Granville Island and False Creek by Ferry and Foot

Arrive at Granville Island when the market opens and you get the fish counters, bakeries and produce stalls before the tour groups. Summer brings buskers and outdoor patios; winter is quieter but the market is just as good.

The ferries are the fun way in and often the fastest. Aquabus runs from the foot of Hornby Street; False Creek Ferries runs from the Sunset Beach dock and on to stops including Yaletown and the Olympic Village. Either can bring you back at the end.

Both ferry companies sell day passes, which pay off if you plan to ride more than a couple of legs, for example out to Granville Island, across to Yaletown and back. Check current fares on each company’s site.

The Public Market is a food hall of independent butchers, fishmongers, bakers and delis. Build a picnic and eat it on the dock outside, but guard your food: the gulls are bold. Granville Island Brewing, on the island since 1984, has a taproom.

The cement plant on the island is still working. Its six silos were painted in 2014 by the Brazilian twin artists OSGEMEOS as ‘Giants’ for the Vancouver Biennale, turning an industrial structure into one of the city’s best-known murals.

Granville Island has a Kids Market of toy shops and a free water park in summer. The walk ends at Science World, whose hands-on galleries can fill an afternoon.

Along False Creek the seawall has separate paths for walkers and cyclists, and bikes move fast. Stay on the walking side and look both ways before crossing the bike lane to reach viewpoints.

The Granville Island Hotel sits on the water at the island’s east end, a rare chance to sleep in the middle of False Creek. Yaletown across the water has more hotels, the Canada Line and a ferry stop.