Greetings, Internet Stranger, and welcome to a perfect Capilano Bridge tour from Vancouver. Vancouver is an amazing city, and there’s so much to do there that you don’t need to take a day trip outside of the city.
Want to cut right to the chase, Internet Stranger? The best activity in Vancouver is this fabulous Capilano Suspension Bridge tour right here with tons of five-star reviews!
Or if you want to explore all tours in Vancouver, check this search engine right here to find the best deals!
However, I strongly suggest that you do find time for at least one day trip in your time in Vancouver, and let it be this Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour, with an additional stop at lovely Grouse Mountain. If you’ve ever wanted to feast your eyes on British Columbia’s natural beauty, this is the trip for you.
You’ll want to go on this trip with a guide because it will make getting the tickets, driving around, and seeing the sights that much easier. I took this guided tour and had an amazing time.
You can book this tour for yourself easily by clicking here. Then get ready to join me on a fabulous day!
Capilano Bridge tour
Where Should I Stay?
This is a day trip from Vancouver, so of course you’ll need a hotel in Vancouver. Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada, and it’s pretty spread out. So before you choose your hotel for your Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour, pick your neighborhood.
I recommend the Victorian Hotel, located right near the atmospheric Gastown neighborhood. It has several charming amenities, but the best are the fresh croissants every morning, which is really all you need in life.
I also recommend the Burrard, if you are looking for a hotel in Downtown Vancouver. It was easy to get to many of Vancouver’s most popular restaurants and attractions from here, and my room was very comfortable and clean.
If you’re looking for a great deal on the Victorian, click here. And if you want to check out deals on over a hundred other amazing hotel options in Vancouver, just click here. This search engine will help you find the perfect place to stay as the base for your Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour. With hundreds of options to choose from, I’m sure you’ll find something for your schedule and budget.
Capilano Bridge tour
Morning: Grouse Mountain
So, I know that we’re all excited to get to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, but the first part of our tour will take place at the lovely Grouse Mountain. You won’t want to miss this part of the trip if you love animals and being outdoors.
As soon as you get to the mountain, your tour guide will have your tickets for the mountain ready. That way you won’t need to waste any time. (Admission to the mountain is included with the price of the tour.) Then you’ll be all set to learn about…
Three Fascinating Facts: Grouse Mountain
1) How do I get to the top of Grouse Mountain?
Excellent question! You get to the top of Grouse Mountain by riding this Skyride? I had never heard of a Skyride before taking this trip, but it’s nothing more and nothing less than North America’s largest aerial tramway system. It can get quite crowded, so try to squeeze in by the glass so you can get amazing views of the tops of the trees.
Unless you have vertigo. In which case you should close your eyes and just hope it will all be over soon.
In any case, just remember that you need to take the Skyride down to meet the tour bus, so leave yourself plenty of time to meet your guide.
Also, you might want breakfast when you get to the top of Grouse Mountain, since, if you’re like me, you won’t have had time before the tour. I just got some yogurt, but they have more Canadian things like poutine if you’re in the mood?
2) Are there any bears on Grouse Mountain?
You mean, just wandering around wearing hats and looking for picnic baskets? I wouldn’t worry too much about that. We didn’t see any bears in the wild on our trip at all.
However, we did get to hear the ranger talk on the two Grizzly Bears who live in this enclosure on Grouse Mountain. (There are different ranger talks and shows every day on top of Grouse Mountain, so check the schedule when you get there to see what’s on.)
The grizzlies at Grouse Mountain are named Coola and Grinder. You can’t see them in my photo very well, but I promise they were there! They were moving around in a semi sleepy fashion as the ranger spoke. Grinder and Coola are both orphans, so they are rescue bears. It’s hard to give a healthy habitat to bears in need of rescue, so I’m happy they have found a forever home on Grouse Mountain!
The rangers can tell the difference between Coola and Grinder easily because Coola is bigger, though Grinder is the more dominant one. They were a bit sluggish on the day we visited because it was hot, but you might get them in a more active mood. Just don’t drop your cell phone in their enclosure while taking pictures! You won’t get it back…ever.
