Things to Do in North Vancouver: Local Guide

Are you wanting to explore a bit more of North Vancouver but not quite sure where to start?

North Vancouver is my favourite place in Greater Vancouver and being a local, I have quite the list of favourite places and things to do.

In this list, you’ll find beautiful viewpoints, hiking trails, breweries, bars, picnic spots, paddle boarding spots and more (including one of the dreamiest sauna cold plunge spots)!

The Ultimate North Vancouver Bucket List

Table of Contents

To get to North Vancouver ⬇️

North Vancouver is just a Sea Bus or bus ride away from Downtown so it’s really not as far as you might think.

My favourite way to get to North Vancouver, is by catching the Sea Bus from Waterfront. Not only does it go directly to Lower Lonsdale which is where you’ll find a lot of nice restaurants and bars but you’ll also get some great views of the harbour from the ferry. It’s about a 20 minute ride and you can use either your credit card to tap on or your Compass Card.

Where to stay in North Vancouver

I’m not going to lie, there are not a lot of hotels in North Van. Most of what you’ll see on hotel listing sites is all Airbnb-style where people are renting out their apartments or houses.

If you want to stay in a hotel in North Vancouver, I recommend staying in Lower Lonsdale so that you have access to all of the restaurants and cafes and bars within walking distance. This is the main (and the coolest) hub of North Vancouver.

My top recommendation is to stay at the Seaside Hotel North Vancouver which is right in the middle of Lower Lonsdale next to the water. You can can also easily get Downtown from here because this is where the Sea Bus goes from.

If you’re not sure what area to base yourself in yet, this guide will point you in the right direction.

Stroll around Lower Lonsdale & The Shipyards

Lower Lonsdale is SUCH a nice spot. There are lots of restaurants, bars and breweries and cute shops. It’s right on the water and is literally where you will get off of the Sea Bus if you are coming from Downtown Vancouver.

Make sure you check out the waterfront. You can walk along and even walk down the long pier which has really pretty lights up at night time.

If you feel like having lunch or dinner with a view or the water, book a table at either King Taps, Joeys or, if you can’t get anything there, I recently went to Fiorino which had such a delicious happy hour menu from 3-5! You also can have water views from their patio and it’s usually much less busy.

There’s usually always something going on in Lower Lonsdale. For example, during Winter, they have a pop up ice rink and have markets on quite frequently throughout the year.

Visit Deep Cove and try Honey’s Donuts

Deep Cove is a really lovely spot to visit. It’s a cute little town by the water with cafes and shops to explore. You can rent kayaks or bring your own. In fact, it’s one of our favourite places to go paddle boarding in Vancouver.

Couple with puppy on yellow picnic blanket in Deep Cove with Honey's Donuts

One of the things you absolutely need to do if you visit Deep Cove is try Honey’s Donuts. They are very very famous in North Vancouver and very popular. They are also quite big and I prefer just having half of one at a time.

In my opinion the best way to experience Deep Cove is to go kayaking or hike to Quarry Rock Lookout and then chill out in the park with donuts.

Get lost in the forest at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is one of my favourite paid experiences in North Vancouver! We never had anything like this back in Australia.

girl standing on bridge in the treetops surrounded by fairylights at capilano suspension bridge park

Couple standing on Capilano Suspension Bridge

Capilano is a park covered in fairy lights for the majority of the year which you can explore by crossing it’s huge suspension bridge, brave the treetops walk and wander up and down the extensive boardwalks throughout the park.

They put on special light shows for events like Halloween (my favourite), Christmas and Valentines Day. You can book your tickets and timeslot ahead of time here.

See the fairy pools in Lynn Canyon

Lynn Canyon is a great alternative or add on to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. There are no fairy lights here, but there is a smaller suspension bridge. It does get pretty busy here on the weekends during summer but the winter months are much quieter.

couple standing in forest with puppy surrounded by green trees and moss — Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

Girl standing on the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge — Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

You can either just check out the suspension bridge and have a sweet treat at the café, or you could do the Lynn Canyon Loop which passes by the 30 Foot Pool and Twin Falls. The forest is gorgeous as well. Think Twilight vibes with big mossy trees and lots and lots of green.

30 Foot Pool is also a really popular place for locals to go cold plunges so you may see some crazy people there throughout the year (yes, even in winter).

The Shed & the views at Cypress Mountain Lookout

The Shed is a pop up bar located a little of the way up Cypress Mountain. It’s not going to be there forever because they are building apartments there which is very sad. But it’s there for now and definitely worth a visit!

The Shed has an indoor uncover seating area and also some outdoor seating. There is a taco truck, they sell beer and wine, pizza and coffee.

It’s busier up there these days than it was when we first moved to Vancouver in 2021 but the views are amazing and the vibes are great!

