Vancouver 7-Day Itinerary: Victoria, Squamish and Bowen

How should you spend 7 days in Vancouver?

Spend days 1 and 2 downtown, in Gastown and around Stanley Park, and day 3 on the North Shore. Day 4 is the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, day 5 False Creek and Granville Island, day 6 Victoria by BC Ferries and day 7 Bowen Island before your flight. Put Victoria on a weekday.

Three days in Vancouver cover the seawall, one mountain and False Creek. A week adds what lies beyond the city: the Sea to Sky Highway to Squamish, the provincial capital across the Strait of Georgia, and a small island a short ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay. The Vancouver 3-day itinerary is the compact version of the city days.

This is a desk-researched suggested route, not one we have travelled end to end. Ferry times come from BC Ferries, bus routes from TransLink and BC Transit, and hours from each attraction’s own website, all checked on 16 October 2026. It assumes one base downtown near Waterfront station; where to stay in Vancouver compares the options.

Choose the season with best time to visit Vancouver: the airport averages 19.6 wet days in November but 6.2 in July (ECCC). The day trips work all year, but the Sea to Sky Gondola has a maintenance closure in late November, and winter tyre rules apply to many B.C. highways from October to April.

What does the 7-day Vancouver plan look like at a glance?

Four city days alternate with three trips out: Squamish on day 4, Victoria on day 6 and Bowen Island on day 7. The table shows the anchor, what to book and the rain or closure swap for each day. Victoria works best on a weekday, when the Parliament Buildings run free tours.

Treat timings as a sketch. On wet days, swap a city day with a trip day rather than cancelling: the Vancouver Art Gallery and Granville Island’s indoor market absorb rain, while the ferry crossings run in most weather. The Vancouver Art Gallery closes on Tuesdays (Vancouver Art Gallery), so keep day 2 off a Tuesday.

Victoria is the longest day. BC Ferries’ crossing alone takes 1 hour 35 minutes each way (BC Ferries), so if you can, turn day 6 into an overnight stay and come back on the morning of day 7, swapping Bowen Island for a quiet last afternoon in the city.

Which tickets and transport do you need for the week?

Use a Compass Card or tap a contactless card on TransLink: one zone costs $2.85 by Compass and $3.50 by card, and a $12.55 DayPass covers all zones for the ferry-terminal days. BC Ferries sells crossings to Victoria and Bowen Island, and BC Transit runs buses from Swartz Bay into Victoria.

TransLink’s adult fares are $2.85, $4.20 and $5.40 for one, two and three zones on a Compass Card, or $3.50, $5.10 and $6.70 by contactless card. A DayPass costs $12.55 and covers all zones, and trips after 6:30pm on weekdays and all weekend trips count as one zone. Journeys starting at YVR’s stations add a $6.50 AddFare (TransLink).

Two TransLink buses reach the ferry terminals: the 620 runs from Bay 12 at Bridgeport Station to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal (TransLink), and the 257 express runs from West Georgia Street downtown to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal (TransLink). On Vancouver Island, BC Transit routes 70, 70X, 71 and 72 link Swartz Bay with downtown Victoria (BC Transit).

If you hire a car for Squamish, the Government of B.C. requires drivers to obey winter tyre and chain signs from 1 October to 30 April (Government of B.C.), and hire companies set their own rules; read renting a car in Canada before you book.

Days 1 and 2: how do you start downtown and around Stanley Park?

Arrive on the Canada Line, about 25 minutes from YVR to Waterfront, and spend a gentle first evening in Gastown and Chinatown. On day 2, walk or cycle the Coal Harbour seawall into Stanley Park and round to English Bay, with the Vancouver Art Gallery as the rain plan, avoiding Tuesdays.

TransLink puts the Canada Line ride from YVR to Waterfront at about 25 minutes (TransLink), with trains every 6 to 15 minutes and the last from the airport at 12:54am (TransLink). Gastown, a National Historic Site with cobblestone streets, the 1977 Steam Clock and cocktail bars, is a short walk from Waterfront (Destination Vancouver), and Chinatown, about six minutes away, is the place for dim sum (Destination Vancouver).

