Places to go
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Biking: (1) Stanley Park: 5 minutes by bike around seawall which takes ~30 minutes; issue: crowded (2) Arbutus Greenway which stretches from 6th and Fir Park to Marine Drive or about 10 km. Pros: no car; Cons: speed slow down after about 10 blocks; near Granville Island (3) Cambie Bridge to Richmond: Go straight on Richards and turn left on Nelson and go all the way to Marine Drive, cross the skytrain bridge to Richmond which is flat, ideal for biking
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Vancouver Museum and Vancouver Maritime Museum: Ideal for visit during rainy days; Vancouver Museum allows you to see changes in the city from First Nations to a metropolitan city and Vancouver Maritime Museum has lots of collections regarding maritime expedition. Both are in the same area, 8 minutes by bus from Burrard and Robson (5 minutes walk), taking #2 McDonald (frequency: every 8 minutes during rush hour) and exit the first stop after the bridge; exit at CORNWALL AVE and CYPRESS ST, walk north on Cypress and turn right or east when you see Vancouver Museum. On Cypress continue walking north will take you to Vancouver Maritime Museum. Note: for these two museums driving may not save too much time as distance is short.
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Stanley Park by bus: Take #19 west at Richards and West Pender (3 blocks north of Robson) to Stanley Park. It goes every 12 minutes. Once you get off from the last station at the bus loop, which is beween (3) and (4) on the map, then you follow main road north you can reach Seawall. To walk around Seawall it takes about 8 km or 2.5 hours. If you prefer less crowded trails, you can go west and north for about an half hour you reach the Beaver Lake. If you go south you can visit Lost Lagoon. Note: Prospect Point Restaurant is closed for renovation now.
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Queen Elizabeth park by transit: you take skytrain from Granville Station and get off from Oakridge Station (Cambie and 41st Ave, after Broadway and King Edward), you walk north from 41st Ave to 37th Ave and turn north on 37 Ave after Columbia Street into the Pitch and Putt (Golf Course), then follow path to go up you will reach the Bloedel Observatory; It takes about 20 minutes walk to get there and exploring the park can be 3 hours
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English Bay: 4 minutes drive; closest beach from downtown Vancouver with giant laughing arts
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Spanish Banks: 15 minutes drive; series of beaches that stretch for miles; you can walk on beachesfor hundreds of yards into the iinlet during low tide
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Gastown: 13 minutes walk; Gastown's most famous landmark is the steam-powered clock at Cambie and Water Street.
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Granville Island: 9 minutes ride via driving; 13 minutes by bus from Granville and Robson taking #50 and exit at ANDERSON ST and 2nd AVE (frequency ~16 minutes during rush hour)
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Vancouver Arts Gallery - Direction: Turn left on Richards, then left on West Georgia past Granville Street. The Arts Gallery is on your left
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Capilano Suspension Bridge : 5 minutes drive; (45 minutes by shuttle bus): Free Shuttle from Canada Place. Direction to Canada Place 4 minutes walk. You will have a good time for at least 2 hours if you enjoy glass cliff, tree top adventures, guided tour, on top of the suspension bridge of course. What is not so good is that they only have coffee and snack, without a decent restaurant so you have to go back downtown to enjoy a good meal