Vancouver Canada: 3 Day Itinerary
This 3-day itinerary builds on our 2-day plan , adding a dedicated Squamish day between the airport-adjacent start and the Victoria crossing. It nests inside our 4-day through 7-day Vancouver, Canada itineraries, each one adding a day rather than starting over.
Book these before you go
- A Victoria and Butchart Gardens day tour, if you’d rather not manage the ferry crossing yourself: check options on GetYourGuide
- Your BC Ferries sailing and vehicle reservation, especially June through September: bcferries.com
- Harbour Air floatplane seats, if flying beats an afternoon on the water: harbourair.com
- Sea to Sky Gondola tickets, cheaper booked online through the official seatoskygondola.com than at the gate
| Day | Focus | Distance/time from Vancouver |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Richmond and Steveston | Canada Line 25-30 min, 55 min total |
| Day 2 | Victoria and Butchart Gardens | BC Ferries 95 min crossing, 3.5-4h door to door each way |
| Day 3 | Squamish and the Sea to Sky Gondola | 60km, 45-60 min drive |
Day 1: Richmond and Steveston, your first CAD lesson
Land at YVR and take the Canada Line straight downtown, but note the fare before you tap in: a trip originating at the airport carries a mandatory AddFare on top of the base zone fare, roughly CAD 9.35 total to downtown on a Compass card, not the base fare alone. Drop your bags, then ride back out to Richmond for the afternoon. The dim sum scene around malls like Aberdeen Centre is widely considered stronger and cheaper than downtown Chinatown’s, a genuinely useful first meal in the country. Steveston, a further bus ride or short drive beyond Richmond, adds a working fishing harbour and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, both free to wander.
Day 2: Victoria and Butchart Gardens, the edge of the country
Book an early BC Ferries sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, about 95 minutes through the Gulf Islands. Budget the day honestly: door to door from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria runs 3.5-4 hours each way once the drive to the terminal and the transfer into the city are added, meaning 8-plus hours round trip before Butchart Gardens even enters the picture. Spend your time on the Inner Harbour, the BC Parliament Buildings, and either the Royal BC Museum or Butchart Gardens; pick one if the ferry’s schedule is running your day. Harbour Air’s floatplane covers the same crossing in about 35 minutes each way for about $99 CAD one way booked ahead, more for flexible fares, if the ferry’s length doesn’t appeal.
Is this Vancouver or the one in Washington?
This one is British Columbia, Canada, on the Pacific coast north of the US border, not the smaller Vancouver, Washington near Portland, Oregon, a different country and currency roughly 300km south. Worth confirming before you book any of this itinerary’s tours or ferries.
Day 3: Squamish and the Sea to Sky Gondola
Drive or bus 60km up Highway 99, 45-60 minutes from Vancouver, to Squamish, the natural midpoint on the road to Whistler. The Sea to Sky Gondola lifts non-hikers to a ridge above Howe Sound for CAD 73.95 online, CAD 81.95 at the gate, and the Stawamus Chief granite dome next door draws climbers from around the world; its hiking trail to the first summit takes 2-3 hours return if you’d rather earn the view. A free 20-minute stop at Shannon Falls, a 335-metre waterfall right off the highway, costs nothing on the way through.
Do you need a car for this itinerary?
Not for Days 1 and 2, since the Canada Line and BC Ferries cover both without one. Day 3 is where a car, shuttle, or organized tour starts to matter, since no passenger rail runs up the Sea-to-Sky corridor toward Squamish or Whistler.
Base yourself downtown or in Gastown for all three nights; both put you within a short ride of the Canada Line, the Tsawwassen ferry connection, and Highway 99 north. Check current downtown Vancouver rates on Booking.com before a summer trip, since hotel rates and BC Ferries reservations both tighten together in peak season. Three days is enough to see this gateway work in both directions, out to the island and up the coast.