Best and Free Places To Go In Vancouver: Granville Island
One of my favourite places to go in Vancouver is Granville Island. It’s a unique area just 10 minutes away from downtown that is surrounded by water (False Creek). It used to be an industrial area, but now it houses an indoor public market, theatres, kid’s water park, retail shops, restaurants, an art school (Emily Carr University) and a marina.
It’s a great place to buy some local fresh produce, look at all the handmade goods artisans are selling and taking a nice walk by the water. I used to come here by myself to have coffee and some quiet time. This was when I was single and still living with my parents. It was so convenient to come here since my parents only live 10 minutes drive from here (Mount Pleasant neighbourhood). Now my husband and I bring our son here and he loves it. His favourite is eating french fries, going to the toy store and watching the street performers.
The above pictures were taken inside Granville Island’s public market which houses over 100 local food and goods vendor. Everything is so fresh and colourful here. You can come hungry and buy a little of everything that you like to eat.
This is the entrance to the public market. In the warm months, it is almost always crowded with people. Granville Island is a place that locals like to go and tourists love to visit.
I just went there this past weekend. The weather was nice, so everyone likes to sit outside and watch the live music/arts performers and get something to eat. Granville Island is situated underneath the Granville Street bridge and if you look across the water that is Yaletown, an affluent residential and retail area of downtown.
This is the view not far from the public market. On the other side of Granville Island is English Bay. A beautiful beach that is part of downtown.