10 Romantic Ideas for a Honeymoon in Vancouver

There are different ways to enjoy Stanley Park, Vancouver’s largest and most feature-filled urban park. One of them is by horse-drawn carriage. The Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours is a longstanding park feature, usually taking groups in old-fashioned wagons to meander through the park. For romantic couples, they offer a variety of other private and stylish carriages, including Cinderella pumpkin-style coaches that can be truly memorable. Private services are usually available between February and November, with hourly rates starting from around $495. 

There are plenty of scenic viewpoints in and around Vancouver, but this original lookout at the north-eastern tip of Vancouver’s Stanley Park dates back over a century. Prospect Point provides great views over Lions Gate Bridge, which connects this forested park to North Vancouver. Cruise ships frequently cross the Burrard Inlet and sail under the bridge. There’s a small bar and restaurant nearby that serves beers on tap to enjoy along with the views. 

Couples can admire breathtaking sceneries over Vancouver and the Gulf Islands from up high. The high-rise city, ocean, waterways, green forests and snow-capped mountains all included. Some seaplane tours take off from Victoria on the southern end of Vancouver Island, while Harbour Flight Centre Seaplane Terminal north of Canada Place also hosts several operators, including the popular Harbour Air Seaplanes. Various flight packages are available with flight options that range from 10 minutes to over an hour and start from $95 per person. 

Depending on how far south its edges reach during a “solar maximum” event, you might stand a chance to see Aurora Borealis from Vancouver. It’s hard to predict but the geomagnetic phenomenon usually shows up over Vancouver a few times in a year and can be faintly seen by the naked eye. The Autumnal equinox, around September, offers highest chances. Vancouver’s secluded north-facing shores, such as the Spanish Banks, are great for spotting the Northern Lights, away from the city’s light pollution and the crowds.

You can witness this annual highlight in Vancouver over the holiday season. The Festival of Lights is when the flower gardens and pathways at VanDusen Botanical Gardens receive a major winter wonderland makeover, strewn in a myriad of colourful Christmas lights. Enjoy a stroll through the twinkling pathways and head down to Livingstone Lake for a light show that dances in sync to symphonies and holiday tunes. It’s on every evening over the holiday season, throughout December and the first week of January, from 4.30pm to 9pm. 

You can enjoy Broadway musicals, concerts, and dance performances shown regularly at the beautiful Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Vancouver. Shows range from Viennese ballets, classical symphonies such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, to musical tributes to recent romantic dramas such as La La Land. This elegant theatre, which is one of Canada’s national historical sites, has hosted millions since it first opened its doors in 1927. It retains much of its charm through its antique and regal décor. Free guided tours are available. 

You can consider your trip to Vancouver’s Chinatown incomplete without a brief escape into this soothing garden oasis on Carrall Street. The Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden brims with beautiful bonsais, plum blossoms and ornamental plants that adorn winding pathways bordering pretty koi and lily ponds. Be transported to the Ming Dynasty, thanks to its majestic pagodas and Chinese-style architecture. It’s a favourite pre-wedding photo spot, and many angles here make for great backdrops for your own couples' shots. 

Romantic couples can head up to this vast hilltop in Vancouver for a romantic walk through one of the city’s most beautiful urban parks. You can find a collection of interesting art installations and sculptures here, especially Love in the Rain that’s aptly love-themed. It depicts 4 sets of lovers in an embrace under umbrellas. You can clip your own “love locks” or padlocks bearing your names onto the sculptures, as a token of your memorable visit.

As one of Vancouver’s liveliest neighbourhoods, Gastown is dotted with some of the city’s swankiest cocktail lounges and bars that are great for date nights. One of the cool spots here that offers a wonderful selection of craft cocktails and pre-dinner bubbles is The Diamond, near Maple Street Square. It has beautiful, old-school interiors, and you can head up to the upper floor and choose a table with street views. Great signature cocktails include Gastown Phase, a blend of local gin, Liquore Strega, Bianco vermouth, and grapefruit bitters.

For memorable dining experience in Downtown Vancouver, you can book a candlelit dinner date at the top of the city’s Harbour Centre skyscraper. Top of Vancouver serves 5-star Continental cuisine, in a main dining room that literally provides you with 360° views from your window-side table by fully revolving each hour. At around 553 feet high, you can take in the magical cityscape, northern mountains, and the ocean, all while enjoying your seafood or New York steak and paired wines.