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Hello!
We are looking at planning a holiday next year to Canada, specifically British Columbia. We are thinking of flying into Vancouver and then road tripping across and flying out of Calgary, over a 12-14 day period.
I have done some initial research and there are a few things to do in Vancouver and Banff also looks to have some 'must see' attractions.
It appears a lot of this area is 'look at the beauty', which we are all for, but is there any other things/adventures we can go on along the way. There are only so many parks we can walk around.
There will be 4 of us, me and the missus, then a 19 year old and a 9 year old, so most things need to be suitable for all.
Second to this, what sort of budget did you set? or how much did you spend? Initially it looks like we have around £7500 to spend, which isnt a small amount of money, but equally its getting swallow up pretty quickly, with nearly £3000 on flights and car rental. We would look to stay in Airbnb's ideally, although the odd night in a hotel is fine.
I'd rather postpone it another year and save a bit more if the general consensus is the budget will limit our enjoyment. Although that might go down like a dog poo sandwich with my wife!
So any tips, must see's, money saving hacks etc are all very welcome!
Give me what you got!
If you’re looking to save money I wouldn’t bother with Banff, plenty of other less touristy and less tourist-tax places , ymmv
If you’re looking to save money I wouldn’t bother with Banff, plenty of other less touristy and less tourist-tax places , ymmv
ok, interesting. Its not so much saving money, its just whether a budget of 4k is enough to have a decent time.
Can you suggest any of the less touristy places?
We did it the opposite way round back in June 2002 for our honeymoon, over 3 weeks, using trains and buses.
Stanley Park and Gas Town were lovely in Vancouver. Our hotel had a revolving restaurant. I hate theme parks, MrsMC loves rollercoasters, guess who had to abandon the romantic meal on the last night....
From Vancouver we hopped over for a night on Vancouver Island and from there went to Knight Inlet Lodge. **** knows what it must cost now but a couple of days there is amazing - only way in is a seaplane, floating lodge, kayak or boat out to go wildlife spotting. Bears literally on your doorstep.
We did the Rocky Pioneer train through to Jasper - if you do, pay extra for an upper level seat, or you get 2 days watching the sides of mountains go past without the full effect.
Jasper was lovely, badly hit by recent fires so not sure what it's like now. Rafting on the river was fun. Ice Field Parkway was stunning but from pics the glaciers have visibly shrunk since. The Athabasca Glacier trip wasn't really worth it - it may have changed, but they just drove a huge truck up a glacier leaving it stained with exhaust particles.
Lake Louise looked beautiful - still frozen at the start of our visit, melted 3 days later. Banff was great for a few days, my favourite day was recommended by a local who told us to drop a bag of swimming stuff at the hot springs, hiked up Sulphur Mountain, gondola down, soak in the hot springs.
If we could afford it, I'd do a similar trip again, maybe shorter stays in Jasper and Banff and a bit more exploring in between
We went for 2.5 weeks last summer. However, a bit different for us, as we lived in North Van for a few years, so had friends we could stay with.
Off the top of my head:
Consider flying to Abbotsford with Westjet. It appears a bit cheaper and is only 40 mins drive from Vancouver.
Don’t bother staying in Calgary unless you’re going for the Stampede. It’s pretty unimpressive. Spend your last night in the Rockies and drive to the airport (a couple of hours from Banff).
Banff is megabucks, as are any worthwhile excursions. Also, if you want to see some stuff (e.g. Moraine Lake) you’ll have to take an organised tour as private transport is not allowed access.
If you’re hiring a car, rentals are much cheaper in Vancouver centre than at the airport, which is only a short hop on a tram. Also, you may incur more costs as you are travelling to Alberta from BC. Cars are registered per province, so would have to be returned by the company.
We decided to skip the road trip to the Rockies and fly to Calgary with Westjet for ca 70 pounds return from Abbotsford (booked well in advance).
We went to Vancouver Island for a few days, for the sea vistas, whales, beaches etc.. Well worth it.
I haven’t got a clue how much we spent in the end, the other half arranged it. I did nearly have several breakdowns when I saw the cost of stuff that we had signed up to though.