Day 2 belongs to the seawall. Destination Vancouver describes the Coal Harbour stretch leading to Stanley Park, “the city’s crown jewel” (Destination Vancouver), and the loop finishes near Davie Village and English Bay in the West End (Destination Vancouver). With a week, there is time to go slowly: rent a bike, stop for lunch and catch sunset at English Bay.

For the rain plan, the Vancouver Art Gallery opens 10am to 5pm, until 8pm on Fridays, closes on Tuesdays and is free on the first Friday of the month from 4pm to 8pm. The Bill Reid Gallery nearby keeps winter hours of Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

Day 3: how do you see the North Shore at a slower pace?

Take Capilano’s free shuttle from Canada Place for a timed morning entry to the suspension bridge, then continue to Grouse Mountain for the afternoon and sunset. Return by SeaBus from Lonsdale Quay, a 12-minute crossing. In winter, Capilano’s Canyon Lights runs into the evening from 20 November.

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park sells tickets for a date and arrival window, and opens 10am to 5pm from 2 to 19 November 2026, then 11am to 9pm for Canyon Lights from 20 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, closing on 25 December. Its free shuttle runs year-round from stops near Canada Place and downtown hotels, taking about 20 minutes (Capilano).

Grouse Mountain lists mountain access daily from 7:30am to 9pm, which makes a late-afternoon Skyride and sunset possible. Its Grouse Grind trail is closed for maintenance until Tuesday 10 November 2026, with the BCMC Trail open instead (Grouse Mountain).

Finish at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver and ride the SeaBus back to Waterfront: the crossing takes 12 minutes and boats leave every 15 minutes during the day. With a week, there is no need to rush, so spend the morning on the bridge and the late afternoon on the mountain rather than racing both before lunch.

Day 4: how do you do the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish?

Drive about 45 minutes up the Sea to Sky Highway, or ride the Squamish Connector shuttle from downtown, to the Sea to Sky Gondola. In late 2026 it opens 9am to 5pm, but closes for maintenance from 16 to 26 November. Adult tickets cost $73.95 online, $8 less than at the window.

The gondola sits at 36800 Highway 99 in Squamish, and its own page puts the drive from Vancouver at 45 minutes. Without a car, it names the Squamish Connector, a round-trip shuttle from two downtown Vancouver pick-up points, and says BC Transit’s Route 5 South Park serves the gondola locally (Sea to Sky Gondola).

Hours in the gondola timetable are 9am to 5pm daily from 31 October to 15 November and from 27 November to 31 December 2026, with the last ride down at 6pm, and the lift is closed for maintenance from 16 to 26 November. An adult day ticket costs $73.95 online or $81.95 at the window, and the company warns against fraudulent sites selling its tickets.

Whistler is the bigger alternative: Tourism Whistler describes a two-hour drive from Vancouver along the Sea to Sky Highway, with coach and shuttle bus, private charter and seasonal floatplane options (Tourism Whistler). That makes it better as an overnight than a day trip. In summer, check BC Parks for free day-use passes at popular parks such as Garibaldi and Joffre Lakes.

Day 5: how do you spend a slow day on False Creek and in Kitsilano?

Walk the False Creek seawall from Yaletown, cross to Granville Island by Aquabus ferry for the Public Market, and continue west to Kitsilano Beach. After two active days, this is the rest day of the week: long lunches, the beach and an early evening, or Bard on the Beach in summer.

Start at Yaletown–Roundhouse on the Canada Line and follow the seawall along False Creek, which Destination Vancouver recommends for a morning walk or run (Destination Vancouver). Aquabus ferries hop around False Creek (Destination Vancouver), and save your legs on the crossing to Granville Island.

Granville Island’s Public Market opened in repurposed warehouses on 12 July 1979, and Destination Vancouver says the island draws 10.5 million visitors a year, so arrive in the morning (Destination Vancouver). Kitsilano is a walk west, with heritage houses and Kits Pool, described as the longest saltwater pool in North America (Destination Vancouver).

