One of the best things about visiting Vancouver is how many incredible places you can explore just outside the city. You can visit mountain towns, scenic coastal drives, waterfalls, alpine viewpoints and rainforest trails, all making great options for day trips from Vancouver.
One of our favourite things about Vancouver is its location. It really is an amazing base for exploring more of British Columbia, and honestly, we think that’s one of the biggest selling points of the city itself!
Whether you’re visiting Vancouver for a few days or planning a bigger British Columbia adventure, these are some of the best places to visit near Vancouver that we think are truly worth the trip.
P.S. While some of these Vancouver day trips can be visited using tours or public transport, having a car gives you far more flexibility. We always use Discover Cars to compare the best car rental prices.
Quick Guide to the Best Day Trips From Vancouver
| Destination | Distance From Vancouver | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Squamish | 1 hour | Waterfalls & mountain scenery |
| Whistler | 2 hours | Adventure & alpine views |
| Victoria | 35 mins – 1.5hrs | Coastal city escape |
| Grouse Mountain | 25 mins | City & mountain views |
| Deep Cove | 30 mins | Kayaking, hikes & cafés |
| Lynn Canyon Park | 25 mins | Rainforest trails |
| Capilano Suspension Bridge | 20 mins | Iconic Vancouver attraction |
Squamish
Located along the famous Sea to Sky Highway, Squamish is easily one of the best day trips from Vancouver. We first visited Squamish on our road trip from the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver and instantly fell in love with the area. From waterfalls and nature trails to cozy cafés and epic mountain viewpoints, there’s so much to experience here.
🚘 Distance from Vancouver: Around 1 hour by car
Below are some of our favourite things to do in Squamish during your Vancouver day trip:
Sea to Sky Gondola
One of the most popular things to do in Squamish is visit the Sea to Sky Gondola. After a short but incredibly scenic ride to the top, you’ll be greeted with panoramic views over Howe Sound, surrounding mountains, and forest-covered landscapes.
There’s also an epic suspension bridge at the top which isn’t to be missed, alongside a cafe and walking trails.
➜ Book your Sea to Sky Gondola tickets here.
Shannon Falls
Located just outside Squamish near the Sea to Sky Gondola, Shannon Falls is one of the most impressive waterfalls near Vancouver and an easy stop along the Sea to Sky Highway. The short walking trail to the falls makes this a great activity for all types of travellers.
Café Scene in Squamish
Do yourself a favour and add these two cafés to your Squamish itinerary: Fox & Oak and Fergie’s Café. Fox & Oak serves up excellent coffee alongside some seriously good doughnuts, perfect for the road trip back to Vancouver! Meanwhile, Fergie’s Café is set amongst the forest just outside Squamish, creating one of the most unique and scenic café settings in the area – think Twilight vibes.
Squamish Canyon
One of the newer attractions in Squamish is the Squamish Canyon Walk, a scenic boardwalk experience through the forest with impressive views over the canyon and Mamquam Falls below.
Watch Our Squamish Travel Guide
We also shared our full experience exploring Squamish in our YouTube travel guide – including waterfalls, scenic viewpoints, cafés, and the Sea to Sky Gondola.
Need currency abroad? Get a FREE Wise Travel Card and spend easily across Europe.
Whistler
Located less than two hours north of Vancouver along the stunning Sea to Sky Highway, Whistler is one of the most popular day trips from Vancouver for good reason. Found further along the same route as Squamish, Whistler is known for its world-famous ski resort, mountain scenery, outdoor adventures, and lively village atmosphere.
While many people choose to stay overnight, Whistler can still make an incredible long day trip from Vancouver, especially if you start early and plan to make a few scenic stops along the way.
🚘 Distance from Vancouver: Around 1 hour 40 minutes by car
We visited Whistler during winter, so many of the activities we experienced were focused around snow season. However, Whistler is also incredibly popular during summer for hiking, mountain biking, lakes, and alpine trails.
If you have additional time, both Squamish and Whistler make great weekend trips from Vancouver. You could also easily combine both destinations in one trip, with it being less than 1 hour drive between the two.
