West Coast 2025: Vancouver - Some Lesser Known Attractions

  [ Continued from Whistler ]

There are quite a few attractions in Vancouver, easily doable if you are in the city for a few days (three days minimum). Since we had already visited a few of them on our last trip, such as the Capilano Suspension Bridge, the Olympic Cauldron, we decided to go to a few places that we had not seen before. These are also the lesser visited tourist places, so it's not as crowded (for now).

Deep Cove is a small town by the bay in North Vancouver.

With its proximity to forests, mountains, skiing, hiking, parks, and the water, Deep Cove is well known among outdoor recreation enthusiasts. We went to the marina, which is a popular place to rent boats and kayaks from. A simple drive down Gallant Avenue gives way to the sheltered, calm harbour vista that is the area’s signature view.

On a wonderful weather day, such as the day we visited, the lake can be calm, and you get some wonderful pictures by the shore. Kayaks, canoes, and surf skis can be rented are hourly, daily and multi-day. Paddling Indian Arm offers a unique opportunity to view the mountains and native wildlife from sea level.

Deep Cove’s small commercial core is where galleries and a local theatre vie for attention alongside unique boutiques and quaint bistros. There is a place called Honey Doughnuts & Goodies, which is quite famous in Deep Cove for donuts.

This place is a staple for visitors to Deep Cove. The donuts are very good, but can be too sweet or dense ... I found it impossible to finish one. Best is to split one donut with another person.

Peace Arch Park is an international park consisting of Peace Arch Historical State Park in Washington, United States and Peace Arch Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. It's about 40 km south of Vancouver.

The cool thing about the park is that it straddles the international boundary between the two countries (Canada and USA). The Peace Arch, dedicated in 1921, was the first such structure in the world. It was built on the international boundary between Canada and the United States to commemorate the lasting peace between the two countries.

The other cool thing about the park is that visitors are allowed to explore both sides of the Canada–United States border inside the park, but you are not allowed to cross the boundary of the park. So if you are entering the park from Canada, as we did, you can visit the American portion of the park, but no more. So basically you WILL be on US soil, even if you don't have visa for US, as long as you are entering the park from the Canadian side.

The Arch itself is right on the border, so you can stand with one foot in USA and one foot in Canada, if you like. There are other markers to mark the border as well.

An important thing to remember is that WHILE they don't usually ask, but YOU ARE REQUIRED to have identification that proves your status in Canada (if you entered the park from Canada and are returning to Canada). And driver's license does not cut it - you must have your passport or PR card. So if you are visiting the park, do carry your passport with you, in case they ask.

And yes, do not cross the boundaries of the park. There are roads to either side, and these are for people driving to cross the border to enter the other country. Stay within the park and make sure to return to your side (in our case it was the Canadian side) before the park closes.

As they say on the park website

This park is on the Canada-U.S. border. You may be asked to provide identification and immigration information by officers of the Canada Border Services Agency or U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Gastown is a famous neighborhood of Vancouver and is the city's first downtown core. We were there briefly to do some shopping, dining, and of course taking pictures by the historic steam clock.

The Port of Vancouver area hosts (obviously) the Port of Vancouver. It is the largest port in Canada. It is also near Canada Place. We had visited this place last time, so our only stop here was very brief.

One fine day, we decided to catch the sunset at Kitsilano Beach.

Kitsilano Beach, often called Kits Beach, is a popular urban beach in Vancouver.

It was very busy, and I was told it is one of the busiest beach in Vancouver. There were lots of people swimming, sunbathing, picnicking, and playing sports at Kits Beach. It was very lovely to see. Vancouver has a vibe, and this beach was it.

There were many beach volleyball courts set up along the sand, making it a popular place for those looking for day out with more to do aside from just laying in the sand. For me, it was a great place to enjoy some ice cream and watch the sun set in the ocean by the mountains.

It was our last day in Vancouver for the time being, as we were leaving the next day for Vancouver Island (Victoria and Nanaimo).

The glorious sunset was a perfect way to bookend this portion of the Vancouver trip. We had glorious weather, amazing sunshine, delightful company - there is a reason Vancouver remains one of my favourite cities, and I had said it a long time ago - a place to retire. The city has everything.