Visit Vancouver - The DON'Ts of Vancouver, BC Canada

Vancouver is an Incredible City with Lots of Outdoor Activities, Good Restaurants & Microbreweries. There is so much to do and see in the city that a visitor to Vancouver will have no trouble finding something to do. This video focuses on what tourists should not do in Vancouver. From avoiding the Downtown East Side to Not forgetting the extra layers if you are going whale watching we cover the best and the worst don'ts of visiting Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Filmed in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Copyright Mark Wolters 2018

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[smegheadtacos]

Walter, glad you came to our city man. Keep up the good work.
Vancouver is a great place to live and visit.

I was born and raised in Vancouver and the surrounding area, and I live here to this day

East van, it can be a sketchy area, DEPENDING on where you are. The trouble area people are talking about is about a 3 block radius on a single street, east Hastings.
If you walk 1-2 blocks away from that area you hit some of the richest areas in Vancouver, including gastown. If your visiting Vancouver, be aware of this, and don’t let it stop you from visiting all the clubs, bars, restaurants, stores, and event centres that rub shoulders with that area. It’s perfectly safe

The shoe thing is the exception not the rule. Most people are perfectly fine with shoes on in the home.

A lot of people and local restaurants go to Granville island for fresh produce, meat, and beer brewed right on the island. I’d recommend seeing show while your there. We have an art college on Granville island so there’s often unique shows that happen there. Last year while I was down there buying some locally raised pork belly from the market I saw a one man Batman show for example.
It is not just for tourists
I’d say the only place that is strictly touristy is gastown.

Want to enjoy Canada’s cultural mosaic? Hit china town, or the Richmond nightmarket

Vancouver island
a ferry ride away and worth seeing. I’d rent a vehicle when you get onto the island and spending a day in tofino. Tofino is a fishing and surfing community and is well worth the visit.
Of course there is also Victoria, British Columbia’s capital. Lots to see here, manors (which tourism will tell you are castles), gardens, amazing food, high tea at the empress hotel, whale watching, fishing, clubs, pubs, LOTS of shopping. It’s worth 2-3 nights for sure.

Kelowna
It’s a 4-5 hour drive through the mountains from Vancouver. It’s a stunning drive that can be hazardous in the winter. In the summer the roads are fine. Take the coquihalla highway.
There are places to stop and get out along the way to stretch your legs and enjoy the sights.
Eventually rainforests will give way to a much drier climate.
Once there, Kelowna has some of the nicest lakeside beaches in B.C.
It’s a much smaller community than Vancouver but because of that it has a little more charm (that does not mean that is is a small city).
There is lots of shopping and food but the beaches and the water sports are the main show here.
Go parasailing, hit a casino, take in a show. Lots to do in Kelowna. I make the drive about 4 times a year. My grandparents moved there after they found the lack of moisture (read less rain) helped with their arthritis.

Everyone has access to tripadvisor so I’m just gonna make a few personal recommendations off the top of my head:








Any falafel, donair, japadog, or poutine shop.

Food trucks are big in Vancouver and are always worth a gander
















That’s just the very tip of the iceberg.
I’d suggest looking at ticket master and stub hub before you come to get a better idea what shows are being put on at the big theatres and concert halls.

[moriahwax]

You absolutely do NOT need to taxi to UBC. Most of the Westbound bus lines end at UBC, and if you're coming from downtown, you can take the 44 (on weekdays) or the 4 or 14, or if you're closer to the Canada Line, you can take it to Olympic Village and take the 84, or to Broadway (one of the East/West main arteries) and take the 99. Once you're on the campus, if you're trying to get to The Museum of Anthropology (and you don't want to walk), just grab a C18/C20 (bus fare lasts for 90 min) and it'll drop you off right in front. There are also, like 4 other museums on the campus, not to mention beautiful gardens and other things to explore, so I would absolutely take some time to do it on foot.

[danil.]

I'm from Vancouver and you're spot on. Especially about not skipping the Asian food. You get authentic Asian food without having to travel to Asia. :)

[coccinelle]

Any other Canadians find it unfair how expensive it is to travel within Canada? It’s cheaper to fly to LA or NYC than to most major Canadian cities!!

