What to do and NOT do in Vancouver with kids

If you are doing Vancouver with your kids, then you need to read the information below as not all information out there is accurate!

In planning for our trip, I had put things on our itinerary that ended up being dangerous parts of town that we shouldn’t have been in. We also found other places that were not talked about that absolutely should be!

Vancouver is a great spot to either visit on its own or as a launching pad. It’s close to Whistler where your family can take your ski / snowboard vacation (see my Whistler with Kids post) or as an overnight stay before you take a cruise from their port.

I hope that with the information below, our family can help your family plan the perfect Vancouver with kids vacation!

What NOT to do in Vancouver with kids

I really only have one suggestion here, but it is a really important one.

1. Chinatown

So many blogs, articles and tourism sites say that you need to visit Chinatown and that it is kid-friendly. IT IS NOT!!!

We walked there from our hotel, which was about a 25 minute walk and when we got there we quickly realized that we shouldn’t be there. People are lined down the streets doing drugs right there in the open. We are talking about shooting heroin into their veins kind of drugs!

We ran into some cops that we had met at breakfast (see this information below as it is a must visit breakfast spot) and they literally said, “What are you all doing here? You don’t need to be in this part of town.”

So DO NOT listen to any other information out there saying that Chinatown in Vancouver is family-friendly. You’ll put yourself in real danger if you visit it so just don’t go.

Even though I have a picture here, it is for the esthetic of this blog and is totally not worth it lol.

What to do in Vancouver

1. Have breakfast at Breka Bakery & Cafe

If you don’t have breakfast here then you will be completely missing out. We found this spot on a fluke and ended up eating here all three mornings because it is just that good. We NEVER do that as we like to experience so many different places but this was just a hit!

It is very much a spot that the locals love as we were there with college students, cops, and on Sunday morning, small group leaders ordering a ton of pastries for their church groups.

It is open 24 hours so you can go whenever, but we really loved it for breakfast.

They have a ton of pastries and their coffee was really good. We are pretty picky on coffee and this got our stamp of approval. Bon Appétit!

2. Go to Granville Island Market

I absolutely love food halls ever since we lived near the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. (This was on the National Treasure movie! For fun, you can watch that scene here. 🙂 ) Food halls are so fun to walk around, eat lunch, snacks, coffee, and shop the local shops.

Granville Island Market isn’t as large as some food halls that I’ve been to before but it really is a great place to take the kids while in Vancouver. Each person can order something different from the many various food vendors. My husband got the clam chowder pot pie and said it was super delicious!

Granville is stretched out across several buildings so make sure to have enough time to visit everything. If you have younger kids, there is one building that is made for them with indoor jungle gyms and games. Great for a rainy day!

There is also a great photo op location on the other side of the market. Its on the pier side so make sure to go out there and get your pictures of the Vancouver skyline.

Make sure to check out the gift shop that I loved the most while I was there, Provence en Couleur. It has a ton of lavender, soaps, perfumes and candles. Look how cute those moose and mitten candles are! They make for a perfect little Canadian gift!

Pro note – If you like comedy, there is a free Improv Class night at the local comedy center right there at Granville too! I just so happened to walk past it a half an hour before it started so my husband and kids went to dinner while I went to the class. It was SO fun!

3. Visit the Steam Clock!

The Steam Clock in Gastown is definitely a must do when in Vancouver with kids! Make sure to get there a few minutes before the top of the hour to get a good spot. Once the clock hits the new hour, steam and music will start to play.

It’s a really unique experience!

4. Try the sushi

Vancouver is known for its sushi and legend has it that the “California Roll” was born here. I don’t really have a recommendation for a sushi spot though because we chose wrong and wasn’t really that impressed.

I’ve read that Tom Sushi

5. XXL Croissants

We just did not have time to go get one, but Davie Village Bakery is supposed to have incredibly large croissants! As much as I love all things French (check out my Paris blog posts here), I can’t believe that we couldn’t get one of these croissants. But I hope that you can!

We did; however, get to try this incredible croissant at Breka. I’m telling you – Breka is the breakfast place that you can’t miss!

6. Must try Canadian lattes!

When us parents need our afternoon “Pick me up”, make sure to grab one of these fun lattes!

a. Maple latte

As soon as I saw a maple latte on the menu, I knew that I HAD to try it! I mean, when in Canada, get Canadian maple syrup, right!? It was so good and perfect to walk around Granville with on a rainy day. I got mine at JJ Bean Coffee Roasters on Granville Island.

b. Snoopy latte

Just add this to the list of things that I didn’t get to try, but wanted to! There is only so much room in my belly and couldn’t fit in all of the yummy stuff Vancouver has to offer. Lol! However, you can find it at Guffo Cafe. I think your kids will like seeing the Snoopy in your latte. It is also great for a pic! 🙂

7. Ride around Stanley Park

It was raining so much when we were there that we had to cancel this activity for us, but we will do it when we go back. Riding around Stanley Park is a “Vancouver thing” and a great family experience. You’ll have great views and it will be a workout!

We drove through it on our way to Whistler (see my post about skiing or snowboarding in Whistler with kids) and it was beautiful from what I could see.

Packing tip for traveling to Vancouver with kids

Bring a rain jacket and rain shoes!

This is an area of North America where it just rains a ton. Be prepared and bring clothing just in case it does rain while you are there. A lot of hotels have umbrellas for you to use, but I would call your hotel you’ve booked just to be sure.

The Wrap Up

There are many reasons why to go to Vancouver. For most, it is boarding a cruise ship or used as a stopping point before going up to Whistler.

For us, 2 days wasn’t really enough to spend there to get in everything we wanted. However, if we had an extra day and it was also rainy, then we would have been just fine with the 2 days as I felt like we did as much as we could in the rain.

So my suggestion is to just check the forecast and, if you can, base how many nights you will be there around the forecast. And stay away from Chinatown!

Thanks for reading…now go live that Free Life, my friends!