Vancouver's Best Public Transit Sightseeing Tours

Sometimes the best sightseeing tours aren’t. That is, sometimes the most authentic way to get to know a city isn’t on a big red bus crowded with other tourists.

In Vancouver, it’s easy to sightsee through a local’s lens: just buy a TransLink day pass and hop on public transit.

These budget-friendly transit trips from downtown route through some of the city’s prettiest and most interesting areas:

#5 Robson/Davie:

• A circle tour of downtown Vancouver via Robson Street, English Bay and Davie Street.

#10 Granville:

• Take the #10 bus from Waterfront Station and travel south through some of Vancouver’s most affluent neighbourhoods to the Marine Drive Canada Line station, and then take the new light-rail train back downtown.

#44 UBC:

• This bus routes through hip Kitsilano to the University of British Columbia. (Tip: leave enough time to visit the Museum of Anthropology, the Nitobe Memorial Garden–and for the bold, clothing-optional Wreck Beach–once you get there.)

  

  Take BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island

#250 Horseshoe Bay:

• This bus follows the scenic “low road” (Marine Drive) to the seaside village–and BC Ferries terminal–of Horseshoe Bay where you’ll find a great view of Howe Sound, North America’s southern-most fjord. From there, if you want, you can make the 20-minute crossing to Bowen Island–an easy and excellent day trip.

Seabus:

• A 20-minute (return-trip) mini-cruise across Burrard Inlet to Vancouver’s North Shore. Grab lunch at the Lonsdale Quay or walk a few minutes up Lonsdale Street for a wider choice of restaurants.

• Note: use TransLink’s trip planning tool to plan other transit trips throughout Vancouver.