Granville Island - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
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Granville Island
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Granville Island

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Granville Island
4.5
#2 of 478 things to do in Vancouver
NeighbourhoodsPoints of Interest & LandmarksIslands
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
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About
This large sandbar and former industrial site is now a posh, artsy neighborhood filled with quaint shops, eateries, breweries, and year-round arts and cultural festivals. Located in False Creek, it's famous for the Granville Island Public Market where you can get fresh produce, gourmet food, and artisanal handicrafts. Visit during summer when the island is exceptionally bustling with outdoor entertainment acts, or during the holidays for twinkling festive lights. You can get to Granville Island by car by crossing the Granville Bridge. Otherwise, you can also take a scenic ferry ride, or a walking or bike tour of the waterfront. – Tripadvisor
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area
Neighbourhood: Granville Island
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Best nearby
Restaurants
2,784 within 5 kms
The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant
2,728
53 m$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options
Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio
378
0.3 km$$$$ • Seafood • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options
Lee's Donuts
313
0.2 km$ • Bakeries • American
Tony's Fish & Oyster Cafe
533
0.2 km$$ - $$$ • British
The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant and Bar
724
0.2 km$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Vegetarian Friendly • Gluten Free Options
Parker Rooftop
174
0.6 km$$$$ • International • Fusion • Wine Bar
Blue Hat Bistro at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
258
0.4 km$$ - $$$ • American • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options
Go Fish
571
0.4 km$ • Quick Bites • Seafood • Fast food
The Keg Steakhouse + Bar - Granville Island
451
0.1 km$$ - $$$ • Steakhouse • Vegetarian Friendly • Gluten Free Options
Afghan Horsemen Restaurant
224
0.4 km$$ - $$$ • Afghan • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options
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Attractions
558 within 10 kms
Granville Giants Murals
44
33 mPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings
The Liberty Distillery
228
87 mDistilleries
The Aquabus
2,655
0.2 kmFerries
Granville Island Public Market
2,041
0.2 kmFlea & Street Markets
Granville Island Brewing
677
0.2 kmBreweries
Artisan Sake Maker
22
0.1 kmDistilleries
Granville Island Taproom
43
0.2 kmBreweries
Federation Gallery
8
0.2 kmArt Galleries
Granville Island Gallery
8
0.1 kmArt Galleries
Carousel Theatre for Young People
5
0.1 kmTheatres
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See what travellers are saying
  • deepakgupta5
    Vancouver, Canada585 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great place to spend the day
    It is a great way to spend one day in Vancouver. It has a host of shops and restaurants. I would recommend to take aqua bus/water taxi as a fun way to get there. It is inexpensive and quite fun to see the city from that point of view. There are a lot of art shops along with the run of the mill tourist gift shops. Lots of bars and restaurants. The farmers market area is the most popular part of the market and can have a long waiting line
    Visited May 2023
    Written May 28, 2023
  • Vanessa R
    Cleveland, Ohio67 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth a visit!!
    The hotel concierge kept talking about visiting Granville Island. All we knew was that it was a shopping area (so big deal, right?). It's such a cute area with all kinds of shops and markets. There are breweries, eateries, street musicians. We could have spect a whole day there.
    Visited May 2023
    Written June 12, 2023
  • MPP2703
    Caythorpe, United Kingdom1,831 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not for everyone, non shoppers definitely. Take the small water taxi.
    You could say this is a little tourist trap, but has such eclectic mix of shops and markets. The little water taxi is the best way to get here, about $15 return if I remember correctly. There is so much to see and I really loved the market, especially the cake stalls. I can see how this will not appeal to all, but if you fancy a wander and a browse in various shops, then this is for you.
    Visited June 2023
    Written June 22, 2023
  • Louise Marie J
    7 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An easy bus ride from Vancouver
    We took the Number 50 bus from Vancouver (just use your credit card to click on) to Granville Island. It is worth a visit. Make sure you have a walk around the outside, not just in the middle section. We had lunch at the Sandbar, which was excellent. Plenty of shops and things to see.
    Visited May 2023
    Written June 24, 2023
  • azra h
    Surfers Paradise, Australia440 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely position
    We walked across Burrard bridge to Granville island. Lots of eateries and specialty shops. Be prepared to pay a-lot more for everything in Vancouver, especially food. Fruit and veggies at Granville are more expensive then in the smaller shops. The place has great photo opportunities.
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written June 25, 2023
  • Peggy C
    American Fork, Utah14 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun and lively tourist location
    Went to the island two separate days for water excursions. Fun location with lots of energy. We were there week days and pretty much was closed up after dinner hour; but Market Place was fun to explore and reminiscent of European Markets with some craft vendors thrown in. Great dinning restaurants on the Island as well as within the marketplace.
