Vancouver

Vancouver

New Town Bakery and Restaurant

A Chinatown institution since 1969, New Town is the place to try steamed BBQ pork buns fresh from the kitchen along with egg tarts, coconut tarts, and deeply inexpensive bowls of congee or wonton noodle soup. Order at the counter, grab a table, and let kids point at whatever looks good in the pastry case.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Granville Island Public Market

Spend the morning grazing through one of Canada's best public markets, picking up fresh fruit, local cheese, smoked salmon, and pastries from vendors like Lee's Donuts and the Stock Market soup bar. Arrive before 10am on weekends to beat the crowds and snag a picnic table near the water.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Richmond Night Market (or Aberdeen Centre)

If your visit falls on a weekend from May through October, the Richmond Night Market is one of the largest night markets in North America and an absolute must for families who want to eat their way through Hong Kong-style street food, Taiwanese bubble waffles, takoyaki, and dozens of other stalls. If you are visiting off-season or want a daytime option, Aberdeen Centre mall nearby anchors a dense stretch of some of the best dim sum restaurants in North America.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Tap and Barrel North Shore

Stop for lunch at this family-friendly brewpub on the North Shore waterfront with a dedicated kids menu, large patio, and views across to downtown Vancouver. The burgers are solid, portions are big, and the location next to the Lonsdale Quay makes it easy to combine with a SeaBus ride home.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Dim Sum at Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant

Sea Harbour on No. 3 Road is consistently rated among the top dim sum restaurants in the entire country and the trolley-cart service makes ordering genuinely fun for children who can point at dishes as they roll by. Go for weekend brunch between 10am and noon and expect a short wait, which moves quickly.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Cacao Vancouver

End the afternoon with a stop at this West End chocolate shop on Denman Street, which makes its own bean-to-bar chocolate and sells outstanding drinking chocolate and truffles. Kids can watch chocolate being tempered through the shop window and choose from a wall of single-origin bars.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Stanley Park Seawall

Rent bikes or a family surrey at Spoke Bicycle Rentals near the park entrance and ride all or part of the 22 km seawall loop with views of the North Shore mountains and Burrard Inlet. Kids aged 5 and up can handle the flat, paved path easily, and there are plenty of spots to stop and watch float planes take off from the harbour.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Beaver Lake Trail Picnic Stop

Pick up sandwiches and snacks from Whole Foods on Robson Street before heading into the park, then stop at Beaver Lake for a shaded picnic beside the lily-pad-covered water. It is a calm, pretty spot that gives kids a genuine forest-in-the-city feeling without a long hike.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Kids Market on Granville Island

Right next to the Public Market, this two-storey building is packed with toy shops, a small indoor play area, and a magic shop where kids can learn a trick. It is genuinely fun for the 5 to 12 crowd and easy to budget because most shops have low-cost items alongside the bigger stuff.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Maplewood Farm

A short drive from Capilano, this community farm in North Vancouver lets kids feed goats, watch pigs, pet chickens, and see a genuine working barnyard at a pace that never feels rushed. It is affordable, unhurried, and a good gear-change after the excitement of the suspension bridge.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Lonsdale Quay Market

Browse the waterfront market at Lonsdale Quay before catching the SeaBus back to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver, a 12-minute crossing that costs only a regular transit fare. The upper deck of the SeaBus gives kids a memorable wide-angle view of the harbour and the North Shore mountains.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

This is the first authentic Ming dynasty-style garden ever built outside of China, and the guided 45-minute tour does an excellent job of making the symbolism and design accessible to children as well as adults. The enclosed garden feels like a genuinely different world from the streets outside and makes for beautiful photos.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Polygon Gallery

Located at the foot of Lonsdale Quay but worth the short SkyTrain detour, or alternatively paired with a Gastown afternoon if you loop back, this contemporary photography gallery on the North Vancouver waterfront runs thought-provoking exhibitions in a beautiful building that older kids and teens tend to respond to well. Admission is by donation and the building itself with its faceted reflective exterior is worth seeing.

Flokk pick

Vancouver

Steveston Village and Garry Point Park

Drive or take transit to Steveston Village, a preserved fishing village on the Fraser River where kids can watch commercial fishing boats unload their catch at the Steveston Wharf and sometimes buy fresh Dungeness crab directly off the boats. Garry Point Park at the tip of the peninsula has open grass, kite flying, and views across the water to the Gulf Islands.

Flokk pick