Still, my kids are older teenagers now so it was always gonna be a trip of a lifetime/last big holiday together. At least that’s what I’m hoping…
Mum/Dad went to BC area 20 years ago so I showed them Katy's latest video and mum recognised/remembered doing these trails, looks absolutely stunning and somewhere I'd love to go, but unless I can afford a helicopter to take me to the viewpoints that's never happening.
The place looks like somewhere I'd be happy to sit and take in one final view before I get a sharp dunt on the back of the head
Can you suggest any of the less touristy places?
Canmore is one of our favourite places anywhere and 24 miles from Banff. I think the Canada road trip has been done a good few times on here but Revelstoke, Golden, etc are all good places.
History, honeymooned there 18 years ago, went back 8 years ago for 10th anniversary (although started in Seattle this time).
Van has grown over the years and it just felt like a big grimy city when we were there last. We took a sea plane to Victoria and I'd happily have stayed on Van island longer. The sea-plane was fun, the views from it are amazing, it's an epic coastline.
If in Van for a bit and the weather suits, cycling round Stanley park is lovely, we cycled along with a sea lion munching on a salmon next to us. It was lying on it's back in the water while eating. Granville island is worth a visit too.
First time we took the train from Van to Whistler, was very scenic, we halved the age of the carriage on average I think. Then we drove to Banff for a few days and onto Calgary (as above drove out of the mountains to the airport and left). Got taken up Whistler mountain by van and ziplined it down.
Lake Louise was lovely, Moraine was better (comment above suggests you can't take yourself there any longer though). Near Banff lake Mini****a was a favourite too, mainly for the sign 😉
If I was going back, I'd head into the wilderness on Vancouver island I think.
We did something similar for our honeymoon. We had a week in Whislter and then did a 2 week road trip from Vancouver to Calgary.
Gas town and Stanley Park are worth a visit in Vancouver. We hired a motorhome and stayed on a campsite in Burnaby and then used the elevated railway to get into the city centre.
We liked Kelowna in the wine growing area, I wouldnt bother with Jasper, its a long drive and not alot to it. Plus recent fires have destroyed vast areas of forest so its lost alot of its beauty.
Moraine lake was far nicer than Lake Louise and a lot less busy. We skipped Bannf and stayed in Canmore which was a really nice small town.
We expected to do alot more touristy things, but didnt find as much to do as we expected so did alot more riding than anticipated which wasnt a bad thing
Following with much interest as planning a trip next year!
Any of you lot done any Mountainbiking around the Kootenay's? If so, what di you do travel arrnagments wise and did you move around? Our group is planning a 2 week ride next Sept.
yes another visitor 20+ years ago so advice may not be up to date.
We took a summer camper after doing the city for a couple of days from Vancouver to Penticton (fruitlands) to Kelowna. through what felt like truck stops of Revelstoke and Golden, albeit with amazing monstrously big mountains. Kootney Paint Pots walk was memorable. Lake louise stunning. Takakkaw Falls recommended. Banff quite disneyland like but not too busy so good to visit. Up via Glacier national Park to Jasper, a real place we liked compared to Banff. Up to Mt Robson then back to Vancouver - a long way with a LOT of forested mountains....
Will go back some time, probably to do Vancouver Island. rather than eastern BC again.
We did this trip last summer, it was great and certainly memorable!
I just checked my spreadsheet and flights, accom, car and airport parking ended up being £7k. That doesn't include beer/food/
Our plan was:
Vancouver: Explore, Stanley Park and Whale Watching - 2 nights in the Kitsilano Beach Hostel
Squamish: Hiking and Lake swimming - 3 nights in the Adventure Inn
Wells Gray: Hiking and Waterfalls - 2 nights at Wolfwood Guest Ranch
Jasper: Hiking and Paddleboarding - 4 nights at Becker's Chalets
Invermere: Hot Springs - 2 nights at Invermere Inn
Calgary: relax - 1 night in some downtown hotel or other.
