Exploring Vancouver: Gastown, Granville Island, Whale Watching!

When I told people that I was visiting Vancouver, everyone said that a) I would love it (yep!) and b) that I should go whale watching.

So, for my second day in Vancouver, I began by exploring the Gastown neighbourhood before heading to Granville Island for my whale watching trip. Everyone was right – whale watching was an absolute highlight and I cannot recommend it highly enough! I had never seen a whale before, and so to see one in its natural habitat (and an orca no less!) was very special indeed. Here’s how my day went.

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See the steamy clock in Gastown

Gastown was the first settlement of the city of Vancouver, and much of the original Victorian architecture remains due to the preservation efforts of the city’s residents. Although the area consists of only a few streets I mainly just explored Water Street.  Here there are a number of gift shops selling cute stationery/ general gifts as well as a number of tourist shops selling goods such as maple cookies (yum!), clothing, and your standard tourist fare of mugs/keyrings/Christmas decorations. If you’re looking for souvenirs, I found that the further I went along the street, the cheaper the items became. 

There are also plenty of restaurants lining the streets so you shouldn’t have any problem finding somewhere to eat.

Of course, the main star of Gastown is the steam-powered clock. Built in 1977, the clock uses steam power to help it run as well as whistle every quarter of an hour. Be sure to visit on the hour though as that’s when you get the full steam experience!

From here, I took the bus south to Granville Island in advance of whale watching.

Potter around Granville Island

Granville Island is located south of downtown Vancouver and is easily accessible by public transport. (There is parking available on Granville Island but I would avoid it if you can – it looked like an absolute nightmare trying to find a parking spot). 

There’s quite a bit to do on the island and it is perfect for those just wanting maybe half a day to chill out. I spent about an hour and a half on the west side of the island where there are plenty of gift and craft shops. If you have children to entertain (and money to spare) there’s also the Kids Market which has lots of fun science and art items, as well as arcades and a play area. It’s also next to the (free) waterpark if it’s a hot day.

As well as the shops, Granville Island Market has a plethora of food kiosks selling all sorts of international dishes.

Whale watching!

I went on my whale watching trip with Wild Whales Vancouver which is situated on Granville Island. They do multiple tours throughout the day on either a semi-covered, non-covered, or dinghy-style boat. I opted for the non-covered boat so there wasn’t any glass in the way to spoil the view.  

Normally it is recommended to wear a weather suit (which the company provides) but in our case it was so warm that there wasn’t much point. The tour cost around CAD $180 (£104/ USD $133) but was well worth it. The staff there were also so helpful – I’d had to rearrange my trip because of a cancelled flight and they sorted it out no problem.

We were out for just over 3 hours and I learned loads about marine life in the Vancouver area as well as about their life cycles and behaviour. It was clear that our guide and captain really cared about the whales and their welfare, as well as for the ocean environment as a whole, and they were so knowledgeable. All the whale watching companies in the area work collaboratively to let one another know where the whales are, and they also record and report behaviour to help inform conservation efforts and scientific research.

See some marine life!

We were fortunate enough to see seals and sealions, and then as we entered a stretch of water between two of the Gulf Islands we managed to find a mum orca and her three children!

You’ve got to be eagle eyed as the orcas only surface for a few seconds at a time before diving back down again. You’ll first notice them from the plume of water that comes from their blowholes before their dorsal fins and the white patch that they have on their backs (called a saddlepatch) emerges from the water.

As you can see from the photo, we were always outside of the 200m limit between us and the whales to prevent causing them any kind of stress. If you are into your photography, it’s worth bringing a telephoto lens along!

We managed to get a good 40 minute session with the whales before it was time to go. It did take a good hour to get back but I think that’s to be expected really – it’s not like the wildlife is going to be relaxing right by the shore is it! The views of the islands off the coast of Vancouver are absolutely stunning though so there’s lots to look at – it really is such a beautiful part of the world.

You can find my full Vancouver 3 day itinerary here, and if you’re planning on visiting Grouse Mountain you can find my post here!