I have a major love affair with Canada. With Vancouver to be precise. Ever since spontaneously deciding to move there way back in 2010 for a few years, it has firmly implanted itself on my number one spot of favourite places I’ve ever visited. Its stunning natural beauty blew me away back then and still does every time I visit. Even though I’ve spent hours gazing at the same views, it still gives me tingles.  

Down by the waterfront has to be one of the most beautiful locations in the world. Water, mountains and a lot of the time sheer blue skies. It’s such a feel good for the soul.

Even if you’re not that bothered by the great outdoors, Vancouver’s landscapes leave you no choice but to get stuck in. Before you know it, you’re walking the seawall, hiking in the mountains or biking one of the trails. People really aren’t joking when they say it’s a very outdoorsy place. But with incredible views in abundance, why would you want to stay inside?

In January this year, I returned with Little A in tow. Vancouver is my favourite place and I couldn’t wait to make memories with him. It was his first trip to Canada to visit family and I’ll be honest, I was slightly reluctant about what we would actually do there. Having never had to think about getting around with a pram, I was racking my brains for things to do, particularly if the weather didn’t play ball. As much as Vancouver is known for its wonderful summers, it doesn’t have the nickname ‘Rain-couver’ for nothing. But you know what, for every wet day you get incredibly beautiful crisp winter days where the sun shines and the mountains glisten with snow.

One of the things I love to do at home with Little A is get out for a walk. The fresh air does us both good, it’s a bit of exercise and he’s happy when there’s lots to look at it.

Well, if you like walking, Vancouver is perfect. There are miles upon miles of gorgeous pram-friendly paths so I wanted to pop my favourites below. And the best thing is, walking doesn’t cost a penny.

Canada Place

One of the first places I ever visited in the city. And even though it was pouring with rain, I still fell in love. Once you clap eyes on that view, how could you feel any other way? Every time I return, it’s still one of the first places I go and it was so exciting to take Little A there. Of course, he promptly fell asleep as soon as we arrived.

It has to be the first place to start any story in Vancouver. Strolling along Canada Place which juts out into the water delivers some of the best views in the city. During the summer, this is where the cruise ships berth but during the winter, it’s a great place to wander and take in the views of the mountains and watch all the float planes take off and land.

Stanley Park Seawall

One of the most famous and picturesque attractions of Vancouver is the 10km stretch of Seawall that hugs the water around Stanley Park. The entire Seawall stretches 28km but while I like to walk, that’s a bit far for one go. The 10km part skirts the water from Canada Place, through Coal Harbour, where you can nosey at the lovely boats in the marina, then around Stanley Park before finishing up at English Bay. The whole way you’ve got the water and mountain views on one side, and it’s quite simply stunning. Once you get to English Bay, there’s a Tim Hortons to grab a cuppa and a Canadian Maple Donut to enjoy on the beach. There are plenty of benches on the way round to rest and enjoy the view or feed the baby when half way round they decide they are absolutely starving. The route is just gorgeous!

Seawall from Science World to Granville Island

Another stretch of the Seawall I love is from Science World to Granville Island. Science World is a really cool building that sits at one end of False Creek, you can’t miss it. It’s really spectacular at night when it’s all lit up. Another reason to love this area is Terra Breads in the Olympic Village. Their White Chocolate and Blueberry Focaccia is the stuff of dreams. And the best thing, the café is really pram friendly. There were eight prams/ strollers in there including mine and amazingly we weren’t all sitting on top of each other, there was plenty of space. After refuelling, it’s a relaxing stroll alongside the water with great views over the city to get to Granville Island.

Stanley Park

A visit to Vancouver has to include time spent wandering through Stanley Park, mainly in search of racoons. These lovable little critters are best admired from afar because as cute as they may be, they’re also vicious wee things. I wanted to show Little A one so we headed to the back of the Aquarium where I’d seen many in the past and sure enough there were a couple splashing in the water. There are lots of little trails in the park and easy routes to walk with a pram. There’s a bus stop in the middle of the park, near-ish the Aquarium which is handy if you need a lift back to the city.

Prospect Point

Most of the hiking trails through Stanley Park are also surprisingly pram friendly. There are a few roots and rocky bits but nothing a sturdy pram couldn’t handle. It’s definitely worth making the walk up to Prospect Point for the views over the Lion’s Gate Bridge, the North Shore Mountains, West Van and on a clear day all the way out to Mount Baker in Washington State. It’s stunning! It’s also another good spot to see racoons.

English Bay

I love English Bay. Summer, winter, spring or autumn, it’s the best place to sit down and watch the world go by. Wrap up warm in winter! There’s something so special about being able to sit on a beach and still see the mountains only a short distance away One of my favourite memories from the holiday was watching the sunset from here with Little A and my brother. It was a sunny afternoon that came completely out the blue after a very rainy morning. So along with half of the city, we legged it to English Bay in time to see the sun go down. We perched on a log and watched as the sun streaked the sky gorgeous shades of orange. The beaches in Vancouver are gorgeous, even in winter.

Getting around

Vancouver is amazing for getting around on foot but it’s also really easy to get around with a pram/ stroller on public transport. I found it quite daunting when I first started getting out and about with a pram back home in Scotland, worrying if we’d fit on and worrying we’d get stuck so we always just stuck to the train. But I found it so easy to take the bus, SeaBus and SkyTrain in Vancouver.

The bus drivers made it super easy to get on and off, even asking passengers to move out of the way if necessary. There’s generally plenty of space at the front of the bus and the driver waits for you to let them know you’ve put the break on before moving off. When you want to get off, simply pull the cord/ press the button and shout ‘stroller coming off’. They’ll then stop passengers coming onto the bus until you’re safely off the bus.

All of the SkyTrain stations are fully accessible so it’s easy to get your pram in and out of the station. There is also plenty of space inside the trains for a pram.

The SeaBus connects downtown to the North Shore and again is fully accessible. There’s also lots of space for a pram once on board. The SeaBus is well worth the ride, even just for the views!