Below are some of our favourite things to do in Whistler:
Peak 2 Peak Gondola
One of the most iconic experiences in Whistler is riding the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, which connects Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains with incredible panoramic views across the valley below.
Ziplining
If you’re looking for a more adventurous activity in Whistler, ziplining through the mountains is an experience we’d highly recommend. We joined the beginner-friendly winter course and it was SO much fun! Additional courses open during the summer season.
➜ Book ziplining in Whistler here.
Skiing & Snowboarding
Whistler is best known for its world-famous ski resort, attracting visitors from around the world during winter. With huge ski areas across both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, the resort offers a mix of beginner-friendly runs, alpine views, and more advanced terrain for experienced skiers and snowboarders.
➜ You can watch our full Whistler Travel Guide on YouTube here.
Victoria
Located on Vancouver Island, Victoria is easily one of the most unique trips you can take from Vancouver. Getting there involves either a scenic ferry ride across to the island or a seaplane flight from downtown Vancouver, which is not only quicker but an incredible experience in itself.
The city is filled with charming cafés, waterfront walks, historic architecture, colourful streets, and beautiful coastal scenery that gives it a completely different atmosphere to Vancouver.
As much as we enjoyed Vancouver, we actually found ourselves preferring Victoria! There was just something really special about B.C.’s capital city.
🚘 Distance from Vancouver:
⛴️ Ferry: 1.5 hours (foot passengers + car)
✈️ Seaplane: 35 minutes
Below are some things to do in during your Victoria day trip:
Ride the Victoria Harbour Ferries
One of the most fun ways to explore Victoria is by hopping aboard the colourful Victoria Harbour Ferries, which act as little water taxis around the harbour area. They’re a great way to see the city from the water while also getting between different parts of the waterfront. It’s a simple activity, but honestly one of the experiences that made Victoria feel even more charming to us.
Butchart Gardens
Located just outside the city, Butchart Gardens is one of the most famous attractions near Victoria and is especially beautiful during spring and summer. The gardens are spread across huge landscaped grounds filled with flowers, walking paths, fountains, and themed garden areas.
Fisherman’s Wharf
One of the most colourful and unique spots in Victoria is Fisherman’s Wharf, a floating marina filled with food kiosks, fishing boats, and vibrant floating homes. We highly recommend visiting for lunch or dinner for a unique dining experience!
Watch our Victoria Travel Guide
If you’d like to see more things to do in Victoria, watch our full travel guide on YouTube:
Grouse Mountain
Located in North Vancouver, Grouse Mountain is one of the easiest day trips from Vancouver and a great option if you don’t want to travel too far from the city. Known for its incredible views over Vancouver and outdoor activities year-round, Grouse Mountain offers a completely different atmosphere to downtown Vancouver within just a short drive.
🚘 Distance from Vancouver: Around 25 minutes by car
If you’re looking for mountain scenery and outdoor activities close to the city, Grouse Mountain is easily one of the best places to visit near Vancouver.
Ride the Grouse Mountain Gondola
One of the highlights of visiting Grouse Mountain from Vancouver is taking the scenic gondola ride to the top of the mountain. As you climb above the trees, you’ll get incredible views looking back over Vancouver, the coastline, and surrounding mountains.
➜ You can book Grouse Mountain gondola tickets here.
Drink With a View
One of our favourite things about visiting Grouse Mountain was simply relaxing at the top and enjoying the scenery.
Summer/ Winter Activities
While we visited during winter, Grouse Mountain is popular year-round thanks to its huge range of outdoor activities. During the warmer months, you’ll find things like ziplining, hiking trails and scenic viewpoints. In winter, Grouse Mountain transforms into one of the closest ski areas to Vancouver, with skiing, snowboarding and other snow-based activities like snow-shoeing available in winter.
Deep Cove
Located in North Vancouver, Deep Cove is one of the most peaceful and scenic places to visit near Vancouver. Surrounded by forest, mountains, and calm coastal waters, this small waterfront community feels far removed from the city despite being less than an hour away.
We genuinely loved visiting Deep Cove and honestly couldn’t believe somewhere this peaceful existed so close to Vancouver. Compared to some of the busier attractions near the city, Deep Cove has a much more relaxed and local feel, making it the perfect escape if you’re looking to slow down and enjoy nature.
