Vancouver is known for its beauty, livability, outdoor recreation….and it’s rainy weather during the winter months. While the rest of Canada is bearing the polar vortex, winter on the ‘wet coast’ boasts mild temperatures and light showers. There’s no shortage of things to do in the city when it’s raining, so we’ve rounded up the top 8 rainy day activities.

 

1. Go on a Vancouver Craft Beer & Distillery Tour

Love craft beer and spirits? So does Vancouver! Vancouver has one of the fasting growing craft beer and micro-distillery cultures. With some of the best craft beer around, on a rainy day there’s no better way to sip your way around the city. Whether you’re interested in a tailored tour or feeling adventurous and want to create a route of your own, there are plenty of options to choose from. Vancouver Brewery Tours offers a 3 hour Vancouver Brewery Tour and a 4 hour Beer and Food Tour, Canadian Craft Tours offers a Vancouver Craft Beer and a Craft Beer and Distillery options, and Vancouver Food Tour offers a Beer n’ Bites Tour on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Some of our favourite distilleries and breweries include Long Table Distillery, Odd Society Spirits, Artisan SakeMaker, 33 Acres, Parallel 49 and Brassneck Brewery.

 

2. Visit the Granville Island Public Market

Who doesn’t love browsing the market? From vibrant and colourful produce to sweet scents coming from artisanal bakeries, it’s easy to get lost looking at exciting products and trying new tastes at Granville Island Public Market. Not sure where to start? Take a two-hour culinary tour the Market with Vancouver Foodie Tours and learn about BC’s locally-grown ingredients while planning a delicious platter or dinner for later in the day. This activity pairs perfectly with an evening of binge watching the latest Netflix series.

 

3. Find Your Zen at a Yoga Class

On a per capita basis, those in Vancouver practice yoga almost twice the rate of any other city in Canada, so there really isn’t anything more ‘quintessentially Vancouver’ to do on a rainy day. With a large choice of studios, and everything ranging from vinyasa power and uptempo kundalini, to chilled-out yin some of the studios we recommend include YYoga, Oxygen Yoga, Modo Yoga and One Yoga for the People.

 

4. Pamper Yourself at Willow Stream Spa

Though you don’t need an excuse to treat yourself to a day of pampering at the spa, but when Mother Nature is trying her best to keep you indoors, you should absolutely take her up on her offer. Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Pacific Rim has recently launched a new line of facial and body experiences including the Fountain of Youth which combines the application of raw ocean elements with pure Canadian glacial clay to infuse vital nutrients and minerals into the skin to target the signs of aging. The Digital Detox offers a 90 minute detox from the white noise of social media and cellular distraction with an invigorating and purifying journey. As Canada’s first hotel to carry the celebrated Biologique Recherche, the spa has launched three facials from their line. The Second Skin utilizes hyaluronic acid to visibly treat wrinkles and provide a genuine alternative to conventional fillers; the Custom Glow which offers a deep cleansing and exfoliation, a personalized manual lift technique, anti-aging serums and a custom facial mask promises visibly restored, smoother and radiant looking skin; and the VIP O2 features the perfect combination of micro-exfoliation, oxygenation and bio-energy massage to oxygenate the epidermis, leaving the skin glowing.

 

5. Do an Escape Room Adventure

A growing trend over the last few years, escape rooms have popped up all over Vancouver and the surrounding area and promise entertainment especially on a rainy afternoon. Most establishments offer a number of themed rooms where participants are locked in and have to try to solve puzzles or challenges to get out in the nick of time. This real-life gaming experience is typically between 45 minutes to an hour long and tests your problem-solving and logic skills, and can be enjoyed by few as two people and up to a group of eight. Some downtown Vancouver locations include Smartypantz, i-Exit Vancouver and Find and Seek.

 

6. Visit the Vancouver Art Gallery

Located in downtown Vancouver, the Vancouver Art Gallery is somewhere you can easily get lost on a rainy day while enjoying the four beautiful floors of displays. Considered to be an art museum, often with a collection of paintings, films, fashion, sculptures and other displays which feature BC and internationally recognized artists on a rotating basis, you will browse the works of both the famous and the up and coming.

 

7.  Take a Cooking Class

Vancouver offers a number of cooking classes that will help you sharpen your skills and learn everything from cooking, baking, bread baking and kombucha-making. From the Dirty Apron which is owned by former Chambar Sous-Chef David Robertson and his wife Sara, to The Gourmet Warehouse who welcomes amateur cooks, experts, or those just looking to learn new techniques, and Palmer and Sons who offers a sourdough bread making class where you leave with not only your own freshly baked loaf of sourdough but also a ready to use sourdough levain culture with the know-how to keep it alive.

 

8. Watch a Comedy Show

Add a healthy dose of laughter to a rainy day by going to a comedy show. Choose from stand-up, improv, ensembles, and a selection of acts suitable for families and adults only. With shows available mostly every night of the week, check out The Comedy Mix, Yuk Yuk’s, and Vancouver Theatre Sports League.

 

Bonus: Real Estate Listing Tours

After doing the 8 activities mentioned above, there’s no doubt you will fall in love with Vancouver. With Vancouver commercial real estate advisors working tirelessly every day, the real estate market is booming. If you love the city and thinking of moving here one day, why not check out have a peek at what the Vancity homes look like? If you like a more rural environment, you can contact these Port Moody realtors to show you the Tri-Cities, which has just begun growing as a community.