Granville Island Guide: Market, Ferries and Artisans

Granville Island isn't quite an island. It's a spit of reclaimed land in False Creek, under the Granville Bridge, that was once full of sawmills and factories. In the 1970s it was turned into a public market and arts district, and a cement plant still works in the middle of it. That mix of industry and croissants is exactly what makes it more interesting than most food halls.

Here's how we'd spend a morning.

9am: Take the ferry. Two small ferry companies, Aquabus and False Creek Ferries, run tiny boats across False Creek to the island dock, from Hornby Street, the Aquatic Centre, Yaletown and further east. The crossing takes a few minutes and is half the fun. From Gastown and downtown, the number 50 bus also stops nearby.

9.15am: The Public Market, early. Arrive before the tour groups and the market is at its best, with stallholders stacking fruit and the smell of coffee and bread. By late morning on summer weekends, it's shoulder to shoulder.

What to eat in the market

• Smoked and candied salmon from the fish counters, some sold vacuum-packed to take home.
• A doughnut from Lee's, a stall that has been frying them fresh in the market for decades.
• Sausages and charcuterie from Oyama, cured in-house.
• Fresh BC fruit in season: cherries and berries in summer, apples and pears from the Okanagan in autumn.
• Chowder or fish and chips, eaten outside on the dock, watching out for the seagulls, which are bold.

10.30am: Railspur Alley and the studios. Walk the lanes behind the market, where artisans work in open studios: glassblowers, potters, jewellers, a broom maker, woodworkers and printmakers. Many let you watch. The Net Loft building is full of small shops selling paper, beads and hats.

11.30am: The silos and the brewery. The six concrete silos of the working cement plant are painted as giant figures, a mural by the Brazilian twins Os Gêmeos. Nearby, Granville Island Brewing has a taproom if it's close enough to lunchtime.

Families

The Kids Market is a whole building of toy shops, and there's a free water park in summer near the playground.

Getting on

From the island it's a short walk along the seawall west to Vanier Park and Kitsilano Beach, or take the ferry back. Parking on the island is limited, so come by boat, bike or bus. Granville Island fits into day one of our three-day itinerary, and there's more nearby in our things to do list.