The 5 Best Day Trips From Vancouver Canada

Vancouver’s treasure trove of scene-stealing sights has featured in a cavalcade of films, such as Taken (2008), Man of Steel (2013) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), earning it the nickname “Hollywood North.” The city oozes theatrical energy, buzzing with live music during annual indie festivals and dramatic Shakespearean monologues performed on the waterfront. Framed by the colossal snow-dipped mountains and a ribbon of golden beaches, Vancouver is within a short drive to adventures such as kayaking along the Sunshine Coast, stomping through glistening tundras or whizzing down the slopes of a ski resort.

Whistler

A thrillseeker’s playground, Whistler thrives throughout the seasons. As it’s known for its sprawling ski resort, winter months come alive with skiers and snowboarders carving tracks into fresh snow. Summer, meanwhile, sees mountain bikers and hikers swallowed up by dense forests. Its charming village sits at the base of the mountain, kept cozy by flickering fires in rustic cabins and the atomic-orange glow of heat lamps that you can huddle under outside après-ski bars.

1. Whistler Glacier Discovery Tour

Tours, Activities

You can’t get much farther off the beaten track than walking on a glacier. This excursion ventures into the frosty wilderness of the 10,000-year-old Horstman Glacier, taking you across the frozen cascade of glacial moraines and the untouched snow of alpine slopes. Tackling the polar landscape with crampons and ice axes, you will learn how the gargantuan mountain range came about during the last ice age. As you follow your guide, you may also get the chance to glissade (a popular mountaineering technique) down the snow.

Telegraph Cove

Sunshine Coast

Though it may sound like a fictional location in a Mario Kart game, the Sunshine Coast is a spectacular collection of looming mountains, art galleries and rugged hiking trails. Stretching along the southern mainland coast, the region’s diverse landscape is a hub of outdoor activities, such as scuba diving, kayaking, rock climbing and mountain biking. The creative world has also set up shop along its length, dotting the area with open-to-public artist studios and throwing annual arts festivals.

3. Gibsons Sea Kayaking Tour

Tours, Activities

Experience the magic of the Sunshine Coast on this spellbinding kayak tour. Setting off from Gibsons Harbor, you can go solo or partner up in a tandem kayak to paddle along the striking setting of the Georgia Strait. Fringed by craggy mountain peaks and thick forests, the area hides a wealth of wildlife. As you follow your guide, keep your eyes peeled for bald eagles, sea lions, great blue herons and even whales. Be sure to bring your camera to capture the Instagram-worthy views of Howe Sound.

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island lies just off the coast of the mainland, the wild sister of the cosmopolitan city. Bookended by the psychedelic flora of British Columbia’s capital city, Victoria, in the south and the wind-lashed tip of Cape Scott in the north, nature dominates – a chunky mosaic of glaciers, mountain ranges and cloud-canopied valleys cut with creeping rivers and deep lakes. While it’s tempting to get lost in the enticing outdoors, it’s also hard to resist the live music and cocktail bars of the capital.

4. Forest Bathing and Nature Mysticism Tour

Tours, Activities

If you like to be one with nature, then this tour is for you. Strolling through the wild tangle of the rainforest, you will be encouraged to immerse yourself in the healing energies of its sun-dappled ecosystem – listening to it rustle in light winds, smelling the dewy air and touching the gnarled bark of towering trees. You’ll also be taught the philosophies of nature mysticism, which include realizing that you are part of something greater than yourself. By the end, the holistic guide will have led you through a guided visualization exercise, shown you a 650-year-old douglas fir and inspired a better appreciation of nature.

Brentwood Bay

Sitting just north of Victoria, Brentwood Bay’s world-famous Butchart Gardens has put the small village on nomads’ radars. Depending on the season, this otherworldly Eden blooms with wintery lavenders, fiery autumnal shades and kaleidoscopic summer flowers. If the manicured gardens aren’t reason enough to visit, there is a network of hiking trails winding through untouched forest or a variety of pristine golf courses to enjoy.

5. Kayaking in Brentwood Bay

Tours, Activities

Choose between a kayak, canoe or paddleboard, and head out to explore the waters of the Saanich Peninsula. Plunging you into Mother Nature, this tour will take you through sheltered Brentwood Bay to see the abundance of native wildlife, sea creatures and untamed plants that call the area home. While you watch for a splashing seal, luminescent jellyfish or sea-skimming blue heron, your guide will share some anecdotes and show you dramatic views of Vancouver Island’s rugged skyline. It’s an idyllic escape from the city, and you will have ample opportunities to snap pictures of the envy-inspiring landscape.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.