🚘 Distance from Vancouver: Around 30 minutes by car
Below are some of our favourite things to do in Deep Cove:
Quarry Rock Hike
One of the most popular things to do in Deep Cove is the Quarry Rock hike, a scenic forest trail leading to beautiful views overlooking the coastline and surrounding mountains. We really enjoyed this walk and found the views at the top to be gorgeous!
Honey’s Doughnuts
No visit to Deep Cove feels complete without stopping by the famous Honey’s Doughnuts. This small local café is known for its fresh doughnuts and coffee and we have to admit – they were delicious! We tried the, ‘honey glazed doughnut,’ and it was sooo good.
Waterfront
One of the things we loved most about Deep Cove was simply wandering around the waterfront area. It’s incredibly scenic and peaceful. If you’d rather be on the water, there are kayak tours and rentals available.
Lynn Canyon Park
Located in North Vancouver, Lynn Canyon Park is one of the best free things to do near Vancouver and is often considered the free alternative to the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge. Surrounded by forest trails, waterfalls, river pools, and towering trees, the park feels incredibly peaceful despite being so close to the city.
🚘 Distance from Vancouver: Around 25 minutes by car
Below are some things to do in Lynn Canyon Park:
Cross the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
The highlight of visiting Lynn Canyon Park is walking across the suspension bridge hanging high above the canyon below.
Forest Trails & Waterfalls
The park is filled with scenic walking trails that take you through dense rainforest, wooden boardwalks, and beautiful river scenery. There’s also waterfalls and river pools throughout the park near the trails.
Capilano Suspension Bridge
Located in North Vancouver, Capilano Suspension Bridge is one of the most famous attractions near Vancouver. Surrounded by towering rainforest scenery, suspension bridges, cliffside walkways, and treetop paths, the entire experience feels adventurous while still being easily accessible from the city.
Before visiting Vancouver, we’d honestly heard mixed opinions about Capilano Suspension Bridge. A lot of people told us to skip it altogether, visit Lynn Canyon instead, and that Capilano was overpriced for what it was.
While we do agree that Capilano Suspension Bridge is definitely on the pricier side, the experience ended up being far better than we expected! The park itself is much bigger and more immersive than we anticipated, with the treetop walk and cliffside walkway being a great addition.
🚘 Distance from Vancouver: Around 20 minutes by car
Below are some highlights of a visit to Capilano Suspension Bridge:
Walk Across the Suspension Bridge
The main suspension bridge stretches 70m above the Capilano River and is easily the highlight of visiting the park. We found the bridge to be far ‘wobblier’ than expected which made for a really fun experience!
Brave the Cliffwalk
One of the most unique experiences at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is the Cliffwalk, a series of narrow walkways attached to the edge of the canyon. We actually had no idea this attraction was on offer and it quickly became the highlight of our day!
Treetops Adventure
The Treetops Adventure allows you to walk between 7 suspended bridges high amongst the rainforest canopy. This was actually really cool and we both felt that it was a great activity for kids to enjoy!
➜ You can book Capilano Suspension Bridge tickets here.
Planning More Canada Travel?
If you’re planning a bigger Canada adventure beyond Vancouver and British Columbia, you should also check out our Ultimate Banff Travel Guide, covering the best things to do, where to stay, travel tips, and must-see spots in Banff National Park.
Read: Banff Winter Travel Guide
Some useful links for planning your trip to Vancouver:
🚘 Compare car rental prices – DiscoverCars
🏨 Find hotels in Banff – Booking.com
🎟️ Book tours & activities – GetYourGuide
💳 Travel card we use – Wise
Thank you!
Hi adventurers, thanks for reading our best day trips from Vancouver guide!
Please know this post may contain affiliate links. When making a purchase through one of our links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps us keep this site running. Thank you for your support ♥️
Related Posts
Banff Winter Travel Guide: Best Things to Do + Tips
PDF TRAVEL GUIDES
Includes epic itineraries, must know tips, expert advice & personal recommendations.