3) Can I see some more active animals?
If it’s more active animals you are looking for, hope that there is a bird show while you are there. I had to leave a little bit before the bird show was over in order to get back to the tour bus on time, but there was no problem with that. The bird show is included with the price of admission, so it’s not like you are wasting money or anything.
We saw several birds in this show. One of my favorites was Hercules, a bald eagle who could swoop low down over heads to grab some fish. (The trainers had placed the fish there for him; he wasn’t a fish thief or anything.)
We also met a vulture and learned that they can eat basically anything because their stomach is full of a substance like car battery acid. (I don’t think it’s actually car battery acid, unless it is a robot vulture.)
Of course, the most beautiful bird we saw there was the Great Horned Owl. Even if there isn’t a bird show on while you are there, there might be an owl talk, so go and say hello to this majestic creature.
Capilano Bridge tour
Afternoon: Capilano Bridge!
At last! We made it over Grouse Mountain in the morning, and now it’s time for us to head to the majestic Capilano Suspension Bridge. This beauty is justly famous for providing stunning views. As long as you don’t have vertigo, you’ll have an amazing time here. (It’s just starting to occur to me that maybe this trip is not for people with vertigo in general.)
You might think that there wouldn’t be that much to do at a suspension bridge. After all, it’s just a bridge. But you’d be most wrong in the case of the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Let me demonstrate why with…
Approximately Top 5: Capilano Suspension Bridge
1) Walk the bridge!
OK, so I don’t think it will surprise you if I say that the big thing to do when you go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge is walk over the bridge. This bridge is incredibly sturdy, but it doesn’t feel that way when you walk across it. I’m not afraid of heights at all, and even I didn’t want to stop in the middle and take a picture because of all the wobbling.
Feel proud of yourself when you finish! At the end of the tour, when you get back on the bus, your guide will have a certificate for you proving that you went over the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
Just don’t be one of those jerks who wobbles the bridge extra just to upset the more timid people on the bridge. Those bridge wobblers suck.
2) Treetops Adventure
Once you get to the other side of the Capilano Suspension Bridge, the Treetops Adventure awaits. Just climb up some wooden stairs, and you can walk on suspension bridges from one Douglas fir to the next. It’s a pretty majestic experience–just gonna stop adding the caveat that it’s not for Jimmy Stewart from the movie Vertigo.
Yes, this part of the Capilano Suspension Bridge has lots of kids on it, but don’t worry! There’s plenty of room for adults too. You will not even have to shove one kid out of the way to get where you are going.
Also, don’t miss Grandma Capilano, who is not my grandmother. No, she is the oldest and tallest tree in the forest. And I must say she’s looking spry at 1300 years old.
3) Cliff Walk
Return back over the Capilano Suspension Bridge, and you can enjoy the stunning views from the Cliff Walk. This is another set of bridges that will take you right on the outside of the granite wall on this side of the Capilano Suspension Bridge. This walk has only been open since 2011, and it’s already become one of the most popular things to do in this neck of the woods.
It’s also solid as a rock, as Peaches and Herb like to say, so don’t be nervous as you stroll along. Take as many photos as you please.
4) The Totem Poles
As you exit the Capilano Bridge area and head back to your tour bus, don’t miss the chance to see the famous totem poles. These poles are the most photographed item at the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Many of them were carved by artists of the Tlingit Nation.
Of course, the First Nations people were in the area now known as British Columbia for centuries before anyone else arrived. So it’s tradition to have totem (story) poles at Capilano Suspension Bridge to remind people of that. At certain times of the day, there will be a First Nations interpreter there to tell you some of the stories that are related to the images on the pole.
She also showed us some red cedar that First Nations people use to carve their poles, and it was remarkably beautiful and strong. Definitely take the opportunity to ask the interpreter questions if she is there when you visit the Suspension Bridge.
5) Salmon Hatcheries
OK, this is cheating a little because the salmon hatcheries aren’t part of the Capilano Suspension bridge. However, they are part of this Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour because it’s the last stop on the tour. So I’m putting it here because I don’t want to do a whole salmon hatcheries section. It was a quick and fun stop, especially if you like watching fish wiggle.
