Vancouver Trip - Dec. 2013 - Itinerary ideas / info ?

wondercollie

Nothing on the island is too far apart (well by Canadian standards). We spent a year there when the husband was posted to the Search and Rescue Squadron there.

You can take the ferry to either Nanaimo or Victoria. Nanaimo is roughly a 90 minute drive from Victoria. People who live in BC are furious at the fees charged to get the car, driver and passengers across the water. You pay for each, so you might want to consider walking on and looking at transport once there. \

Victoria markets itself as a piece of olde Englande. Can be pretty kitchy at times but it is pretty. It can also be pretty wet and miserable. I managed to get a mild case of hypothermia there back in the '80s from the wind. Well, live and learn. The legislature is always decorated and very pretty. The provincial museum has/had one of the best wooly Mammoths I've ever seen. Rogers Chocolates are lovely gifts to take home.

If you go up island Tofino is beautiful. Loads of wildlife. We used to have Bald Eagles circle our place in Comox all the time. There is whale watching expeditions. Campbell River for salmon fish (not sure about the seasons though, the only people who can fish year round are treaty status First Nation members) Again, I don't know how much will be available during your stay.

If the nature thing is important to you, I'd look into doing it in the very first part of your trip before people settle down for the Christmas holidays. Many are small family businesses.

The Pan Pacific in Vancouver does great food as well. ChinaTown has walking tours (or used to) and some fun stores to look in. The shopping in Gastown can be really interesting.

I hope you enjoy your stay. Winter in Vancouver can be glorious if it's cold and crisp (I live on the prairies now and have an entirely different viewpoint on cold). When its wet and cold in Vancouver you can never get dry. Somebody mentioned how miserable Seattle can be in the rain. Well, Vancouver is worse. I remember one year it rained from October to April.

dickydonkin

Alan_Bowen wrote: »

Pointless mentioning car hire in the USA if they are travelling to Canada. Don't waste time going to Seattle, has the worst and most depressing weather in the US, no wonder they drink coffee by the bucket load.

Bearing in mind the OP's trip is in December, the weather is very likely to be cold at best.

It is unfair to completely disregard a destination because of what the weather may or may not be - the OP will not be sunbathing, that's for sure! I was in Seoul last December - which was COLD and snowbound - but that certainly did not spoil the trip. I was well prepared for the weather and I would not deter someone going there just because it can get somewhat chilly.

The UK would have very few overseas visitors if they had the same mindset.

I travelled to Vancouver/Seattle last August and was pleasantly surprised by the latter and it would be a shame if the OP did not at least spend a couple of days there. I travelled down by Amtrak before moving on to LA.

I went whale watching in Vancouver, although I suspect that may not be an option in December.

Two great cities - particularly Vancouver and I'm sure the OP will have a great trip.

wondercollie

Uhm. Vancouver doesn't get "cold". Maybe the occasional -6C, nothing like what the rest of Canada gets. I only ever remember two cold winters in over 30 years of living there.

dickydonkin

wondercollie wrote: »

Uhm. Vancouver doesn't get "cold". Maybe the occasional -6C, nothing like what the rest of Canada gets. I only ever remember two cold winters in over 30 years of living there.

Uhm. The December average low for Vancouver is 1ºC / 34ºF - which is cold in my book - obviously as you stated, not as cold as some parts of Canada and was an unfair comparison.

As I alluded to upthread, the OP won't be sunbathing!

wondercollie

dickydonkin wrote: »

Uhm. The December average low for Vancouver is 1ºC / 34ºF - which is cold in my book - obviously as you stated, not as cold as some parts of Canada and was an unfair comparison.

As I alluded to upthread, the OP won't be sunbathing!

I have friends who skiid at Grouse and Whistler in bathing suits and came home with quite the tan.

Average lows are mythical. The thing with Vancouver in December is the damp. Once it hits you, you feel much colder than it really is. My sons used to walk to school in -25 with light jackets (teenagers think they are invincible) and when they lived on the island found themselves shivering at 3C due to the damp.

dickydonkin

wondercollie wrote: »

I have friends who skiid at Grouse and Whistler in bathing suits and came home with quite the tan.

Average lows are mythical. The thing with Vancouver in December is the damp. Once it hits you, you feel much colder than it really is. My sons used to walk to school in -25 with light jackets (teenagers think they are invincible) and when they lived on the island found themselves shivering at 3C due to the damp.

The tan you refer to will indeed be from the sun - but I suspect the skiers in question would have been well wrapped up - not only for insulation from the cold but also for obvious personal protective reasons. It is the UV rays that tan - not the actual heat and those would I suspect be enhanced by reflecting off the snow.

Average lows are mythical.

So are you really suggesting that historical FACTUAL recorded temperatures are a myth?

Apologies OP - my last contribution to this thread but you will have a great trip - irrespective of the weather!

wondercollie

I only lived there for 30 years and visit friends and family out there twice a year.

So, what would I really know about the weather!?

Duffers-2013

Thanks to everyone for contributing - our plans are slowly coming together now - including Vancouver itself, Vancouver Island, and likely Whidbey island as well (probably swinging down to Seattle briefly). Flights are all booked.

Being English & Dutch, we're all used to (very) wet & (very) windy, so Vancouver climate is unlikely to hold too many surprises - hoping for cold & especially dry, but we'll get what we get, and enjoy it whatever. Already wishing it was for longer.... maybe next time.

Thanks again