In summer, Bard on the Beach runs from June to September 2027 at Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park, a short walk from Kitsilano, and makes a good evening anchor. In winter, the Vancouver Christmas Market fills Jack Poole Plaza from 16 November to 24 December 2026 if you would rather finish the day back downtown.

Day 6: how do you visit Victoria by BC Ferries?

Take TransLink’s 620 bus from Bridgeport Station to Tsawwassen, sail 1 hour 35 minutes to Swartz Bay, then ride BC Transit into downtown Victoria. Sailings run from 7am to 9pm in each direction in the October to November 2026 timetable. Go on a weekday for the free Parliament tours, or stay overnight.

BC Ferries’ Tsawwassen terminal is 36km from downtown Vancouver. In the timetable for 14 October to 11 November 2026, sailings to Swartz Bay leave from 7am, most days every hour or two until 9pm, and the return sailings also run from 7am to 9pm, each taking 1 hour 35 minutes. Without a booking, foot-passenger ticket sales close 10 minutes before departure (BC Ferries).

In Victoria, the Parliament Buildings are open from 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, for free guided and self-guided tours; guided tours last about 40 minutes, need no advance registration for the public, and you should arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for security screening (Legislative Assembly of B.C.). They are closed at weekends and on holidays.

Butchart Gardens is about 22km from Victoria; BC Transit bus 75 leaves from Belleville Street at Government Street and takes 50 minutes to an hour, and bus 81 runs from Swartz Bay on some sailings (Butchart Gardens). Its Christmas season runs from 1 December to 6 January (Butchart Gardens). Doing both the city and the gardens is easiest with a night in Victoria.

Day 7: how do you fit in Bowen Island before your flight?

Ride the 257 express bus from West Georgia Street to Horseshoe Bay, then take the 20-minute BC Ferries crossing to Snug Cove on Bowen Island for a morning of walking and cafés. Return by early afternoon and take the Canada Line to YVR, allowing plenty of time.

The 257 Horseshoe Bay express runs from Dunsmuir and West Georgia Streets downtown to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, which BC Ferries describes as a 25-minute drive from downtown. Crossings to Snug Cove take 20 minutes, with sailings from early morning until late evening in the timetable that runs to 31 March 2027 (BC Ferries).

BC Ferries lists a Snug Cove ramp rehabilitation project from 29 October 2026 to 1 March 2027, so check its service notices for your date before you set out (BC Ferries). If the Victoria trip became an overnight, skip Bowen and spend the last afternoon on the seawall or in Gastown instead.

For the airport, the first Canada Line train from Waterfront to YVR leaves at 4:48am, and the $6.50 AddFare applies only to journeys starting at the airport stations, not those ending there (TransLink, TransLink fares). Our YVR transfer guide compares the train with a booked car.

What should you book ahead, and how do you plan for rain?

Book Capilano’s timed entry and the Sea to Sky Gondola online, and consider a BC Ferries booking for Victoria in busy periods. Rain is likeliest from October to March, so keep the gallery and market days flexible, and remember that the ferries and gondola can be affected by weather and maintenance.

Rain shapes Vancouver winters: the airport averages 15.4 wet days in October, 19.6 in November and 20.5 in December, but only 6.2 in July and 6.4 in August (ECCC). Most wet days are walkable with a good jacket, so keep the indoor swaps for the heaviest days and swap the order of city and trip days around the forecast.

For Victoria, BC Ferries bookings have check-in windows that open 60 minutes and close 30 minutes before departure for foot passengers (BC Ferries). British visitors usually need an eTA or a visa to fly to Canada (FCDO); the official eTA costs CAN$7 on the Government of Canada site, and our eTA guide for UK travellers walks through it.

Guided day trips are most useful for Whistler, Squamish or Victoria if you would rather not drive or juggle buses and ferries. Compare inclusions carefully: the gondola or ferry tickets, pickup point, time at the destination and the cancellation window for bad weather. GetYourGuide vs Viator vs Klook explains the platforms.