Vancouver and Whistler

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dillsquatt

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We are thinking of spending 5 nights in Vancouver and 3 nights in Whistler - next May or June.

Not certain yet about the Whistler part of our trip - we have see a few negative things online eg. more like a party town in summer (which is not us!!). The outdoor adventures /country feel of the town attracts us. We are in our late 50s so just good food and wine and a few drinks in the evening.

Would we be better off staying in Vancouver and taking a day trip to Whistler instead? We wont be driving but I see online you can take day trips?

Any advices/ideas would be appreciated.

thanks
 
Whistler is amazing in the summer id do as long as you can there, great hikes, rafting, zip lines and beautiful scenery just stay in a hotel away from the main night life if you want to avoid that but I didn't find it very party central regardless
 
Banff is gorgeous but you do need a car to get out and about or otherwise you are dependent on booking trips and tours. Jasper, sadly, seems to have been burnt to the ground in recent days due to wildfires.

Vancouver is fine and nice, a good town for walking around and very tourist friendly, but a bit dull. 5 nights might be a bit much unless it is at the end of a trip and you are planning some shopping etc.
 
HI. I'd do 3 nights Vancouver, 2 nights Whistler, 3 Vancouver Island. We didn't get to Banff which I believe is gorgeous. It was too far away from Vancouver for us to include it it our trip. We went to Vancouver Island by ferry, picked up a car in Nanaimo, drove over to Tofino visiting places and sites on the way. Spent a couple of nights there, drove back to Nanaimo, dropped off car. Got coach to Victoria. Spent one night there and flew back to Vancouver on a seaplane.
 
I'll let you know in a couple of weeks!
 
Ok. We're just finishing up a road trip/Alaska cruise with 3 nts in Vancouver. We had 2 nts in Whistler and it's beautiful. The fact that the village is a modern construction, Olympic rings and all, doesn't detract from it's prettiness. If you're active, Whistler has loads of trails, mountain bike hire is huge there and ski lifts/gondolas from the centre of the village. As mentioned above, rafting is available and many more activities, I'm sure. To be honest, we think we're active but we don't do any of those activities. It is definitely thronged with younger folk, so very lively at night so choose your hotel carefully. The pub grub is plentiful and tasty. I recommend the Dubh Linn Irish pub just beside the gondola station, just for nice service and a drink. It's not as tacky as it sounds - the menu says the interior was designed and built in Ireland and shipped over!
Vancouver is, of course, a big city but it has so much to see and do, it focuses on the harbour. Seaplane rides, whale watching, an Aquarium, ferries to Vancouver Island and Victoria, which is said to be beautiful. As we only have 3 days here, I can't claim to have done it all or even scratched the surface. Weather is key. We are in late August and yesterday was sunny and great for walking, today promises rain so a bit restricting. This could also be an issue in Whistler, of course.

In summary, if you're outdoorsy and like to hike, mountain bike, climb etc, you may never tire of Whistler. If you are less outdoorsy, Vancouver can provide all of these, at a price, of course, along with more city like experiences.

I will say, Whistler pales in comparison to the scenery around Banff - Jasper, if you can get there next year, it's worth it. Hope that helps.
 
Sadly half of Jasper was burnt to the ground recently but Banff is gorgeous
 
thanks...we have booked 5 nights in Vancouver and 3 nights in Whistler early June next year - we are pretty active so Whistler sounds great.
 
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