Vancouver: Private City Tour with Stanley Park & Granville Island

4.64

(146 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We slid into the SUV just after breakfast — coffee still warm in my hand and a bit of drizzle on the window. Our guide, Amir, had this easy way about him; within ten minutes we were winding through downtown Vancouver like he’d lived there forever (he has). He pointed out the Seawall Promenade as we passed it — joggers in neon jackets, a couple walking their dog. I could smell the ocean even before we reached English Bay. It’s funny how that salty air sticks to your clothes.

Granville Island was next. The place is noisy in the best way: buskers playing guitar under awnings, someone selling fresh bread that actually made me hungry again (even though I’d just eaten). Amir handed us tips for the market — “Try the salmon candy,” he said — and then let us wander. I ended up buying a tiny jar of honey because the vendor let me taste it right off a wooden stick. There’s something about markets that makes you want to linger.

Stanley Park felt quieter somehow, even with cyclists zipping by on the Seawall. We stopped at Brockton Point Lighthouse — mist hanging low over the water — and Amir told us about the Girl in a Wetsuit statue (I didn’t spot her at first; she blends right in). At one point he laughed when I tried to pronounce “Capilano” like a local. We skipped Capilano Suspension Bridge this time (next trip maybe), but drove up toward Grouse Mountain anyway. The clouds were thick but you could still see down over North Vancouver. Kind of makes you feel small in a good way.

I’m still thinking about Horseshoe Bay — boats bobbing in gray water, seagulls yelling at each other over scraps by the ferry terminal. On our way back through West Vancouver’s British Properties, Amir slowed so we could gawk at houses I’ll never afford (he joked they come with free ocean views). By then my shoes were muddy from earlier but nobody cared. That’s sort of what I loved most: nothing felt rushed or staged — just real people showing us their city.