Unfortunately our stay in Jasper was curtailed by the Jasper Fire (which was not an experience I'd like to repeat), meaning we had a night sleeping in the car in a rest area after being evacuated and then a night in a hastily booked hotel in Revelstoke before heading to our Lake Louise/Moraine Lake shuttle booking and then onto Invermere.
All the accommodation we booked more than met our expectations but Wolfwood and Becker's chalets were particularly good.
We did drop in at Banff and I was glad we weren't staying there as it was even more touristy than 20 years ago.
Banff aside it didn't feel overly expensive when were there, certainly not compared to NYC or Orlando.
I'd go back in a heartbeat but I'd also like to go back to Van Island and explore the Gulf Islands and get ferry to Bella Coola and then drive down.
In defence of Banff, the people when we went there were great, we got free food/drinks as on honeymoon and at one bar a guy finished work in the kitchen, sat at the bar and bought everyone a Jaeger to get the conversation flowing. He'd dropped in for a ski season 4 years before and was looking to get out of town before the new snow fell as he was 3 years late home!
Stay at Camore, hire bikes, ride over the mountains to Banff and back. Explore the trails by bike.
Came on to say Vancouver island but lots of others have beaten me to it. Proper wilderness drive from Nanaimo to Tofino and very much worth the diversion.
Also try and stop in the smaller towns on the drive across. One of our most memorable days on a trip was stopping in Merritt. Now, I’m not suggesting you actually go there but we basically ran out of steam driving back to Vancouver so stopped in a motel there and went to a local bar. Just full of locals who were loving having brits in their drinking spot.
I also really liked Nelson and Rossland too. Again a bit more rough and ready but the better for it IMO
Almost everything that Bill Oddie said^^
Nelson was ace.
Really liked Fernie ,but there is family there, so that made it different visit for us.
We also liked Squamish a lot more than Whistler.
Maybe caught it at the wrong time,but Whistler felt a bit fake (and people there) were trying too hard.
If we went back ,I would want to take 3 weeks and do more of the islands.
this is brilliant. thank you all so much. gives me a really good idea of where to head and for how long.
much appreciated!
If going to vancouver island make sure you get to the western side and some of the beaches, properly wild out there and was a highlight of our trip
We have a big guide to BC coming up in issue 164.
we flew into Calgary. First stop Fernie (Amazing town with so much to do that isn’t just bikes although they have 400km of maintained trails). Then we headed for Rossland (lovely small town. So friendly. Quiet). Third stop Revelstoke. Tons to do there too. On the journey back to Calgary we drove through Golden, Lake Louise, Banff.
How about catching an ice hockey match or a CFL American football match?
We have a big guide to BC coming up in issue 164.
we flew into Calgary. First stop Fernie (Amazing town with so much to do that isn’t just bikes although they have 400km of maintained trails). Then we headed for Rossland (lovely small town. So friendly. Quiet). Third stop Revelstoke. Tons to do there too. On the journey back to Calgary we drove through Golden, Lake Louise, Banff.
great stuff, i will definitely give that a read.
unfortunately this trip will be sans bikes... but i am slowly coming to terms with it 🤣
How about catching an ice hockey match or a CFL American football match?
thats is a great shout. we watched the Brooklyn Nets play when in NYC and it was excellent.
If it's a summer holiday, NHL will be in playoffs (ie expensive), but CFL may be on. Also could check out MLS as the Whitecaps play in Vancouver.
We've spent time in Vancouver (good eating, interesting for one day, but it is grimy); and driving from Calgary up through Banff to Edmonton. We did the Calgary drive on a budget, renting a car and saying in B&Bs, and it was great. I love a roadtrip, and there's lots to see. Banff is nice, Jasper's decent; we stopped en route in Field as well, which was an interesting stop. Lots of wildlife, icefields is great.
