We started our first action packed day in Vancouver with a trip to Canada Place, an iconic venue and cruise terminal built to resemble a ship. We took a short walk along the promenade to watch the seaplanes before heading to FlyOver Canada. Providing a great overview of all that Canada has to offer, we were whisked away on an exhilarating journey over spectacular scenery accompanied by special effects including wind, mist and scents, which combine with the ride’s motion to create an unforgettable multi-sensory experience.

After a thrilling morning we wandered over to historic Gastown just in time to see the iconic whistling steam clock chime. This is the city’s oldest neighbourhood boasting carefully restored Victorian architecture; we took our time to explore and enjoyed some of the many bars, restaurants, and trendy shops.

A short stroll away is the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden, a gorgeous oasis of calm in the middle of the city modelled after a traditional garden from the Ming Dynasty. It’s free to walk around the park but worth paying to enter the gardens to truly enjoy the serenity.

Later we headed to Stanley Park where we rented a couple of bikes and cycled around the sea wall - the best way to experience the whole park. Heralded as one of the best parks in the world it’s best known for having stunning ocean and mountain views. Don’t forget to stop and check out the totem poles!

We left the city to experience the impressive Capilano Suspension Bridge. Set 230 feet above a vast canyon it’s not for the faint of heart, but those who cross are rewarded with stunning views of the surrounding rainforest and beautiful forest trails to discover.

A short drive from the bridge is Grouse Mountain, known as ‘the Peak of Vancouver’, and combines brilliantly with Capilano for a great day out. If you have the energy and are looking for a challenge you can head up the mountain via the ‘Grouse Grind’, a 1.8-mile trail featuring 2,830 stairs that take you 2,800 feet up the mountain. We however took the much more relaxing Gondola up to the top, where we saw amazing view of the city along with a fun lumberjack show.

After a leisurely brunch we took a trip to the Pacific Arts Market. This vast gallery space features art, jewellery and other handmade crafts from more than 40 artists from Vancouver and around British Columbia and grabbed some excellent local souvenirs to take home.

No trip to Vancouver would be complete without a trip to Granville Island. Home to a public market, food shops, restaurants, artist studios and galleries and shopping. I would advise to go hungry! We grabbed some of the delicious food (I would highly recommend ‘Lee’s Donuts’ which was worth the queue) and headed off to stunning Kitsilano beach to watch the sunset over this amazing city. The perfect end to 72 hours in Vancouver.