Granville Island
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Good for Kids,
Good Place to Drink,
Good Place to Eat,
Good Place to Shop,
Popular with Locals,
Island
Brimming with arts and crafts studios, bars and restaurants with eye-popping views, Granville Island is a popular spot for visitors and locals alike. Though it’s really a peninsula, jutting out into False Creek, the island draws those who come to wander the pedestrian-friendly alleyways while enjoying the sounds of the buskers and the sights along the waterfront.
One of the highlights is the Granville Island Public Market, where you can trawl the deli-style food stalls and artisan stands. Art lovers can wander through the three galleries of up-and-coming artists at the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design. For the under-10 set, the Kids Market bristles with kid-friendly stores, mostly of the toy variety. For a little respite, entice the kids away from the shops and head to the huge Granville Island Water Park.
Once you’ve exhausted the market and artisan stores, you’ll have no problem finding other things to do here. You can paddle False Creek with a kayak, tour Granville Island Brewing, or catch and evening show. Come September and the ever-popular Vancouver International Fringe Festival stages myriad performances in many of the Granville Island venues.
Latest Reviews
Review by Elaine D, July 2012
Doing what: Vancouver Trolley Hop-on Hop-off Tour
This was an excellent way to see the city with the interesting commentary an added bonus. We used our coupon for the free ferry ride to Granville Island and hopped back on the trolley for the ride back.
Review by GARY Z, July 2012
Doing what: Vancouver Trolley Hop-on Hop-off Tour
The hop on/hop off bus tours are a great way to get a feel for a city, see the highlights and make your choice of what to get off to see. Vancouver was fun, people very friendly and helpful. Loved Stanley Gardens, the Space Museum, the Aquarium and Granville Market.
Review by Linda S, May 2012
Doing what: Vancouver Trolley Hop-on Hop-off Tour
We very much enjoyed this tour, exchanging our voucher for 2 day hop on tkts + Harbour 360 viewing tower included.The trolley stopped right outside our hotel and we took 1st route through Stanley Park along the waterfront and on to Canada Place where we left the trolley. We had some brunch walked along to Gastown the Harbour 360 etc then took the 2nd route down to Granville Island. Drivers give an impromptu commentary about the areas. All very good fun and very obliging at the end of the day in dropping people off near their hotels. This company has lots of competition in Vancouver and they really want your business, we think they deserve recommendation.
Practical Info
The main access to Granville Island is by bus and the False Creek miniferry, a treat in itself. You can pick up the ferry from several points in downtown; the trip to Granville Island takes only a few minutes. Allow an afternoon for a visit to the island.
