It is a real pleasure to interview Ricky Shetty of Daddy Blogger about his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Ricky has a real passion for Vancouver and his tips for the best things to do in Vancouver are full of amazing food from a variety of ethnicities and fun things to do in the city, on the water, and up in the mountains.
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Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver is just north of the Canadian border from Seattle. It has been the host of internationally renowned events like Expo ’86 and the 2010 Winter Olympics. Vancouver is an ethnically diverse city and home to one of the largest Chinese populations outside of China.
Because Vancouver is in the Pacific Northwest, it does rain about 8 months out of the year. Ricky suggests visiting between May and August for the best weather.
We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out Tourism Vancouver, the local convention and visitor’s bureau. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests.
Best things to do in Vancouver
Here are some of the best things to do in Vancouver according to our local expert, Ricky Shetty. And I’ve added some additional options based on my research and places I’ve visited.
- BC Place – where the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening & Closing ceremonies were held. Also where the Olympic medals were awarded.
- Canada Place – come here to see the 2010 Winter Olympics torch.
- Capilano Suspension Bridge – a fun place to explore and climb the suspension bridges among the treetops. It’s almost like you’re a squirrel or a bird when you’re so high up in the trees.
- Deep Cove – is the geographic name of the small bay beside the town. It is affectionately referred to as “The Cove” by local residents.
- Granville Island – is a peninsula and shopping district. The Public Market is open daily from 9 am to 7 pm. There are more than 50 independent food purveyors which contribute to the appeal as a renowned culinary destination.
On the pier at Granville Island.
- Grouse Mountain – snowboarding, ziplines, and more make this a year-round destination. Take the gondola to get to the top.
- Lions Gate Bridge Road – Ricky’s favorite way to get to North Vancouver. It is a beautiful bright and you drive through Stanley Park with spectacular views of the city, ocean, and mountains.
- Museum of Anthropology – located on the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus. It is a place of world arts and cultures with a special emphasis on the First Nations peoples and other cultural communities of British Columbia, Canada.
- Science World at TELUS World of Science – a fun place to experiment with science and nature for children of all ages.
- Sea To Sky Highway – explore the Pacific Northwest scenery as you drive from Vancouver to Whistler. Two-hour drive between these two cities.
- Stanley Park – Vancouver’s first, largest, and most beloved urban park. There are over 27 km of trails to explore.
Fall fun in Stanley Park.
- Vancouver International Airport – take the SkyTrain for a cheap and quick way to get from the airport to downtown.
- Whistler – amazing skiing and snowboarding here. This is the location of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Here’s a short list of the current events happening in Vancouver that you can buy tickets for.
Looking for other things to do? Here are the top 10 sightseeing tickets and packages for Vancouver.
Or, you can buy one of the Lonely Planet books, which are another excellent resource. Their current promo offers 3 books for the price of two.
Best places to eat in Vancouver
When you’re in Vancouver, it is like visiting the United Nations. There are so many amazing places to eat, with representatives from around the world. One of the most popular Canadian delicacies is called “poutine.” Poutine starts out with a basket of crispy french fries, topped with gravy, with some cheese curds added on top. The heat of the fries and gravy melts the cheese curds and the result is a delicious savory mix of tastes.
Ricky says that there are distinct areas in Vancouver that you should visit for the best places to eat in Vancouver based on the ethnic food you are seeking out. We have all of Ricky’s tips and more listed below.
- Burnaby Neighborhood – concentration of Chinese, great places for Chinese food.
- Commercial Drive – high concentration of Italians, so come here for tasty pizza and pasta.
- Coquitlam Neighborhood – this is THE place for Korean food.
- Glowbal (reviews) – Ricky’s favorite place for happy hour. They have multiple restaurants under the brand Glowbal Group.
- Italian Kitchen (reviews) – simple ingredients create the ultimate in fresh, classic Italian dishes. They offer time-tested favorites with a touch of European luxury.
- Kitsilano Neighborhood – if you love Greek food, come to Kitsilano.
- La Belle Patate Vancouver (reviews) – Ricky’s favorite place to get poutine, a flavorful concoction of french fries covered in gravy and melted cheese curds.
- Rocky Mountain Flatbread (reviews) – Ricky suggests coming here for a unique experience. You can actually make your own pizza. From rolling the dough to adding the toppings, you are the chef!
- Surrey Neighborhood – a lot of Indians here, so this is the best place for Indian food.
- Tomahawk Restaurant (reviews) – a Native-themed restaurant with totem poles and many historical artifacts to educate people about the rich history of Canada’s indigenous people.
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Uncle Fatih’s Pizza (reviews) – a great place to grab a slice of pizza while on the go.
Best places to stay in Vancouver
When you come to visit this city north of the border, here are the best places to stay in Vancouver.
- Best Western Plus Plus Chateau Granville Hotel & Suites & Conference Ctr. (reviews) – this Best Western category 6 hotel is 28,000 points per night.
- Days Inn by Wyndham Vancouver Downtown (reviews) – With Wyndham Rewards, any hotel is available for a fixed 15,000 per night.