Before or after you visit The Shed, you should also head up to Cypress Mountain Lookout for some of the best views of Vancouver. It’s a little further up the mountain so it has better views than from The Shed.

If you want to spend some more time on Cypress Mountain, you could do one of the hikes such as Hollyburn Mountain. This peak can be hiked both in Summer and in Winter.

girl and dog sitting at Cypress mountain Lookout for sunset — Cypress Mountain Lookout

Go on a North Vancouver Brewery Hop

North Vancouver has no shortage of breweries so it’s the perfect place to go brewery hopping. You can even do this easily without a car because a lot of the breweries are nice and close together.

North Point Brewing – located a bit back from the water with a nice patio. This place is always busy and has great beer!
Beere Brewing Company – located down towards the water not far from North Point. Has a great patio.
Shaketown Brewing – right next to Beere so perfect for hopping over to.
La Cervecería Astilleros | Brewery & Craft Beer – the next brewery along. Also has mexican food.
Strathcona North – located in Lonsdale Quay so the patio has views of the water.
Black Kettle Brewing Company – a bit out of the way and in an industrial area but has good vibes and great burgers! One I would visit if you are a local to Vancouver and don’t care much about the views.

Book a Sauna Cold Plunge Session at Gatherwell

Gatherwell is quite new and so so pretty! Dave and I did a sunset session at their Mosquito Creek location and it was so nice. We even saw a curious seal in the harbour while we were there! They have a couple of different locations and even have a new sauna boat now too!

girl standing on dock at Gatherwell Mosquito Creek at sunset

Visit Cleveland Dam

There is a short walk that you can do at Cleveland Dam which gives you great views of both the dam and Capilano Lake. The walk will take you around 30 minutes to 1 hour and follows a smooth forested gravel road, making it a great option for strollers if you have kids.

Take a walk around Rice Lake

Rice Lake is another great option for a short walk which will take you anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Please note that dogs are not allowed at all around the lake area. The trail is pretty easy and accessible for strollers.

Visit Grouse Mountain

There is so much to do on Grouse Mountain! Depending on which season you are in, you could do the infamous Grouse Grind, which is the trail that takes you up the mountain from the parking lot. It’s short but incredibly steep and the locals literally just do it for exercise.

couple standing on the peak of Grouse Mountain at sunset — Grouse Sunset Peak Deck

The great part about hiking up the Grouse Grind is that you can get a cheaper gondola ticket back down rather than paying for a return ticket.

In the summer, there are bird shows running, you can see the Coola the Grizzly Bear, and enjoy lunch at the café or restaurant with crazy views of Vancouver. Outside of winter, there is also the Sunset Peak Deck which you can do another little hike up to or get the chairlift to and then hike down from. The views from up here are even better than the main Grouse lodge.

Visiting Grouse Mountain is also one of the best things to do in Vancouver in winter because, not only does it have some great ski slopes but it also turns into Santa’s Village. There is a small skating pond, reindeer and a magical Christmas lights walk.

Spend some time at Mount Seymour

Mount Seymour is another place where you can go skiing or snowboarding during the winter and in summer there are some great hiking trails such as Dog Mountain (easier) and Pump Peak (harder).

If you’re not up for a hike, there’s probably not much reason to visit Mount Seymour outside of winter because there aren’t any great drive to viewpoints like there are on Cypress Mountain.

couple and dog standing at dog mountain for sunset — Dog Mountain

Tent camping on Pump Peak, BC — Dog Mountain

Visit MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver

This museum is located in the Shipyards District, so you can combine it with your time exploring Lonsdale Quay. Inside the museum, you will see things like a restored streetcar which operated on Lonsdale Avenue from 1912 to 1946, Features artifacts, stories, and heritage from the Squamish Nation (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh) and Tsleil-Waututh Nation (Səl̓ílwətaʔ) and more.

Check out Ambleside Beach and Park

So technically Ambleside Beach is located in West Vancouver but it’s right next door to North Van so I’m counting it, also because I love this spot and you need to know about it.

Ambleside Beach is another great spot in Vancouver to go paddle boarding, or you could just walk along the waterfront and go and get coffee or a hot chocolate at Thierry Ambleside which is a cute chocolate café just behind the parking lot.

The waterfront walk has great views of the Lions Gate Bridge so make sure you don’t forget your camera.

Photo of Lions Gate Bridge at sunset from Ambleside Beach — *Ambleside Beach with snow*

Visit Cates Park

Cates Park is a great place for a picnic with family and friends. It is right on the water so make sure you bring your paddle boards and kayaks if you have them.

In summer, the parking lot fills up extremely quickly on the weekends, so make sure you get there nice and early to get a spot.