Granville Island Vancouver is a hip and trendy peninsula to the south of Downtown Vancouver. It sits perched under the Granville Street Bridge on the waters of False Creek, once used as a fishing inlet by the First Nations peoples.
Vancouver was originally called Granville after Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl of Granville (Britain’s Colonial Secretary at the time) but was renamed to its present day moniker in 1886. Formerly an industrial area, Granville has gradually been transformed in the last decades into a shopping and recreational district with an arty and laid-back vibe.
We were there at a busy time – it was the public holiday weekend for British Columbia Day plus the annual Vancouver Pride Festival so everywhere was bustling with people. Still it was not unpleasantly crowded. We enjoyed exploring the fresh food markets (the Granville Island Public Market has been in existence since 1979). As you would expect there was an enormous range of produce – I was happy not only to find so much fresh fruit and vegetables but an old fashioned tea shop selling a vast array of loose leaf teas in old fashioned jars and tins. We also had breakfast in one of the cafes at the end of the market – you are really spoilt for choice here and we found portions to be very generous!
A ride on the ferry is an enjoyable way to explore False Creek and get your bearings. There are plenty of stops along the way including the iconic glass dome of Science World British Columbia plus easy and fast connections to the main Downtown area.
After breakfast and a return ferry ride on the creek, we wandered round absorbing the atmosphere on the island. Street performers, arts and craft shops (including a wonderful bead and jewellery store), plus a pleasant cooling breeze from the water (it was an especially hot weekend) made for a most enjoyable Sunday stroll around.
The vestiges of the once industrial area are preserved too in a quaint and somewhat kitsch display of old concrete mixers.
If all the walking around makes you feel drained, you can always find a strong pick me up at the Liberty Distillery purveyors of gin and vodka or try some handcrafted beer at the Granville Island Brewing Company.
With frequent festivals there is always something going on at Granville Island – check the website here for up to date information. It’s definitely a must-see place on any trip to Vancouver!
Copyright © 2018 Rosemary Thomas Le Chic En Rose. All rights reserved
Le Chic En Rose 
Can’t wait to sail there! You’ve given me much to look forward to!
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There were a lot of boats there Lisa – sailing is obviously highly popular!
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Looks like my kind of place, Rosemay! Never can resist a ferry, and those concrete mixers are superb 🙂 🙂
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Just your sort of place I think Jo! Our friends had told us about the concrete mixers – such a great idea they fit in well with the new trendy vibe and are also a link with the old industrial past 🙂
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It doesn’t look too different from when we were there, in (I think) 1994. I remember spending a similarly pleasant in Granville Island. I read Carol’s post on the Butchart Gardens yesterday. Between the two of you I can feel a new Canadian plan forming!
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We would have loved to have gone to Butchart Gardens having heard a lot about them but really only had a weekend in Vancouver and then half a day at the end of the holiday (when I had the flu). Will have to wait for another time. Really enjoyed Granville Island though 🙂
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Oh no, bad luck getting flu on holiday!
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Was at the end fortunately just wasn’t able to enjoy Seattle as much as I’d have liked!
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🙁
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I much prefer the new name “Vancouver” rather than Granville. Looks like you had a perfect sunny day for your exploring? Beautiful photos 🙂
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Thanks – yes the weather was gorgeous Gilda. In fact it was really hot for our Canadian visit – temperatures in the 30s, which we hadn’t really expected. Vancouver is definitely a better name than Granville!
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A lovely wander around a very interesting part of Vancouver. As you mentioned, Granville Island is a ‘must see’ location.
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Definitely a place I could have wandered round for hours – I think the area has been really well developed and it is so interesting 🙂
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It had changed between our visits in 2005 and 2010 so I imagine it is quite a lot different now.
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I’d imagine it is constantly evolving!
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Thanks for the visit. I actually have never been to Granville Island. I have been to Vancouver on numerous business trips but never had sufficient time to explore all there is to see in Vancouver. Nice set of pics. (Suzanne)
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Thanks so much Suzanne – can highly recommend Granville Island if you ever get the chance to explore there. We also felt there was a lot more to see in Vancouver. We actually did 3 quick trips to Vancouver in the course of our North American tour – a couple of days at the beginning, then a night in the middle en route back from Banff to join our cruise and a night at the end before we flew back to Australia. We would have liked to have had longer to look round and hope to do so one day!
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What a wonderful idea to glorify a concrete mixer! Love it.
Fantastic pictures taken from the boat. Thank you for sharing your travel experiences!
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Thank you 🙂 Yes it’s an interesting artistic concept and a nod to the area’s industrial past. It’s a trendy and eclectic part of town. Always love a boat trip as long as it’s calm waters! 🙂
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Oh Canada, the country of my dreams 🙂
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Definitely much to explore there – amazing scenery, wildlife and friendly people 🙂
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I would love to take that cross-country train 🙂
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It would be fun to travel right across Canada! You can do that on the public trains from Vancouver that go up to Jasper and Edmonton then across the prairies to Toronto. The line to Banff is on a freight line only but the Rocky Mountaineer Company are allowed to run their trains on the line.
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Oh thank you! I have seen amazing pictures of the train cars with transparent roofs. Those are very expensive trips, but sure breathtaking.
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Yes it’s certainly not a cheap option – that’s why we only did a short trip by train, 2 days and 1 night and drove the rest of the time! We went from Vancouver to Banff and you get put up in a hotel half way in Kamloops for 1 night The Trans Canadian journey is with the national train company, not the private Rocky Mountaineer. If we ever did it again I would go when it was a bit cooler and there was more of a chance of seeing snow (they run the Rocky Mountaineer trains from April to October so you’d probably see some snow at either end of the season) 🙂
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It is wonderful that a cheaper option is available. October sounds perfect to me, and so does April 🙂
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Yes it doesn’t go to all the same places that the Rocky Mountaineer does for example you can only go by train to Banff with the Rocky Mountaineer. However the Canadian train goes up to Jasper then to Edmonton before heading out across the plains. I think it would be a wonderful trip to do and April and October would be my preferred months too 🙂
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Thank you for the info! A trip across the plains sounds equally good to me as I haven’t been in Canada, ever 🙂
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I think it would be great fun and an amazing way to see all the scenery in such a vast place 🙂
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Yes, a train trip is the best for this purpose 🙂
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One for the Wishlist! 😃
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Oh, thanks for this memory of a very happy time spent in Vancouver, many years ago. Granville Island was definitely a highlight.
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You’re very welcome! I have still got some more articles to write up about our North American travels in particular Alaska! I feel we still left more to do in Vancouver – we didn’t make it to Vancouver Island for example and I’ve heard that is lovely!
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Wonderful. We’d have loved more time there.
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That always seems to be the way when one is travelling – you never quite know how much time to allow for a place and often leave wishing you could have seen more!
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