Your 5-day Itinerary to Vancouver and Banff National Park
Your itinerary to Vancouver and Banff National Park! Need the logistics of how to see both in 5 days? Then you are in the right place. As background, this trip was an extension of the beginning of my parents Yellowstone/Grand Teton trip. We drove out to Wyoming with the parents and spent 3 days with them before flying from the Grand Tetons to Vancouver. Then we flew out on a Wednesday and spent 2 days in Vancouver, 3 days in Banff National Park and left early on Monday morning.
Views from the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House Trail
Wednesday
Our flight was at the butt-crack of dawn on Wednesday morning. After a stop in Denver, we landed in Vancouver late morning, bussed into the city and had the early afternoon and evening to explore Vancouver. We explored Gastown and Chinatown on the East side of Vancouver.
Thurdsay
Thursday morning we rented bikes from our hostel for free and explored downtown Vancouver. We biked for miles and miles along the Vancouver Seawall with highlights at:
- Stanley Park
- Lions Gate Bridge
- English Bay Beach
- Port of Vancouver
- Granville Island market
After having lunch we took the ferry from the Port of Vancouver to South Lonsdale. Then we took the bus to Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. The bridge is a free attraction in North Vancouver and worth the views outside the city limits. For more information on what to do in Vancouver, click here!
Friday
Friday we had an early morning train ride to the Vancouver airport and flew directly from Vancouver to Calgary, Alberta. We rented a car at the airport and headed to Banff!
- Once we arrive in mid-afternoon, we checked into the hostel
- Next, we went to see Lake Minnewanka, but, unfortunately, the weather was less than ideal and the views were less than optimal.
- Then, we finished the day exploring downtown Banff. There are lots of shops and restaurants; enjoy the town!
Saturday
Saturday we were up early and hitting the road for our first day inside Banff National Park!
- Surprisingly, we woke up to snow on the ground which resulted in poor views at Moraine Lake and Lake Louise
- After attempting to see both, we decided to drive along Icefields Parkway in yet another snowstorm
- We stopped to see the sights that were visible along the parkway until we reached the Athabasca Glacier. Rather than taking the tour of the glacier, we opted to walk up to the foot of the glacier from the parking lot.
Sunday
Sunday was probably my favorite day of the trip! We woke up to much better weather!
- First we headed straight to Lake Louise to get better views
- We then headed around the lakeshore trail to the trailhead of the Plain of Six Glaciers TeaHouse Trail. The trail was amazing!
- When we were done we went back to get clear views of Moraine Lake
For more information on Banff and the teahouse trail, click here!
This 5-day itinerary to Vancouver and Banff could have easily been extended with a few more days in Banff to hike and explore surrounding parks. Banff is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. But, know that Banff’s growing popularity is effecting the accessibility. Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to consider some of the close national parks such as Yoho or Kootenay in the Canadian Rockies near Banff.