The province of British Columbia is famous for salmon, and I suggest you eat as much of it as possible while you are here, unless you have salmon-vertigo. Your guide will teach you the five main types of salmon: Chum, sockeye, king, silver, and pink. You might wonder how I remember all that, and there’s actually an easy trick your guide will teach you. But I’m not going to spoil it now!
24 Hour Tip
Those are all the Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour secrets I can share with you for now. You’ll have to go ahead and book the tour by going here to find out the rest!
Capilano Bridge tour
Evening: Forage
We’ll conclude our Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour with a fabulous meal. Forage, like many restaurants in Vancouver, puts a lot of emphasis on local sustainable food. Sometimes hearing the word sustainable too many times makes me go a little mad, and I have a sudden urge to be naughty and eat a Twinkie, even though I don’t like Twinkies.
Fortunately, the food at Forage is excellent, even if it might also help the planet not disintegrate into a ball of fire in our lifetimes.
Just because the food is sustainable doesn’t mean that it has to be healthy. Forage has many creative cocktails like the haskap sour that you can see in my photo above. Haskap is a rare berry that can only be found in certain places like Canada or Hokkaido, Japan. So be sure to try as much of the sweet-sour flavor as you can while you’re in Canada.
Allow me to paint a picture with my words. Because Forage emphasizes the use of seasonal produce, I can’t be sure anything I ate will be available for you. But the seafood chowder and foraged mushrooms are must-haves if they are available.
The seafood chowder was topped with pork rinds and a quail egg, proving that sustainable food doesn’t have to be vegetarian or good for you. As long as it’s delicious, who cares? And of course you have to have the foraged mushrooms with goat cheese on rye bread. After all, forage is in the name of the restaurant! That’s just science.
For the main course, we have to have some salmon. I mean, we just watched them swimming around in the hatchery, so it’s only logical that we need to eat them. This salmon was served with baby cabbage, an oyster emulsion, and a nasturtium, apple, and kohlrabi slaw. The contrast between the rich, powerful salmon and the light and bright slaw was extremely pleasant.
This is Vancouver, so salmon is pretty much always on the menu at Forage, though the sides may be different.
Finally we have what I gathered is the signature dessert at Forage: the Neufchatel cheese puff. It’s served with vanilla ice cream and local blueberries that have been spiked with gin. This is perfect for the person who can’t decide whether to finish their meal with cheese, fruit, or a cocktail. You get all three options in one!
Capilano Bridge tour
Tools For Travel
- A cell phone charger so you can take photos throughout your Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour
- My favorite guide book to Vancouver
- My book Get Lost, that I wrote myself with all my best travel tips. This book will show you exactly how solo travel can take your life from BLAH to amazing!
- The most reliable travel umbrella that is small enough to fit in my purse, but strong enough to stand up to powerful winds on our Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour
- These great TSA approved clear toiletries bags, so I can always keep spare toothpaste and travel sized toiletries in any carry-on.
Capilano Bridge tour
How to Get There
Now, I wish I knew where you lived, Internet Stranger, because I could send you a beautiful box of homemade cookies. But sadly, I do not, and so I can’t tell you exactly how to get from your home to this Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour
But I can tell you that I used a lovely airplane to get from my hometown NYC to Vancouver, and I recommend Expedia for the best way to find the cheapest flight to Vancouver at the best time of day. When I booked with them, I was able to get an insanely inexpensive ticket–I had to change planes twice but it was worth it. But you can always pay more and get fewer stops. Up to you!
Just click here to start looking for the best possible deals on your flight, so you can head out to your Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour
That’s a Perfect Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour
What would you do on a Vancouver Capilano Bridge tour? Are you ready to start booking your hotel in Vancouver now? Please email me at stellajane@aroundtheworldin24hours.com
Note: If you want to know how I put my travel itineraries together, just click here. Keep in mind that while each article is about how to spend 24 hours in a place, that doesn’t mean you should ONLY spend 24 hours on a Vancouver Capilano Bridge day trip. If you have another 24 hours in Vancouver, try this itinerary.
