Granville Island Public Market: Vancouver Travel Guide

Under the bridge, inside the tin sheds

The market fills a corrugated-metal former industrial shed on False Creek. Granville Island was a factory and warehouse district before it was redeveloped, and the Public Market opened in 1979. The building still looks like a working shed: exposed beams, roll-up doors, and the Granville Street Bridge deck passing overhead.

Inside, stalls are packed tight along narrow aisles. You’ll find fishmongers with whole salmon on ice, butchers, bakeries, cheese counters, produce stacked in pyramids, and a food court facing the water. Two long-standing names to look for:

• Lee’s Donuts, known for its honey dip
• Oyama Sausage Co., for cured meats and pâtés

Getting onto the island

Driving here is the hard way. Parking on the island is limited and fills quickly on weekends. The water route is quicker and more fun:

• Aquabus and False Creek Ferries run small boats to the dock right behind the market, from the foot of Hornby Street downtown, Yaletown and other stops around False Creek.
• Bus 50 stops near the island entrance on Anderson Street.
• On foot or by bike, the seawall from Kitsilano or Olympic Village brings you in along the water.

Opening hours are currently 9am–6pm every day, but check the official Granville Island site before you go, since holiday hours can be different.

Making a half day of it

The market is only one part of the island. Walk out and you’ll find the Ocean Concrete plant, still in operation, whose six silos are painted as giant figures in the Giants mural by the Brazilian artists Os Gêmeos. Granville Island Brewing is a short walk away, and families head for the Kids Market.

Galleries, craft studios and the Net Loft’s shops fill the lanes in between. Allow 1–2 hours for the market alone, or a half day with the rest of the island.

Eating your haul without feeding the gulls

The market is well visited, and weekends are when the aisles get most crowded. The opening hour on a weekday, before the ferries fill up, usually beats the tour groups and the brunch crowds. Here’s how to handle it once you’re inside:

• Pay by tap. Most stalls take cards and contactless payment. Prices are posted at each counter.
• No tipping at the counters. Stall counters don’t expect a tip; sit-down restaurants follow the usual Canadian tipping norms.
• Bring a tote. It’s handy if you’re buying produce or cheese to take away.
• Build a picnic. Buy bread from one stall, cheese from another and fruit from a third, then eat on the dock benches facing False Creek.

Watch your plate outside. The gulls on the waterfront deck are bold and will take food straight out of a hand, so keep your food covered until you sit down. If the deck is full, the indoor seats by the windows face the same water.