Vancouver is beautiful, but both residents and visitors ofter overlook its charming surroundings. Whenever Ryan and I get bored of the urban landscape, we take a road trip away from the city. No matter in which direction we drive, we’re always amazed by new and fascinating places.

After seven years of living in Vancouver, I’m sharing with you a list of my five favorite places where to take a road trip and escape from the city. Either you’re taking a day or the whole weekend, you won’t be disappointed once you discover the new landscapes and towns in the southwest of British Columbia.

The Fraser Valley

If you don’t want to adventure too far, the Fraser Valley is the perfect place to spend a day. Its major towns, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Harrison, Mission, and Hope, offer hundreds of tourism places and activities to introduce you to life in the countryside. You can visit the Tulip Festival in the early spring, collect fresh berries in the summer, explore its endless corn mazes in the fall, and relax in the hot springs in the winter.

Each of these cities has a self-guiding Circle Farm Tour for you to pick and visit your favorite artisan stores and farms and take home fresh products of the Fraser Valley.

The Okanagan

If you’re planning a summer weekend getaway, the best place to go is to the Okanagan Valley. Known for being the warmest spot in British Columba during this season and even better, for being the Wine Capital of Canada. I recommend visiting Kelowna, the biggest city in the Valley, and checking out all its wineries, art galleries, parks, and the kangaroo petting zoo. 

The Okanagan has many colorful towns. If you don’t have the time to visit all of them, my suggestion is not to miss the view of Osoyoos and Penticton. Getting there by Highway 3 will also take you through the famous peach, cherry, and plum farms — the most delicious fruits in the region. 

The Gold Rush Trail

One of British Columbia’s best-kept secrets, we discovered the Gold Rush Trail by mere chance when we were driving up to Merrit. Leaving behind the evergreen mountains surrounding Vancouver, you’ll find the Fraser Canyon’s rocky desert, which doesn’t quite fit the lush green West Coast landscape everyone imagines.

To get here from Vancouver, take Highway 1, which will take you north once you pass Hope. Following the road along the Fraser River will take you through the historical towns founded during the Gold Rush of the mid 19th Century. My personal favorites are the ones in the middle of the Trail: Merrit, Lillooet, and Clinton. They’re the most picturesque places to make you feel you’re on an old western movie.

The Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast is less than an hour away from Vancouver, yet it feels nothing like the suburbs of a city. Though being on the mainland, this area of British Columbia is only accessible by ferry or plane, making it appear more like an isolated island. Its communities by the water are settled in traditional indigenous territories and started to grow thanks to the construction of Powell River’s pulp and paper mill in the early 1900s. This historical past mixed with a growing population of artists escaping from the big cities makes the Sunshine Coast a unique cultural attraction. 

It is easy to visit all the Sunshine Coast towns in one weekend, as they aren’t too big, and there’s just one road to take you through the 180 kilometers of the district.

Sea to Sky Country

Sea to Sky Country is just as beautiful as it sounds. The highway takes you from the coast of North Vancouver to the alpine region of Whistler and Garibaldi, famous for their ski resorts that attract thousands of visitors from around the world in the winter.  But there’s much to do in here once the snow melts away. The town Squamish, for example, is a popular town where to do watersports in summer, and Pemberton is popular for its annual music festival.

With its many mountains, forests, lakes, and waterfalls, Sea to Sky Country is the paradise for every nature lover looking to hike, climb, kayak, camp, or just take a road trip to enjoy a great view.