- Delta Hotels by Marriott Vancouver Downtown Suites (reviews) – this Marriott Rewards category 5 hotel is 30,000 to 40,000 points per night.
- Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Vancouver (reviews) – stay in the heart of the city at this Hilton Honors category 6 property. It will range between 30,000 and 50,000 points per night.
- Holiday Inn & Suites North Vancouver (reviews) – this IHG Rewards category 4 property is 25,000 points per night.
- Hyatt Regency Vancouver (reviews) – this World of Hyatt category 3 hotel is 12,000 points per night. If you have the Hyatt credit card, you can use the annual free night certificate here.
- Park Inn & Suites by Radisson Vancouver, BC (reviews) -this Radisson Rewards category 4 hotel is 38,000 points per night.
AirBnB is also a great option. Use our referral link to get $40 off your first AirBnB stay.
For other hotel options and prices for the best places to stay in Vancouver, use Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline, Travelocity, or TripAdvisor.
If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.
Getting around Vancouver
The local airport is Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which is south of the city. You can easily take the SkyTrain from the airport for a quick, convenient, and affordable ride to Vancouver’s downtown area. Use our Expedia tool below to find flight, hotel, and rental car options.
There are many options for public transit in Vancouver:
- SkyTrain offers 3 lines (Canada, Millenium, and Expo) to get to the popular areas of the city. These trains levitate and are driverless. They’re controlled by a central command.
- SeaBus is a passenger-only ferry that crosses the Burrard Inlet to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver. Ricky says the SeaBus offers great views of the Vancouver skyline.
- AquaBus is a small passenger ferry that makes stops up and down False Creek every 15 minutes. Ricky recommends taking the AquaBus to Granville Island, Kitsilano, English Bay, and Science World.
Ricky says that, if you’re staying downtown, there’s no need to rent a car. Uber and Lyft are excellent ways to get around.
If you need to rent a car, click here for the best offers from Avis, Budget, or Hertz.
If you only need a car for a couple of hours, you can rent by the hour with Zipcar. Join now to get $25 loaded into your account.
The Final Countdown
1) If a traveler could only have one meal in Vancouver – Ricky’s favorite is the Tomahawk Restaurant (reviews). He loves how they have tremendous food and embraces the history and culture of the indigenous people.
2) Favorite memory of Vancouver – When Ricky’s then-fiance was traveling home from the Philippines, Ricky surprised her with a flash mob at the airport proposal. And it was all caught on video!
The surprise proposal even made it into the Vancouver newspaper.
3) Happiest Happy Hour in Vancouver – Ricky recommends any of the Glowbal (reviews) family of restaurants. Each has distinct flavors on their menus, but they all have tremendous cocktails and food at a great happy hour price from 2 pm to 5 pm.
4) Best place for pepperoni pizza in Vancouver – Rocky Mountain Flatbread
Ricky suggests coming here for a unique experience. You can actually make your own pizza. From rolling the dough to adding the toppings, you are the chef!
Places we talked about on the podcast
Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Ricky Shetty about Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.
- Red dots = best places to eat in Vancouver.
- Green dots = best things to do in Vancouver.
- Yellow dots = best places to stay in Vancouver.
Who is Ricky Shetty?
Ricky Shetty is a digital nomad that has been on a #DaddyBloggerWorldTour since December 2016 with his family. His goal is that his family is the first to visit all 193 United Nations’ recognized countries. Ricky writes children’s books to encourage a love for travel and offers courses to help parents ditch the 9-to-5 and become digital nomads.
Here are a couple of articles that he’s written:
- 6 Ways to Keep Your Car in Excellent Condition for Road Trips
- Cutting Costs While Traveling as a Family of Five
- Visiting Over 100 Cities in Under 1 Year
You can connect with Ricky Shetty at his website and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Click here to download our one-page guide of Ricky’s tips for Vancouver.
Big thanks to today’s podcast sponsor – Credit Land
This episode is brought to you, in part, by Credit-Land.com. Credit Land analyzes all of the credit card offers available to search for the best deals so they can bring you the cards with the biggest bonuses, lowest interest rates, and best benefits.
I use travel credit cards extensively to lower our family’s travel expenses and trust Credit Land to help me know whether I should jump on an offer or let it go. Visit WeTravelThere.com/creditland for more details.
Stay tuned for our next episode
Join us in the next episode when Dan Moyle of The Storytellers Network shares why you must visit Turkeyville when you visit Kalamazoo, Michigan. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.
What’s your favorite part of Vancouver? Let us know in the comment section below or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!
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To see which cities we’ve interviewed and scheduled, please visit WeTravelThere.com/map. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, please submit an application at WeTravelThere.com/guest.
Related episodes
To learn more about the Pacific Northwest, please listen to these other episodes:
- Brunch at the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington with No Mas Coach
- Why Portland, Oregon is known as the Rose City with Liz
- Fort Casey, Whale Watching & Price Sculpture Forest on Whidbey Island, Washington
