Bowen Island is a small island located northwest of Vancouver. This exciting destination is part of Metro Vancouver and a great escape from the busy city life. Only a 20-minute ride from Vancouver's Horseshoe Bay Terminal, Bowen island offers beautiful mountain and ocean views, nature, wildlife, restaurants, and ecotourism options.
As the Winter is leaving us and bringing better, sunnier days, we decided to include this one-day trip that you can make with friends!
How to get to Bowen Island
As you can probably tell by now, you will need a boat to get to this place! However, don’t worry, as Vancouver has excellent transit, both on land and water. BC Ferries is the company that operates the rides on water, and the most famous ferry here is the one that takes you from Waterfront Station to North Vancouver.
However, to get to Bowen Island, you will have to go to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal. This terminal is located in West Vancouver and you can get there by public transportation! Simply make your way to downtown and grab the #250 bus that runs on West Georgia Street.
Once you get to the terminal, you can buy your tickets at the ticket booth. The price for a round trip is only CAD 11.35! 😱 Just keep in mind that many people use this service, so get there ahead of time to make sure you have a spot.
What to do in Bowen Island
Once you get there, you will arrive in Snug Cove. As you exit the ferry, you will see one street. Follow it, and you will get to the town. Once you get there, you will see all kinds of stuff, from shops to restaurants, bars, and cute little spots that you will want to post to your Instagram story.
For breakfast and brunch, we recommend you visit Snug Cafe. This place has a colourful exterior, indoor and outdoor seating, and fresh food that we’re sure you will enjoy. We recommend you try the breakfast bagel. It’s cheap, tasty, and filling, and you won’t regret it!
Once your first meal is out of the way, you can do some walking. Two places we recommend are Dorman Point and the Killarney Lake Trail. Try Killarney Lake first, as it is the furthest from where you will return home. You can discover the lake, chill, and do enough exercise to prepare for your next meal.
After your outdoor adventure, you can head back to town and have some pizza at Tuscany 😋. The pizza is REALLY good, and their patio is perfect for a sunny day while enjoying the fresh air and birds chirping. After you are done with your lunch, you can stay for some gelato. However, we suggest you include in your dessert menu a visit to what claims to be the smallest candy shop in the world: Candy in the Cove!
This store is tiny, so they might not be lying about that 🤣. However, it is packed with a variety of products from many countries. We only recommend you double-check this store’s opening hours and days so that you don’t miss it.
Finally, you can wrap up the day at the Copper Spirit Distillery with a mini cocktail! Yes, you read that right. This family-owned business is famous for serving tiny drinks that cost around $5 each. Remember, you still need to get on a ferry to go back, so consider that in your consumption.
Time to leave… but that does not mean you can’t enjoy one last thing. Book your return trip right before sunset so you can go on the deck and admire the sunset as you sail back to Vancouver.
There are many more things to do in Bowen Island, like kayaking, cycling, golf, and even a traditional Japanese bath house! You can check out the Bowen Island Tourism website to access all the information and the BC Ferries website to book your trip.
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