A Day Trip to Bowen Island

If you need to get away from the city for a weekend, or even just the day, hop on a ferry and sail across to Bowen Island. It’s just a 30-minute ride from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver or Granville Island. This idyllic island with its pristine beauty and tranquil shores is the perfect getaway.


Curtis and I took the English Bay Launch from Granville Island, it’s 30 minutes and passenger only. Dogs and bikes are welcome! And it’s the same as Horseshoe Bay in price, $40 roundtrip. Curtis of course sat outside, while I stayed with Piper in the cabin.
We biked from our place in Kitsilano to Granville Island, took Piper with us and hopped on. Be sure in the busy season to reserve tickets online, because they can book up quickly.

It’s a scenic ferry ride, going through False Creek, past English Bay and then by Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. You will then enter Snug Cove, a gorgeous little cove! I also want that greenhouse, not sure what I’d do with it, but it looks pretty.

Once your on land, you can either go right into the Bowen Island Marina Pier or to your left where you are right on the main street filled with cafes, quaint shops and pubs. We settled for brunch right away at Rustique Bistro, a cute French spot with a garden patio for Piper. I had a salmon benny while Curtis enjoyed a crepe. Both were delicious!

Then we walked up the street and checked out each spot and took in the baseball tournament on the island. The field is now where there used to be fruit orchards. Bowen Island was all fruit orchards and then a resort town before becoming what it is today. It’s now a residential, activity packed island, full of spirit and amazing views.

There are a few places to go hiking, beaches on the far side of the island (we didn’t have a car nor felt like taking the bus that day), a couple of lakes and kayaking available for those more adventurous.

A local girl directed us to Artisan Square and we hiked up the little shortcut with Piper in the backpack, cute little signs encouraged us to keep going. There are two levels to this place, filled with artisans, yoga studios, cafes and shops.
Once at the top, we explored the square and grabbed some gelato at the local chocolaterie, Cocoa West. After that little hike and the heat, we totally deserved them!

There are some great little shops with local artists, clothing and antiques and a couple of other cafes. The locals can also attend Yoga, RMTs and more.

Heading down to the lagoon was our next stop. A popular spot in the Victorian era with the bridge and lagoon. But that lagoon was full of mosquitoes! Curtis and I ran out of there like we were on fire!

It’s lined with cute homes and cottages overlooking a filled cove with boats and kayakers. Really peaceful minus the blood sucking demons.
By now were were hungry again and I wanted to check out the highly recommended Shika Provisions. The smell just hits you walking up to the little hut on the Marina Pier.
I began to get anxiety on what I should order and decided on two picnic boxes to go with their mocha muffins. If you are a fan of their Vancouver place, Basho Café, then they won’t disappoint.

(Plus our luck, there was a UBC student camp there that day, and I don’t understand why people that age have no common sense. They crowd the shops and cafes, can’t figure out what to order, hover over everyone else’s food like it’s the apocalypse and have no manners at all!

I know sound like my grandmother, but even the people working that day were annoyed. I had a sense some of them probably have never ventured from their homes without their parents in tow before that day.)

The store Branch 01 by Gamla beside it caught my eye and we went in for a “browse”. Well I left with a bangle that I fell in love with on first sight and a gift for my friend’s baby.
I checked out Lime & Moon Pie Company and after much temptation decided we had enough food to take back with us.
With the ferry coming, we ended up agreeing to eat our Shika takeaway at home and instead ate our snacks in my bag. Piper was exhausted from all that walking around (haha) and slept in the backpack on the pier.

Another quick 30 minute ferry back to the mainland. We said our farewell to Bowen Island and left the beautiful cove.

After getting off the ferry in Granville Island, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon sun with a drink at Bridges.

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