Don't stay at Lake Louise (obvs) or Banff if you're thinking about budget; Calgary's fine, unexciting but convenient, and so on. I'd be surprised if you get through a £7.5k budget (especially given the CAD is so weak right now), but as you say flights are extortionate, and car rental will add up.
this is looking to be what our group might do, but throw in Nelson. We wont want to change accomodation too much, so intersted to hear where you guys stayed, or if you drove to each "resort"?We have a big guide to BC coming up in issue 164.
we flew into Calgary. First stop Fernie (Amazing town with so much to do that isn’t just bikes although they have 400km of maintained trails). Then we headed for Rossland (lovely small town. So friendly. Quiet). Third stop Revelstoke. Tons to do there too. On the journey back to Calgary we drove through Golden, Lake Louise, Banff.
We hired a vehicle at Calgary for the trip. Transfers do exist but they are very pricey. We really wanted to include Nelson too but it just didn't work out this time. If I was staying in one place for a week I'd probably pick Revelstoke but Fernie is a close second. Fernie is easier to get to - 4 hour drive from Calgary. Revelstoke is a 6 hour drive. But driving in BC is not at all like here. It's easy and spectacular. We hired a Ford F150 truck for 10 days with unlimited miles, three drivers and full waivers for £500 from Enterprise. We filled up once with crazy cheap fuel compared to here.
Came on to say Vancouver island but lots of others have beaten me to it. Proper wilderness drive from Nanaimo to Tofino and very much worth the diversion.
We tried to do that in 2023 but a wildfire closed the only road across to Tofino. Bit gutted because that was one of the parts of the holiday I was looking forward to most, and we just had to sack it off :/
Did manage to get fairly remote in the north of the island though, which was very cool.
We hired a vehicle at Calgary for the trip. Transfers do exist but they are very pricey. We really wanted to include Nelson too but it just didn't work out this time. If I was staying in one place for a week I'd probably pick Revelstoke but Fernie is a close second. Fernie is easier to get to - 4 hour drive from Calgary. Revelstoke is a 6 hour drive. But driving in BC is not at all like here. It's easy and spectacular. We hired a Ford F150 truck for 10 days with unlimited miles, three drivers and full waivers for £500 from Enterprise. We filled up once with crazy cheap fuel compared to here.
we did similar last year when we did a tour of Durango (including upto Engineer Mountain way), and then down to Flagstaff and Sedona. 2 weeks, 2 pickups and 1 SUV (there were 7 of us). We'll do similar this time, Fly Calgary, get the pickups and suv, then go to resorts (i have to be careful saying that as resorts are a dirty word in our group) -just not sure how many places we'll stop (for sleeping), i can see it being more than 2 though.
You will land in YVR and be utterly knackered. I once had to get the bus up to whistler after that flight and honestly couldn't remember my name at hotel check-in. Last time with the family we got a hotel nearby on arrival and used their shuttle, then went back to the airport having had some decent food & sleep to get the hire car.
Hire car people will give you the wrong car, but offer you an upgrade. Take the upgrade. We ended up with a GMC Suburban (sadly not in FBI black). It was big, stupid, incredibly badly put together, but totally made the journey. You didn't know you needed a 6L v8 did you?
Vancouver island is really beautiful. Its entirely the wrong direction for Calgary though. We spent a week in an airbnb in Tofino, hiking, whale watching, paddleboarding, snorkelling, eating too well. Took a float plane up the coast for more whale watching. Daughter #2 was 14months at the time. Can't be many babies who've been breastfed on the back seat of a Cessna 172 while swooping around over the sea on the lookout for humpbacks and orcas.
We then took a ferry to Port Angeles in Washington state, did some exploring, drove down to Portland to catch up with some friends then headed back to Canada.
We love that part of the world. So much so that we'll happily watch the trash that is Virgin River purely to take glimpses of the area.
In the summer the southern interior and the oakanagan get very hot. Keep that in mind if you are planning to be outdoors for long periods.
Once you get away from Vancouver and the lower mainland sprawl the towns get pretty small. Outside of hiking and mountain biking and sitting by a lake (all great things) there isnt a great deal to do. The mountain biking is phenomenal, though. Pretty much every town will have a trail network.
what attractions and activities are you after? Vancouver and the sea to sky and whistler are very busy. Vancouver Island is very beautiful. Beautiful coast at the edges, mountains in the middle and old forest in the north.
