is designed for adventure-seeking travelers who want to experience the beauty of Canadian nature. Travelers will get to visit crystal-clear lakes, ancient old-growth forests and cascading waterfalls, some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the area. Encompassing visits to iceberg-dotted rivers and some of the oldest national parks, visitors will get to watch wildlife and traverse across the Suspension Bridge Walk. The guide will impart the history of Canada’s indigenous tribes on a visit to Vancouver Island. Activities on other days include a visit to Mountains Cultus Lake Waterpark, a whale-watching trip and a sunset dinner cruise. From $2,110,88 per person.