    Visited June 2023
    Written June 26, 2023
  • Linda H
    Yeovil, United Kingdom2,383 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Busy market
    Pleasant enough place. Very busy at lunchtime. Outside tables were a bit grubby. Got there early and some things hadn’t opened. Worth a visit for a couple of hours. Plenty of little ferries or take the bus.
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written June 29, 2023
  • Nigel P
    32 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Street foodies’ delight.
    Something for everyone to enjoy food wise in the indoor market from full meals to sweets ,teas, coffees cute and almost everything between. I had an excellent double smoked sausage hot dog with sauerkraut and onions - delicious. Other half had noodles with vegetables which was also very tasty.
    Visited June 2023
    Written July 2, 2023
  • Ellen M
    Aliso Viejo, California13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Local culture and artists
    Interesting shops, and ate at The Sand Bar restaurant and it was terrific. The Cloth shop was fun if you sew or quilt. Shops with Beautiful art on display. I was impressed they are building an arts center for kids there. Could have spent much longer there than we had.
    Visited June 2023
    Written July 6, 2023
  • BellBoy53
    Brisbane, Australia607 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Busy Place
    The Public Market is a busy place for locals and tourists. Lots of fresh fruit and veges, meat, fish etc for self catering or snacks, meals, coffee. Opens about 9am when a bit quieter. Best way to get there from Downtown is cross creek ferry.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written July 7, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles20,001 reviews
Excellent
10,933
Very good
6,816
Average
1,878
Poor
307
Terrible
67
Benjamin L
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
amazing
Jun 2023 • Family
amazing place to go fun with a lot of activitys I loved the ferry ride and the local art supply shop nice place definitely go here
Written May 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rowdygirl00
Hilton Head, SC192 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Great way to spend an afternoon.
May 2024 • Couples
Granville island is a great way to spend an afternoon, particularly if you are looking for good eats and unique finds! So many small shops with clothes, glass, pottery, maple products, salts, etc. on the way to the market and inside. Lots of food choices with seating mostly outside to enjoy it. Plan on 2-3 hours to stroll through the shops surrounding the market and then grab some lunch inside. Highly recommend.
Written May 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Malcolm
Yealmpton, UK140 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Well worth a visit
May 2024 • Couples
A really good place to visit. Trip there by water taxi was cheap and fun. On the island the market was an interesting place to walk around full of different stalls selling meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. There were also lots of art and craft shops. As well as pubs and restaurants. We visited a couple of times.
Written May 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
matt j
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dumbest policy I can think of
May 2024 • Family
Roast to the German sausage and perogie stall. Just wanted the non-alcoholic beer they sell but was turned away because I wasn't hungry enough to buy their food too. What kind of idiot turns away business like that? Money is money isn't it? Dumbest thing I've heard from a business, "I won't take your money because it's not enough of your money".

Would it have taken extra effort? No, less effort. Would I have been a happy customer? Yes, but won't go there again next time I visit family here.
Written May 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
beltar682017
Toronto, Canada368 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
skip it
Apr 2024 • Couples
over priced, over rated, over crowded. a total waste of our time. bery disappointed as we were really looking forward to this visit
Written May 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris C
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Highly recommend while you’re in Vancouver!
May 2024 • Couples
Really cool island with a huge public market that has a bunch of excellent food options. You can take the Aquabus to get to and from.
Written May 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CBfromCA
Fountain Valley, CA40 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Fun place to visit
May 2024 • Friends
Lots of things to see. Great shopping. Enjoy the market - it has everything and it all looks great. Live entertainment outdoors in the middle. Nice to sit for a minute and listen. Tables out side to sit and eat a nice lunch, many food choices.
Written May 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zitatravel
London, UK820 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Shopping and a drink at the Tap and Barrel enjoying the views
Apr 2024 • Couples
A good place to visit for some shopping and grab a drink out on the patio of the Tap and Barrel restaurant bar. They have happy hour after 2.00pm so we enjoyed two glasses of pinot and some humus dip ( which was a large serving) . Excellent views nestled between the two bridges. We walked there and back. If you are on the other side you can catch a quick ferry over for £4.50 per person. An excellent way to spend our last day in Vancouver.
Written April 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda Williamson
New Zealand17 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Beautiful Scenery
Mar 2024 • Couples
-Easy access to walk around
-Lots of beautiful scenery
-Make sure you walk into little shops, we almost missed a lot of wonderful little shops as advertising wasn't that great
Written April 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jo P
Brough, UK596 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Must visit if in Vancouver
Apr 2024 • Couples
A must visit if you are in Vancouver. Entertainment, shops, food and drink with a busy atmosphere. We spent a couple of hours wondering around and it became quieter towards the end of the day. We would highly recommend visiting Lee's Donuts.
We walked over the main bridge to get there but there is also ferry options.
Written April 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Granville Island - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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