[FilmHerald]

As a local, very solid advice in this video. It was interesting to hear what a tourist would find noteworthy or distinct about our city.

[HighDmand]

Don’t get in the way of the cyclists. When a grown man shaves his entire body, then wears a full body spandex suit to cut a half second off his 10km ride. They get really angry if you make them slow down. Especially on the Lions Gate Bridge...

[bcbliss]

As someone who has gown up and lived in Vancouver all their life all I can say is that every single piece of advice you gave was spot on. Perfect in fact. Good job. The only thing I would say is that locals love going to Granville Island. I go all the time with my kids.


Again. Sound advice. Nailed it.

[joshyneurotic]

Happy to see you addressed some of the transit issues. I drive the buses and what you said, spot on. There’s always another bus. One thing I would have added, which if your a visitor you wouldn’t even think about, is if your bus is leaving the stop, DONT RUN AFTER IT! You can, and this has happened, fall and fall right into the back wheels. To put it into perspective, there is about a 5 inch gap between the wheelwell and he wheel it’s self.. you can fit in there.. you won’t be alive, but you can fit in there. So yes, please don’t run after the bus.. we don’t want to do the paperwork, our crews don’t want to scrape your carcass out of the wheel well. Also, don’t be afraid to ask the driver for help. If you explain your out of town usually we will accommodate you. Sometimes we’re grumpy, but that goes with the job ;)

Anywho, cheers and happy travelling.

[madeleinegustavson]

Instead of the Capilano Suspension bridge (over $20 a pop) head over to the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in North Van, it's

[noahenns]

As someone who has lived in Vancouver my entire life. You’ve done a great job explaining the do’s and don’ts of our gorgeous city. Everything is 100% accurate.

[mpiercy]

Vancouver is my home town. I’ve lived here and in the suburbs around Vancouver my whole life. I have to say, you absolutely did an amazing job capturing Vancouver and the amazing sights to be seen here. So many people make videos about Vancouver and get so much so wrong. But you did spectacularly. Props to you!

[donwald]

How do we afford the housing? We can't that's how.

[beel]

"How do people afford to live here?!?"

...We don't. We're all just as shocked as you are.

[Qakcle]

Transit tips: if taking buses and trains often, do get a compass card and load some money on it. Don't pay for the bus fare with bills - exact change only. If you're transferring from bus to sky train, compass card has the best deal. Otherwise you need to pay for the bus AND train. They've just added tap credit card payment as of May 22, 2018. So that may be more convenient. Do take off your backpack and move to the back of the bus!

[hikerbq]

Re architecture: dude you're standing in front of an Arthur Erikson building that is world renowned.

[Carguyforlife]

Hey Mark, I wanted to be sure to comeback and say Thank you! My family and I just got back from a trip to Vancouver and this video helped us out greatly.

[Nouvellecosse]

I'm genuinely surprised to hear that taking off your shoes when you come indoors is considered "Canadian". People in other places just walk around the house in their outdoor shoes??

[gssheriff]

Don't rent a car at the airport if your staying downtown. Take Skytrain from airport to downtown. Save at least $50-60 bucks. Also stay near a Skytrain station. Hotels will be cheaper and you will get to downtown faster than driving.

[roachtoasties]

I agree tourists, and most anyone else, should avoid E. Hastings St, and the surrounding neighborhood. If things start looking bad, you've walked too far. Turn around and go back to Gastown. Hotels can get very expensive. An exception is if you don't mind traveling in the off season. Instead of Summer, go in the Fall. The hotels will be cheaper. It will rain more, but that is what umbrellas are far. As you get farther into Fall, there are less tours, so you'll need to plan on doing things on your own, but still doable. As far as snow, I spent several days in Vancouver last December. It did snow, and it stuck around for almost all my visit. It wasn't a huge amount, but it can snow some. Come late Fall into the Winter it can get cold, but not frigid. Last December the temperatures did dip below 0C most mornings. If you bring a decent coat and some gloves, you should be fine.

[ellenatsolcamp]

Every parent should tour the Downtown Eastside with your kids.
Educate yourselves now.
They will never quit school or do drugs. Never.
You are welcome.