In One Week

The Best of Vancouver, Victoria & Whistler in 1 Week

Lucky the traveler who gets to spend a whole week exploring this ruggedly beautiful part of the Pacific Northwest. If you don't arrive with a car, you can rent one in either Vancouver or Victoria. Most visitors travel to Victoria by car ferry, so it's important to know about ferry schedules and reservations. A week will allow you to savor the delights of both cities and go farther afield to explore Whistler, a year-round resort in the mountains north of Vancouver. The assumption here is that your week begins and ends in Vancouver, the major travel hub.

Days 1 & 2: Vancouver

Start your week in Vancouver, following "The Best of Vancouver in 1 Day," and "The Best of Vancouver in 2 Days,".

Day 3: North Vancouver

Now that you've seen Vancouver's West End and West Side, use your third day to get out of the city. At Capilano Suspension Bridge & Park, you can test your love-hate relationship with heights on the narrow, bouncy suspension footbridge that spans a scenic ravine, or you can hike under the canopies of the tallest trees on a series of tree bridges. Afterward, drive to the nearby SkyRide gondola and be transported to the summit of Grouse Mountain Resort, where you'll enjoy panoramic views of the entire region and can choose from different places to dine atop the mountain. Capilano and Grouse Mountain have casual dining and picnic areas, or you can enjoy fine Pacific Northwest cuisine and a panoramic waterfront view at The Beach House at Dundarave Pier (tel. 604/922-1414), a restored 1912 teahouse located on the water's edge.

Day 4: Vancouver to Whistler

Take Georgia Street from downtown Vancouver and head west through Stanley Park, across the scenic Three Lions Bridge, and hook up with the Sea-to-Sky Highway, which winds along the edge of Howe Sound and climbs into the mountains. It should take you about 2 hours to reach Whistler Village. Once you get to Whistler, ski (it is one of North America's greatest ski resorts, after all) . . . or mountainbike, or hike, or Ziptrek, or shop, or pamper yourself with a spa treatment. A casual and delicious lunch or dinner at Chow Thyme Bistro (tel. 604/932-9795) will set you up for whatever activities are on your agenda.

Day 5: Whistler to Vancouver

Spend the night in Whistler. Before leaving the area, drive to Nairn Falls Provincial Park, where the Green River shoots through basaltic rock formations and forms a series of thundering waterfalls. The road back to Vancouver along the Sea-to-Sky Highway is just as spectacular in the reverse direction. Once back in Vancouver, enjoy fresh oysters and fish at Blue Water Café and Raw Bar (tel. 604/688-8078) or Coast (tel. 604/685-5010).

Day 6: Vancouver to Victoria

Spend day 6 of your weeklong adventure in Victoria, preferably taking an early-morning ferry through the Gulf Islands. For your day in Victoria, see "The Best of Victoria in 1 Day".

Day 7: Victoria to Vancouver

If time allows, make a trip from Victoria to Pacific Rim National Park, a temperate rainforest with old-growth trees and a wildly magnificent coastline on the west coast of Vancouver Island (a 4 1/2-hr. drive or 45-min. flight). For a complete summary of what's there, including famous lodges and dining choices, see chapter 18. Otherwise, this is the day you return to Vancouver by ferry. Back on the mainland, the Tsawassen ferry terminal is the closest to the Vancouver airport and hooks up with Interstate 5 south to Seattle or north to Vancouver. Or you can travel back via Port Angeles, a gateway to Washington's Olympic National Park, or Anacortes.