Hi all.
I’m travelling to Vancouver in a few weeks and would love any recommendations of must-sees.
Thanks so much!
What kind of things do you like to see and do?
I personally liked the First Nations exhibit at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC.
In the unlikely event that you have a day when it is not raining Stanley Park is very much worth seeing. You can rent bicycles there and ride around the park, but I would not do that in the rain (which you are likely to experience lots of).
I would probably try to grab a dinner in Chinatown.
Years ago I had a good meal at a restaurant in North Vancouver that was half way up a mountain and overlooking Vancouver harbor and the city. It was a good meal and a great view. Unfortunately this was quite a while ago and I have no idea whether they are still there or what the name was.
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Which one? WA or BC? 
Just kidding, but there are indeed 2 of them.
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If you like markets, this one is not to be missed:
Stanley Park has amazing views of the downtown.
Capilano Suspension Bridge is fun, and there is usually an awesome holiday light display in the park where the bridge is located.
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Grouse Mountain Observatory is a mountaintop restaurant with amazing views of the city below. It has been awhile since we ate there, but as I recall, the view was outstanding, and the food was great, too, and the dinner came with a free gondola ride to the top.
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Thank you all! These tips sound amazing. We like to bicycle, explore artisan-type shops, eat in local restaurants, and sit in public parks and imagine what it would be like to actually live wherever it is that we are visiting – so these suggestions all sound great.
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Vancouver, BC is very walkable and accessible with public transportation, so you can do a lot of city exploring that way. But pay attention to the weather if you want to do outdoor stuff.
Note that there is a Skytrain station right at the YVR airport.
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The cauldron from the 2010 Olympic Games is now a permanent fixture of the waterfront downtown:
Once we lucked out with our visit and saw it lit for an anniversary of the Games.
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If you are as much into “dinner with a view” as we are, here is another good option:
We ate there quite a while ago and were impressed. The food seems to continue to get decent reviews.
We ate at a few wonderful local restaurants, including Vij’s Indian. A Tim Horton’s breakfast one day, of course! We saw the suspension bridge and went to Stanley Park, stumbled on a jazz festival (it was summer). We took a seaplane to Butchart Gardens and cheered a gay pride parade. We did lots of walking and wandering. I think we stayed at the Wedgewood, a small, old world hotel with great service.
We, too, imagined what it would be like to live there as we wandered around. So beautiful!
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Blue water Cafe is exceptional if you like sushi. Lots of great dim sum, Chinese and other Asian restaurants.
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Thanks! The Skytrain looks like a great option.
That sounds lovely! I love revolving restaurants!
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We did a seaplane from Vancouver to Butchart Gardens which was fantastic. Also went on a whale watching trip.
Second eating in Chinatown.
We enjoy hiking Lynn Canyon park. It too, has a wonderful suspension bridge that is both free and far less crowded!
I second the vote for Butchart Gardens above. If you like gardens–definitely go there. I’m a fan of gardens and have been to many; this was one of the best.
Now that we are on the subject of gardens, there is a good botanical garden on the campus of the University of British Columbia.
I agree that Butchart Gardens is more spectacular, but is also a ways from Vancouver (requiring either a ferry ride or seaplane, both of which are attractive in themselves). Which one you go to (or if you do both) might depend upon how much time you want to put into it.
And it is likely to be raining this time of year.
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The good thing about BC (and PNW) rain is that it is mostly a light drizzle. A waterproof coat with a hood will do. 
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Vancouver also has a very nice aquarium.
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