Vancouver: Capilano Suspension Bridge VS Grouse Mountain

[melodi1963]

Please offer any help possible on making the most of an afternoon in Vancouver.

 

We will be arriving earily afternoon, the hotel says they will keep our luggage until check in time so we can leave to site see for the afternoon. (great huh?)

 

Should we plan to visit Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain, Stanley Park, or just walk around Downtown Vancouver. The bridge and that sky ride to the mountain look great, but are they worth the price? And can you do both in 1 afternoon?

 

Any help would be great,

Thanks,

[Sopwith]

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is quite close to the Grouse Mountain base station. It is possible to do both in an afternoon, but I would allow at least 4 to 5 hours to get value from both.

 

If you like mountains and panoramic views from high places, go to Grouse. If you like walking trails in a temperate rain forest or on a wiggly suspension bridge over a deep gorge with a river at the bottom, go to Capilano.

 

One word of caution: if the weather is poor, the top of Grouse mountain may be in the clouds.

[ladysheri]

Grouse Mountain is incredible, but like Neil mentions, it could be less than ideal in cloudy weather. Stanley Park is a second choice for us when we visit Vancouver.

[mii]

Also you may try the trolley ride that goes all around Vancouver's main tourist sites. The link is www.vancouvertrolley.com

 

Marilyn

[Fergus]

and will have our kids (12 and 16) with us. Can anyone suggest some fairly specific downtown areas that would be interesting for walking/shopping/dining/etc.? I've read that Vancouver has an interesting Chinatown - what is there to see/do? An article about Granville Island caught my eye also.......what about that? Our kids have never really had a "big city experience" so it should be interesting for them.

 

THANKS!

Libby

[Gardyloo]

Chinatown is enormous and excellent for walking around, poking into the shops, getting good food (dim sum or more conventional - or highly unconventional to unfamiliar palates.)

 

Robson Street is very popular with visitors for high-ish end shopping and noshing, but less eclectic than it used to be.

 

Gastown (the old town area near Canada Place) is tourist central and okay for some walking around.

 

But I think Granville Island would meet your needs best. Some good shopping, a fine market with interesting food stalls and take-away stands, several good restaurants, and great views of the city skyline from the docks. Plenty of diversity and contained enough that you're not wandering around city streets or fighting sidewalk crowds nonstop.

[Fergus]

THanks, Gardyloo......I love your user name! What's the story?

 

Libby

[Gardyloo]

THanks, Gardyloo......I love your user name! What's the story?

 

Libby

It's an old saying from Edinburgh, Scotland, where I used to live. "Watch out for the water" - from French, "regardez l'eau," became "Gardyloo."

 

The occupants of the high tenement buildings in medieval days would yell it out before pitching the contents of the chamberpots out onto the street several floors below.

 

So look out for falling you-know-what.

[melodi1963]

The people on this board are great, and I can't wait to go to all of the places that I've been reading about. :)