Are you looking for the perfect list of ideas for how to pass the time in the colder, rainier months in Vancouver? Look no further than this post detailing top recommendations when the weather is less than ideal.

1. Spend time in the rainforest

It might seem crazy, but being in the rainforest when it’s raining is actually… magical. There are a few low elevation rainforests worth checking out in and around Vancouver, including Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Capilano Regional Park, Stanley Park, and Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. In addition to beautiful forest canopies which protect against the downpour, Capilano and Lynn both have waterfalls that are made only more beautiful in the winter. Go check it out!

2. Visit a museum

Vancouver has many great museums, and rainy cold days are the perfect opportunity to check them out. The Museum of Anthropology has reopened after a major renovation, plus you can visit the Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Art Gallery, Museum of Vancouver, Maritime Museum and the Chinese Canadian Museum.

3. Go brewery hopping

Vancouver has many great breweries, and they are within a small radius of each other in two primary neighbhorhoods – Mt. Pleasant and East Vancouver. Here’s are two walking tours I recommend to hit up a few and try different beers, cozy and indoors:

Mt. Pleasant brewery hopping loop

Start at 33 acres, personally one of my favorite breweries in all of Vancouver. Then, head east to Steamworks, followed by Main Street Brewing, Brassneck Brewery, Electric Bicycle Brewing, Faculty Brewing, and last but not least, Brew Hall. If you aren’t drunk by now, congratulations!

East Van brewery hopping loop

Start at Powell Brewing, then make your way to Container Brewing (one of my favorites in East Van), followed by Super Flux (an institution!), then Off the Rails Brewing, Bomber Brewing, and finally East Van Brewing Company. If that’s not enough, nearby though slightly further afield are Strange Fellows Brewing, Luppolo Brewing an Strathcona Beer Company.

4. Go Coffee Shop and Pastry Hopping

There are so many cute coffee shops in Vancouver, you could spend a lifetime visiting them all and trying the baked goods. Here are a few walking routes I recommend for your caffeine and calorie fix:

Kitsilano coffee and pastry walk

Start at C41 Coffee and walk east on 4th. Pop into Tayybeh for a Syrian sweet, then continue up to Cafe Lokal. Next up is Cobb’s for a free sample of whatever is in the oven, followed by a donut or coffee at 49th parallel and Lucky’s doughnuts, then a mochi donut from Their There, followed by a treat at Pure Bread. Are you stuffed yet?

Mt. Pleasant coffee and pastry walk

Start at Cartem’s at 6th and Main, then walk south on Main to Gene Coffee Bar, followed by a filipino delight at Goldilocks Bake Shop, coffee at Forecast, a treat at Foglifter or Liberty Bakery, and finally one of my favorite coffee shops, Aperture.

Commercial Drive coffee and pastry walk

Start at Turk’s Coffee Bar at Charles and Commercial and walk south. Visit Livia for a pastry, then the Bench Bakehouse and Fratelli’s. Cap it off with an espresso from Cafe Calabria.

5. Snow Shoeing

If it’s been a good snow season, a great cold weather activity close to Vancouver is snow-shoeing on Hollyburn Mountain, as part of the Nordic center at Cypress. There’s a great loop you can do to Hollyburn Lodge, where you can grab dinner and warm drinks mid-way through your lighted hike through the woods in the snow. It’s magical, so grab some friends to check it out. Of course, you can snowshoe during the day on the many trails, including to Hollyburn Peak which is a fun winter adventure and workout. Rentals are available at the Cypress nordic center.

6. Film Festivals

There are often film festivals in Vancouver, like the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival which happens twice a year in the spring and fall, as well as the Vancouver International Film Festival which happens in October. There’s also the Vancouver Asian Film Festival in January, Out on Screen in September and the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival in April.

Other Winter Festivals

You can also find the Winter Arts Festival in February, the Christmas Market in December, the VanDusen Festival of Lights in December, and the PNE Winter Fair in December.

7. Fish Hatcheries

In October and November, the Chinook salmon return home to the Capilano Fish Hatchery, and it’s amazing to watch them jumping and swimming upstream through the river and into the hatchery.

8. Thrifting on Main Street

Main Street is home to so many thrift stores, you won’t even know where to begin. Starting at 7th and main and walking south towards 28th, there are 11 thrift shops – so take a gander and find some gems!

9. Granville Market

Granville Market can be a zoo in the summer when the cruise boats are in port, so visiting in the off season is actually the best time. You can wander the delicious stalls, picking up treats for a fun dinner and picnic.

10. Eagle spotting in Squamish and Brackendale

Winter is the ideal time to look for bald eagles in this part of the world, so go to Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park in the mornings October through January to spot these magnificant creatures – nearly 1,000 of them inhabit the area in the winter.

11. Go for a swim or a (cold) dip

A big part of Vancouver culture is cold plunging, and it’s even more exhilarating in the winter. You can go on your own or join a community (check Facebook and Meet Up – there are many!). Kitsilano Beach, Jericho Beach and English Bay Beach are some of the most common places you’ll see people plunging, mostly because getting in and out of the water in those locations is easier because of the sand and the way the tides work.

There are also numerous companies that run sauna and cold plunge combos, which might be more comfortable if you’re new to the activity. Check out The Good Sauna, Circle Wellness, The Finnish Sauna, Tality, or Sisu Swim Sauna to enjoy a combination of hot and cold hydrotherapy.

Of course, if being cold isn’t your thing but you like to swim, the Vancouver Aquatic Centre and Hillcrest Aquatic Centre offer beautiful olympic size pools, hot tubs, steam rooms (Hillcrest only), dry saunas, as well as fitness facilities.

Even if some of the great outdoors that Vancouver is known for are a little less accessible in the winter months, there are still many activities both indoors and out that are fantastic to keep you busy during the off season.