Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bus Tours
Big Bus
( 877-299-0701, 604-299-0700;
www.bigbus.ca
; adult/child/concession $40/
37/22; year-round) Stay for the full 90-minute narrated loop or use your ticket as a
hop-on hop-off pass for up to 21 stops around the city. Departures are every 15 to 20
minutes during peak season, and the $90 family tickets are good value. There's also a
two-day option for a few dollars more.
Landsea Tours
( 877-669-2277, 604-255-7272;
www.vancouvertours.com
;
adult/
child $69/45; year-round) Landsea's comfortable tours in 24-passenger minibuses
attract an older crowd. Treks include a four-hour city-highlights tour (adult/child $69/45)
and a six-hour Vancouver and the North Shore excursion (adult/child $165/109).
Vancouver Trolley Company
( 888-451-5581, 604-801-5515;
www.vancouvertrolley.com
;
adult/child/concession from $40/22/37; year-round) Red
replica San Francisco trolley cars (without the tracks) provide a hop-on hop-off tour
around the main city sites. One or two-day options are available. Look out for Halloween
and Christmas-themed tours as well.
Walking & Cycling Tours
Architectural Institute of British Columbia
( 604-683-8588;
www.aibc.ca
; tours
$10; Tue-Sun Jul & Aug) Local architecture students conduct these excellent one- to
two-hour wanders, focusing on the buildings, history and heritage of several key Van-
couver neighborhoods. There are six tours in all, and areas covered include Gastown,
Strathcona, Yaletown, Chinatown, downtown and the West End.
Forbidden Vancouver
(
www.forbiddenvancouver.ca
; adult/concession $22/19; Apr-
Nov) This quirky company offers highly entertaining tours: delve into prohibition-era Van-
couver and poke around the seedy underbelly of historic Gastown. Not recommended
for kids. Book ahead: they fill-up quickly. At the time of research, a third tour was
planned to cover Granville St's colorful nightlife history.
Vancouver Foodie Tours
( 877-804-9220;
www.foodietours.ca
; $49-69; year-
round) The perfect way to dive into the city's food scene, these belt-busting guided tours
include a street food crawl and a gourmet drink-and-dine tour.
Vancouver Tour Guys
( 866-251-1888;
www.tourguys.ca
;
free-$45; year-round)
Free neighborhood tours (gratuities of $5 to $10 encouraged) plus a couple of walks
you'll pay for (consider the $45 craft-beer option if you're thirsty). Booking ahead is re-
commended on busy summer days.
