Vancouver 7-Day Itinerary

How this 7-day Vancouver plan works

Vancouver + Victoria + Tofino

Each day below is grouped geographically so you spend your time in Vancouver rather than in transit. SkyTrain (Canada Line, Expo, Millennium) reaches YVR airport in 25 min to Downtown for CA$9.55 peak. Compass Card or contactless tap covers SkyTrain + SeaBus (12-min ferry to North Vancouver) + bus. Uber/Lyft available since 2020. Rent a car for Whistler / Vancouver Island / Squamish drives. Downtown, West End, Yaletown, Gastown all walkable to each other.

Day by day

• Day 1

  Day 1–3 — Full Vancouver highlights.

• Day 2

  Day 4 — Ferry to Victoria (Vancouver Island) — Butchart Gardens, Empress high tea.

• Day 3

  Day 5 — Drive to Tofino (4h) — Pacific Rim National Park, Wickaninnish Inn dinner.

• Day 4

  Day 6 — Tofino surf lesson or storm-watch, Long Beach walk.

• Day 5

  Day 7 — Ferry back Vancouver + farewell Blue Water Café Yaletown.

Where to base yourself

• Downtown / Coal Harbour

  Financial core + harbour walk — Fairmont Pacific Rim, Shangri-La, Loden, Fairmont Waterfront.

• West End

  Residential Downtown extension, beach access (English Bay), Davie Village LGBTQ+ — Sylvia Hotel is the classic.

• Yaletown

  Converted warehouses, waterfront restaurants, boutique hotels — Opus, JW Marriott Parq.

• Gastown

  Historic quarter with cobblestones, steam clock, indie restaurants — Rosewood Hotel Georgia adjacent.

Best time to run this itinerary

June–September is peak — 18–25°C, dry sunny days, sold-out hotels. July–August is warmest but busiest. October–May you'll get rain (Vancouver averages 160+ rain days/year), but October foliage + fog is beautiful and hotels are 30–40% cheaper. December–March = ski season at Cypress, Grouse, Whistler — city rain, mountain snow.

Before you go

• Tipping 15–20% at restaurants; 5% GST + 5% PST + 2% MRDT hotel tax added at checkout.

• Legal cannabis retail (private stores + BC Cannabis Stores); consumption same rules as alcohol — no public/beach smoking.

• Bring waterproof layers Oct–May; even 'sunny' days can turn to rain in an hour.