2009 Vancouver Official Travel Planner Guide - (Page 68) Beyond Vancouver Photography: Squamish ©Masterfile; Springtime at Butchart Gardens ©iStockphoto; Couple in Deep Cove ©Tourism Vancouver/John Sinal; Ferry at the dock in Horseshoe Bay ©John Sinal/Tourism Vancouver Fraser Valley Wine Country DURATION: 1 DAY The Fraser Valley is a thriving wine region offering your clients a convenient place to visit wineries and experience local attractions, scenery, culture and cuisine — all close to Vancouver. Day-Trip Suggestions With all that Vancouver has to offer, your clients will have plenty to see and do in the city. But if you want to make the most of their visit, consider extending their stay with some pre- or post-Vancouver exploration of the surrounding regions. With fabulous destinations like Whistler, the Fraser Valley and Victoria all nearby, you’ll be able to make their Vancouver visit even more memorable than they imagined. All of the destinations in this section make great day trips, perfect for supplementing your clients’ Vancouver itineraries. Whistler Fraser Valley vineyar ds ©M asterfile DURATION: 1 DAY The Fraser Valley Wine Country stretches 140 kilometres from the eastern edge of Metro Vancouver to the town of Hope. The lush valley is fed by the Fraser River, which runs the entire length of the valley and provides great scenery as well as plenty of water to local wineries. With nearly a dozen wineries in the area, the Fraser Valley Wine Country has earned a reputation for producing varieties like pinot noir, chardonnay, siegerrebe, bacchus and madeleine angevine. The valley is also well known for the array of orchards, which allow various wineries to produce delicious and affordable fruit and dessert wines, such as blackberry port and cranberry wine. Most of the local wineries are open year-round and offer tours and tastings to fit just about every schedule. For an easy tour of the wineries in the area, have your clients pick up a map at the Langley Chamber of Commerce or at any of the local wineries. There are also signs along Highway 1 to indicate the “Wine Route” as well as map boards at local rest stops. Alternatively, an organized wine tour is a great day trip from Vancouver. If your clients have had their fill of wine tasting, there’s plenty more to discover in the Fraser Valley area. For visitors who are interested in antiques, be sure they visit Ft. Langley, where the main street is dotted with a variety of lovely antiques stores. Or arrange side trips to the Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada, Minter Gardens or beautiful Bridal Falls. Whistler is a popular winter and summer mountain resort destination. No matter what time of year your clients are visiting, they’ll find plenty of outdoor activities, such as skiing and snowboarding, ATVing, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing and horseback riding. The Whistler Mountain Gondola whisks visitors to a height of 1,850 metres (6,069 feet) for incredible views. In the summer, the gondola provides unmatched access to mountaintop hiking and carries mountain bikers to the top for thrilling descents along trails and glades. During the winter months, it provides access to the ski runs on Whistler Mountain. Together with Blackcomb Mountain, there are more than 3,307 hectares (8,171 acres) of skiable terrain, making Whistler the largest ski resort in North America. If your clients are looking for a real adrenaline rush, zip trekking might be the perfect Whistler activity. Soaring along a series of cables high above the ground, they’ll see the local rainforests like they’ve never seen them before. For those who prefer relaxation to adventure, Whistler Village is packed with world-class restaurants, shopping, spas and boutiques. For more information, visit tourismwhistler.com. Sea to Sky Corridor and Squamish DURATION: 1 DAY If your clients want to enjoy one of the top scenic drives in B.C., send them out for a tour of the legendary Sea to Sky Highway (Highway 99). The drive takes visitors along the rugged shores of Howe Sound, the most southerly glacial fjord in North America. Along the way, stop at Shannon Falls, the third-highest waterfall in B.C., and the Stawamus Chief, a 700-metre massive granite monolith seemingly made for rock climbing. Squamish is another great day trip to add to your clients’ itineraries. It offers a wide variety of activities, including bald-eagle viewing, whitewater rafting, camping, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing and helicopter tours. Brackendale, near Squamish, has the world’s highest concentration of bald eagles. The best time for viewing is from November to February. Bowen Island DURATION: 1 DAY Your clients can explore a relaxing, quaint island destination (close to Vancouver) by taking a short ferry ride from Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island. An ideal destination for day tripping, Bowen Island offers dining and shopping options in the quaint seaside village of Snug Cove as well as kayaking and plenty of hiking possibilities. Victoria, Vancouver Island DURATION: 1 DAY Vancouver Island offers some of the best whale watching in the area, spectacular golf courses, great beaches and the city of Victoria, the historic capital city of British Columbia. Called the Garden City, Victoria has superb cuisine, world-class museums and world-famous attractions such as the impressive Butchart Gardens. When your clients are visiting Vancouver Island, be 68 t o u r i s m va n c o u ve r. c o m / t ra d e http://tourismwhistler.com http://tourismvancouver.com/trade.com/trade
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.