If you are looking for a quick and picturesque escape from the city, Bowen Island is probably an easy getaway for spending a relaxing afternoon, day or weekend exploring the amazing landscape of Vancouver coast line.
Bowen Island is a 30-minute ferry trip from Horseshoe Bay or from English Bay to Snug Cove and it’s probably as convenient as it is quick to get there. The ferry is reasonably priced at $12 per person or $37 per car and there are plenty of things to do once you get there. As I went for an afternoon trip, we ended up taking the car from Horseshoe Bay and we synced up with the ferry schedule to avoid waiting times. Make sure you check the Bowen Island ferry schedule from Hoereshbay or English Bay before planing your getaway.
Things To Do On Bowen Island
Explore Snug Cove. Snug Cove is a quaint little place where the ferry drops you off. There are cute cafes, restaurants and pubs you can relax while waiting for the ferry back. This is also the place to grab a bite to eat if you’re looking for more variety. There are also a few cafes on the island that have small snacks and coffee.
Hike around Killarney Lake. A 5 minute drive from Snug Cove will get you to Killarney Lake. Doing the lake loop hike will take you over 1h and it’s quite a picturesque and low difficulty hike.
Mount Gardner Hike. From one side of Killarney Lake take the hike towards Mount Gardner. This is a longer hike of about 17km round-trip but the view at the top is really spectacular! You can spot Howe Sound, the Sunshine Coast, West Vancouver and Burrard Inlet. We recommend going for the hike in the morning as it’s going to take you about half a day.
Art + Coffee. Quite surprisingly Bowen Island has a few art galleries you can wonder through and admire. A short walk from Snug Cove on Grafton Road will take you in a quaint plaza called Artisan Square with cute buildings, a few galleries and cafes. Grab a healthy breakfast at Artisan Bakery and then indulge in a cup of coffee and a chocolate truffle on the patio at Cocoa West Chocolatier.
Drinks and Bites. The Bowen Island restaurant scene is pretty good and diverse! You can find lots of good pub style places but also Asian options and contemporary cuisine. We loved and tried Doc Morgan’s, Shika, and Snug Cafe .
Kayaking and Beach. If the weather is nice check out the Bowen Island Marina and the beach. You can rent kayaks and paddle boards from Bowen Island Kayaking and explore the Cove and see Bowen Island from the shore.
We hope you’ll enjoy the guide and let us know if you have any other recommendations! We’re going to Bowen Island once in a while, so it’s always good to hear about new things to do on Bowen Island.
xx,
Liza and Carolina.
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