A Weekend in British Columbia: Whistler & Vancouver

Greetings from Vancouver, British Columbia

Tim Hortons, Après-Ski at Whistler Blackcomb Resort, and driving along the Sea to Sky Highway.

We drove from Seattle to Vancouver for a weekend getaway.

We spent time skiing and snowboarding at Whistler Blackcomb, one of the top rated ski resorts in the world. On our drive back to the United States, we spent the day exploring the city of Vancouver.

Though our trip was only a few days long (Thursday to Sunday), it was enough of a taste to know we’d love to visit again! Keep reading for our weekend itinerary.

“I would say a must-do in Canada would be to go skiing at Whistler in Vancouver. You could take a chair lift for, like, a half-hour to the top of this mountain, and you ski down; it takes like so long to get to the bottom. You go past the clouds. It’s absolutely incredible”. – Sebastian Bach

Thursday

Depart Seattle after work
Fuel up car with gas (and snacks!)
Drive to Canada, go through border control
Arrive in British Columbia
Continue drive to Airbnb

Our Airbnb is located in Creekside, not the main village at the Whistler Blackcomb Resort. This was more cost effective and we were still able to walk to the gondola which was a priority for us. Travel Tip: Buy your lift tickets ahead of time. Not a skier/snowboarder? You can still ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola which has stunning views of the resort!

Friday

Wake up early to make first chair lift
Make coffee and eat breakfast at home
Walk to Creekside Gondola (5 min. walk)
Spend the day skiing and snowboarding
Après-Ski at Dusty’s Bar & BBQ
Head back to airbnb, shower + freshen up
Dinner at Rimrock Cafe

I recommend making a reservation at Rimrock Cafe in advance. It was super crowded, but we were able to sit at the bar and ordered dinner and drinks from there. Their seafood is fresh and tasty, and the service is wonderful! They also had a massive drink menu (à la Cheesecake Factory) and I’m still dreaming of the white wine I ordered…

Saturday

Wake up early to make first chair lift
Grab coffee and breakfast at Rockit
Walk to Creekside Gondola (5 min. walk)
Spend the day skiing and snowboarding
Stop to buy groceries for dinner at Creekside Market
Head back to airbnb, shower + freshen up
Cook dinner at home

One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new place, especially a different country, is to visit their grocery stores. It’s fun to see the different produce, products, and brands sold. So, tonight we opted to make a meal at home so we could see the local market and save some money!

Sunday

Wake up and get ready
Checkout of airbnb
Coffee and breakfast at Tim Hortons
Drive to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Drive to downtown Vancouver
Spend the day exploring the city (more details here)
Grab a late lunch at Granville Island
Head back to the US

Travel Tip: Check the wait time at the Canada/US border ahead of time so you’re not in for any surprises upon arrival. Since we left on a Sunday evening, our wait time was over an hour (compared to about 10-minutes entering Canada)…so plan accordingly!

But, what if you only have one day?

Here is my itinerary for 8 hours in Vancouver!

08:00

Depart Whistler and make your way towards the city of Vancouver.

08:30

But first, coffee. Stop at Tim Horton’s to fuel up for the day.

10:20

Arrive at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park for a morning in the rainforest.

Read the full 8-hour itinerary

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