Vancouver
Vancouver is a vibrant city to explore full of amazingly chilled, friendly locals and loads of culture. An excellent Canadian city waiting to be visited!
Vancouver Travel Guide
The Canadian coastal city of Vancouver has a breathtaking setting with snow-capped mountains as its backdrop, gorgeous sandy beaches and a magnificent rainforest nearby.
This exciting, vibrant city is known for its wealth of activities and sights as well as unique dining offerings that include everything from Asian delights to traditional farm to table dishes.
Vancouver is famous for its varied districts, each of which boasts its own special personality. In Downtown you find well-known global stores and gleaming skyscrapers. Charming Gastown offers history around every corner, while the those who enjoy a healthy lifestyle head for laidback Kitsilano.
Chinatown offers a touch of the East and Robson Street is fashionable and hip. South Granville is a vibrant blend of design stores and art galleries, and Yaletown is where to go for a buzzing nightlife. The city’s main park, Stanley Park, is a delightful oasis, where people come to enjoy an outdoor experience.
This West Coast city is an extremely beautiful, liveable city with superb outdoor offerings summer and winter. Its proximity to Seattle in the United States is another reason that Vancouver is such a popular vacation destination.
Vancouver is a superb, thriving city with a great blend of modern life surrounded by nature.
Best time to visit: Visit in summer or winter. Vancouver’s skiing opportunities are excellent and it offers equally fabulous summer offerings.
Best Area for Sightseeing: There’s so much to see and do, depending on when you visit. See Things to do in Vancouver for some great inspiration.
Shopping in Vancouver: Robson Street is renowned for great boutiques and cafes, while Granville Island is another popular shopping area, especially its market, which offers colorful stalls selling hand-made crafts and gastronomic delights. In addition, there’s the Public Market, where you can pick up everything from wooden musical instruments to leather accessories. Gastown’s quaint boutiques offer charming souvenirs and cutting-edge fashion.
Food & Restaurants in Vancouver: Dining out in Vancouver is a delightful blend of every imaginable cuisine.
Nightlife: The clubs and bars in the city’s main entertainment area, Granville Street, are lively and fun. You’ll also find buzzing nightlife in Downtown and throughout the city are a variety of bars, pubs and clubs to suit every personality.
Beaches: Kitsilano Beach or ‘Kits Beach’ in the Kitsilano district is a very popular beach, with a boathouse restaurant, playground and other fun facilities. Locarno Beach is a quiet spot and Second Beach on the Stanley Park Seawall is also popular. Nearby Third Beach is great for swimming and sunbathing, and English Bay Beach in the same area is another great spot. Then there’s Spanish Banks Beach, which offers 3 distinct sections of which Spanish Banks West is the quietest. Close to Vancouver’s West End and Downtown areas you’ll find Sunset Beach and on the north side of Jericho Park is Jericho Beach. Trout Lake Beach in John Hendry Park is also a great beach to visit.
Things to do in Vancouver
- Walk along Capilano Suspension Bridge, 85m above the Capilano River.
- Discover the magical Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.
- Explore iconic Gastown, Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, home to the Gastown Steam Clock.
- Enjoy panoramic city views from the Vancouver Lookout.
- Visit fascinating Science World with its interactive displays of science and technology.
- Enjoy some R&R in Stanley Park with its beaches, walking trails and lush landscape.
- Explore Chinatown, a slice of Asian life in the middle of Vancouver.
- Visit Vancouver Art Gallery, Western Canada’s largest art museum.
- Listen out for the 9 O'Clock Gun in the evenings, once a signal to fishermen to return to the harbour.
Best way to get around: Rent a car or a bicycle to explore.
Best Area for Families: West End This neighbourhood is an extension of Vancouver’s Downtown area, and it’s also close to Stanley Park, making it an ideal spot for families with kids who will love the open spaces and the beaches.