Down town Vancouver, like most North American cities has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic. It’s not the place it was a decade ago.
Edit reread your opening post, beyond the beauty and enjoying the outdoors, I don’t think there is much that you couldn’t get closer to home it is a great place, though
Any of you lot done any Mountainbiking around the Kootenay's? If so, what di you do travel arrnagments wise and did you move around? Our group is planning a 2 week ride next Sept.
You’ll need to rent a vehicle to get there and to around. You may even need 2 vehicles for shuttling unless you are planning on hiring guides. Unfortunately I can’t really help with accommodation advice.
I was in Vancouver for a long weekend in July, having been there previously in 2010.
It has gone the way of SF, imo. A lot of homelessness and drug use. I live near SF so am well used to seeing it,it’s very in your face.
A lot of fentanyl abuse which is tragic. Lots of “zombies” particularly east of downtown. You probably want to avoid this with a 9yr old (I’m not one for sheltering kids from the reality of life but 9 is too young imo.
As above Van Island is amazing.
In the city itself I preferred the north shore. Cleaner / nicer. Grouse Mtn is a good day out. The Asian food is good.
Coming from the UK it will be expensive.
British Columbia is amazing. I love it.
Thanks for all the info and tips.
so sad to hear about the drug abuse/issues, but good to know where to avoid.
our plan is all coming together hitting many of the main spots. We didn’t consider van island, but it’s now our first stop!
Not sure if this is a silly question, but will we need to invest in some bear deterrent? Or are they not really a risk? Would be naff to come back sans one child (I can run, so not concerned)
Bear spray. You can get it in petrol stations, outdoor shops, even tourist info places. A small jangly cow bell works as well - they basically hate being startled. I've sat at the top of a trail, fixing a puncture while a bear and her cub were about 30m away. She wasn't bothered - could see I wasn't an issue, loads of people were riding past and not noticing them. It's when you ride around a corner and find one in the middle of the trail scratching its arse. Most of the time you'll both go "aargh" and run the other way. Most of the time is key.
I'd be more worried by mountain lions or cougars.
You CANNOT outrun any of the dangerous wildlife.
You CANNOT outrun any of the dangerous wildlife.
You only have to outrun one of your companions....
We wore bear bells while hiking, and never went too far off the trail when we needed a wee. We did a couple of guided walks where the guides had bear spray, and I think at Knight Inlet Lodge a couple of the longer expeditions the guides had guns.
We were advised that bears were low risk unless you surprised them or got between mum and cubs. Never felt at risk when we saw them at a distance. I remember quite a few trails in Jasper were marked as closed due to the Elk breeding season - no one wants to be attacked by a horny moose. True or not, we heard stories of a mountain lion attacking a cross country skier near Banff a few months earlier, and I think a child was attacked on Vancouver Island.
It's 23 years since our honeymoon there, I now have a cougar of my own. Avoid.
Sorry haven't read all the above so apologies if repeating anything.
We went in summer 2022, 2.5 weeks. Did a lap from Vancouver ->Whistler->Sun peaks->Jasper->Banff->Revelstoke->Vancouver.
Missed out on Vancouver island unfortunately
Spent 3 nights 3 days in Vancouver which was too long..it's a nice city and all but I wish we'd spent an extra day in the Rockies.
There's loads to do but aside from doing walks and looking at natural wonders it's going to cost ££££. If we'd have tried to scrape by then it wouldn't have been as good a trip as we'd have had to do less eating out and fewer activities. I figured there's no point splashing out a shit load on flights, accommodation etc then scrimping on activities...so in the end I just shut my eyes and bashed it all on the credit card and paid it off with my annual bonus from work (which I normally tip into my pension). I can't remember exactly how much we spent but on top of the flight/accommodation holiday cost it must have been easily £2k if not more for a family of 4.
It was a great trip - family holiday of a lifetime to really - however it's probably only our second favourite family holiday.
#1 (Montenegro) was a lot lot better value...and just as good, if not better actually.