Bucket list travel is back! I have had Vancouver on my list for the longest time. Why? I love walkable cities close to lots of nature.

My birthday falls over the Fourth of July holiday, as well as Canada Day, for that matter. So I made the best of it with Sidd, also celebrating our first wedding anniversary. It was a big deal trip, to say the least.

We enjoyed four days in Vancouver and made sure to get a nice mix of experiences. They all included fantastic food, though. No matter where we went, we were impressed with the quality.

We started our time in Vancouver by spending a couple of days in the outskirts in Vancouver’s wine country, Langley. We ended up doing so many hikes and brewery stops, we didn’t even make it to the wineries!

On Canada Day we ended up at Fort Langley, where we got to see a citizenship ceremony, a very special moment. The town of Langley has a small-town feel; we walked around the town and along the Fraser River.

Welcome to Fort Langley.

Hike along Fraser River.

Vancouver Island is worth the trouble of getting on a ferry. I would recommend having a car to get around yourself or a tour that will cover Butchart Gardens and the downtown area. If you enjoy a good botanical garden, Butchart Gardens hits the spot. We booked our tickets the night before and had no problem getting there.

We made it to Butchart Gardens.

The epic Butchart Gardens shot.

BC Ferries is also great; we booked that the night before to bring our rental car with us and had no problem getting on. We even managed to push our return another hour to give ourselves time to enjoy a little bit more of Victoria.

If I were to do this again, I would do two days. It’s just so beautiful out there.

Not to be basic, but Downtown Vancouver’s Stanley Park is a must visit. It is one of the top attractions and absolutely worth it. We got to explore it the last day we were there. We rented e-bikes from one of the many bike shops on Denman Street. We took the exterior bike path and had a lovely 1.5-hour ride.

Loved all the totem poles around the city.

Found girl in wetsuit statue commemorating the city’s dependence on the water.

The dining options in the city were just to die for. I have not had a hard time deciding where to eat in a long time. I always knew the Asian options here were endless, but, my goodness, once you’re there it’s a whole thing.

For my birthday, we enjoyed dinner at Miku Vancouver. It offers a beautiful view of Canada Place where you can see cruise ships. It offers some of the freshest sushi around.

Enjoyed the Signature Chef’s Taster.

Our last day there we found a delectable xiao long bao from Jingle Bao or, as I like to call them, soupy dumplings. Check out the tasting plate!

Tasting platter of Jingle Bao.

What bucket list destinations are you visiting this year?

— Maria Angeles, account executive