hello
we are 3 couples from Israel arriving to Vancouver by car from Camloop on july 26 probably arround 2 pm after a week at the canadian Rockies ( Banff and Jasper). we are boarding a cruise to Alaska on july 28 in the afternoon. so we have 2 nights and about 1 and a half days to see the city. we will have the car with us. we booked an hotel at the holiday inn express on EAST HASTINGS STREET.
do we have time to cross to victoria island on a 1 day trip on july 27?
we would appreciate any recomendations as what to see. since we are coming after 1 week in the nature, i guess we would concentrate on the city itself. i saw that there are few night markets? what are the diferences between them and which ones are recomended?
thanks for the help
giora

The HI Express that you are staying at is located out of the downtown area. It is very near the PNE fairgrounds. The area is ok, not the nicest in the city but will probably do for what you need it for. There is nothing to do in that particular area. You are right on a bus line to downtown so you can take the bus, about a 25 minute ride. As for Victoria, yes you can do it in one day but it will be a long long trip and if you take your car costly also. Since you are coming in the height of the tourist season you would be wise to make ferry reservations for the car otherwise you could sit at the ferry pier waiting for a sailing that could accommodate you. You might be better off forgetting about Victoria and concentrating on Vancouver. Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, Granville Island, perhaps Grouse Mountain if it is a clear beautiful day, and if you like shopping Metrotown. You might look at the difference in price between the HI Express you are staying in and the one located right at Metrotown, you might find it nicer and more convenient.

thanks a lot for your answer
there is almost 50 % diference in the price between these 2 HI express so i guess we will stick to the first one. we will have a car and gps, so i hope it will not be too dificult to find our way arround. we will only use the hotel to sleep few hours .
i saw that the cost of a ferry to victoria with our car will be arround 240 $ for the 6 of us. i understand that it will be a long day, but the question is it worth it? i was especially thinking about the Butchart gardens.
i think that we will visit granville island on the afternoon and evening that we arrive on juky 26.
the next day we are debating about victoria or stay in vancouver and visit stanley gardens and Grause mountains and finish with dinner at chaina town.
the third day in the morning we can go to Metrotown for shopping before boarding the cruise ship.
what do you think?
giora

thanks a lot for your answer
there is almost 50 % diference in the price between these 2 HI express so i guess we will stick to the first one. we will have a car and gps, so i hope it will not be too dificult to find our way arround. we will only use the hotel to sleep few hours .
i saw that the cost of a ferry to victoria with our car will be arround 240 $ for the 6 of us. i understand that it will be a long day, but the question is it worth it? i was especially thinking about the Butchart gardens.
i think that we will visit granville island on the afternoon and evening that we arrive on juky 26.
the next day we are debating about victoria or stay in vancouver and visit stanley gardens and Grause mountains and finish with dinner at chaina town.
the third day in the morning we can go to Metrotown for shopping before boarding the cruise ship.
what do you think?
giora

My personnal opinion and I am sure that others in Vancouver would perhaps disagree but for the price and the time you have to spend, I don't think Victoria is worth the the time. I would stick to Vancouver and the surrounding area, I think you will find plenty to do and see. You won't need your car in Vancouver, you can buy a day pass for the buses, Vancouver downtown is pretty compact, Granville Island, Stanley Park, etc can be reached by public transportation. There is a lot of road construction in Vancouver, and traffic and drivers are awful. You could take the Sea Bus across the harbour and then a bus to the foot of Grouse Mountian and then take the cable car to the top, a great trip, and it is beautiful. Again, forget about Victoria and see Vancouver.

Victoria Island is nice, but for more than a daytrip, let alone if you only have 1 and a half days, stay in Van, many places to visit such as Stanley Park, apilano suspension bridge and many more areas

We just happen to be spending 3 days in Vancouver before our Alaskan cruise in September aboard the Carnival Spirit.

The following is what we have planned to do:

Day 1: Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension (both in North Vancouver), Stanley Park...and if time permits, Granville Markets, Chinatown & Gastown.
Day 2: Trip to Whistler on the Whistler Mountaineer returning via floatplane.
Day 3: Trip to Victoria for a whale watch cruise and a city tour.

We will be busy but then we can relax on the cruise. Cant wait.

Hope you guys have a great time.

Cheers
Col & Sue

Did I read it right....saw a special offer for the whislter mountaineer two weeks after booking tickets for the inlaws. Anyway I think I saw something about a $125 return fare in regular class. Certainly worth booking if you're in town and tickets are still available.

Other than that certainly "Victoria" Island is worth skipping if you only have a short amount of time, as is Capilano suspension bridge. Grouse Mountain, granville market, stanley park, Richmond night market, Steveston and any of the beaches are all good choices (and not expensive). As for the HI on East Hastings, why not if you have a car. It's not nicest part of town but fine to rest your head for the night.