Vancouver is considered the third best city to live in the world and also the second most expensive city to live in Canada, so it is presumed that its tourism is also expensive. But there are many options for wandering around Vancouver without spending much.
Lívia Ranieri, an exchange student from Brazil studying International Relations at Western University in Ontario. In her spare time, she takes the opportunity to travel to places such as Vancouver and, in the future, she’ll be going to Alaska.
She flew into Vancouver International Airport but if you are looking for a cheaper offer you can come by the Abbotsford airport. It is a little further from the city of Vancouver but it can also save of money when buying your ticket.
Ranieri stayed Surrey and got around with a monthly Transit pass as she was staying for more than five days. A daily pass, that covers bus, Skytrain and Seabus costs $10 a day. The monthly pass costs $53.
If you are a broke student looking for tips for sightseeing without spending too much, here’s what Ranieri and I did.
Day 1 – Downtown and Canada Place
This colorful little street is located between Trees Organic Coffee and Birks on Granville Street. We walked downtown to get into the Vancouverite spirit, and if you are a fan of taking pictures to post in your social media, this street is a great idea. We also visited Canada Place, where the view was absolutely beautiful, it literally looked like a painting. Walk through the area, get to know the Winter Olympics torch and the killer whale built with Legos. The weather was not too cold and wasn’t raining.
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
Day 2 – Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge and Stanley Park
We visited the Lynn Valley suspension bridge, which is a small version of Capilano Suspension Bridge and it is free. The first thing you will find when you start your walk is the bridge has a gorgeous view of the waterfall and river, and it’s a great walk, with a nature sound and river flowing. On the way to Lynn Valley, you will go to North Vancouver by Seabus and it is guaranteed a great view from the city.
A must-see to in Vancouver is Stanley Park, it is the oldest park in Vancouver, and it has not one but 22 historical monuments. It’s also a great place for people who love nature with thousands of trees and the ocean nearby.
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
Day 3 – White Rock – Coffee 49th
White Rock is in the south of Metro Vancouver, and is slightly far from downtown Vancouver, but it is worth the ride. There’s a gorgeous beach, with a pier and lots of restaurants and stores. The most beautiful view and a calm city, made Livia say, “I want to get old, retire and come here to live the rest of my life.”
In the afternoon we head back to Vancouver where we had a coffee and donuts at Lucky’s Doughnuts and 49th Parallel Coffee at Thurlow Street, and we went walking around the streets noticing the number of remarkable brands stores, like Tiffany, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and others.
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
Day 4 Pumpkin Patch – Gastown
The day before, when going to White Rock, we saw a really cute and huge pumpkin patch, which made Livia really excited about taking pictures, so we went back there in the morning to get some shots. The day was beautiful, but sadly there were no way to get in.
At night we went to the iconic Gastown, visited the steam clock, the tourist stores and the cool vibes boutiques. It was a great walk, with pretty little lights in the trees making it more nostalgic.
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
Day 5: Granville Island Public Market
This is the greatest place to find seafood and good-looking fruits with lots of sailboats in the water and again a beautiful view. Granville Island is a fabulous place which brings a great spirit to the city, with good food and good quality time.
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
Photo: Giulia Cervetto
