Burnaby
Introduction
Burnaby sits in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula in British Columbia's Lower Mainland, making it a natural midpoint for exploring the region. Vancouver lies to the west, while North Vancouver sits across the Burrard Inlet and its Indian Arm to the north. To the east you'll find Port Moody and Coquitlam, and to the southeast New Westminster and Surrey lie across the Fraser River. Richmond, on Lulu Island, is to the southwest.
Getting there
Burnaby is well integrated with the surrounding municipalities, so most travellers arrive via Vancouver. For options to reach the Vancouver area by plane, bus, train or boat, see the Vancouver guide.
- By car: Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city. Kingsway, Hastings St and Broadway provide further access from Vancouver, while the Lougheed Highway is the main arterial road from Coquitlam and other points east.
Getting around
Burnaby sits at the centre of Metro Vancouver, and the region's transit network runs right through it, so you can reach most town centres without a car. TransLink operates the area's buses, SkyTrain rapid transit, SeaBus ferries, West Coast Express commuter rail and HandyDART shared-ride service. Pay with a Compass Card (refundable deposit), a single-use Compass Ticket, or by tapping a contactless American Express, Mastercard or Visa or a mobile wallet; Compass Cards and Tickets get discounted fares. You can pay cash on buses and HandyDART, but exact change is required and you won't get transfers. Transfers are included for a set window, longer if your trip involves the West Coast Express. Fares are zone-based on weekdays for trips starting earlier in the day that involve SkyTrain or SeaBus; outside those hours, or on buses and HandyDART only, a single flat zone rate applies. The West Coast Express has its own higher zone-based fares at all times. Children ride free, and youth and seniors pay concession fares.
Two SkyTrain lines loop around Burnaby with plenty of stops: the Expo Line links the city to downtown Vancouver, Gastown-Chinatown, Yaletown-False Creek, East Van and south Vancouver, and onward to New Westminster and Surrey, while the Millennium Line connects northern Burnaby with East Van to the west and Coquitlam and Port Moody to the east. The SkyTrain is good for reaching shopping malls and town centres but doesn't drop you at the city's attractions, so pair it with buses. Useful bus routes include the R5 express between Burrard Station in downtown Vancouver and Simon Fraser University via Hastings Street through Burnaby Heights and Kootenay Loop; the 19 between downtown Vancouver and Metrotown station; the 25 between UBC and Brentwood Town Centre station; the 49 between UBC and Metrotown; the 130 between Phibbs Exchange and Metrotown via Brentwood Town Centre and BCIT; the 145 between Production Way station and SFU; the 160 between Kootenay Loop and Port Coquitlam along Hastings Street; the 430 between Metrotown and Brighouse station in Richmond via Bridgeport station; and the 555 between Lougheed Town Centre station and Langley. BC Transit's Central Fraser Valley Transit System also runs a daily route between Burnaby and Chilliwack with stops in Langley and Abbotsford, calling at Lougheed Town Centre station. Taxis are available from local companies including Bel-Air Taxi and Bonny's Taxi, and ride-hailing is offered by Uber, Lyft and Kabu.
Burnaby's layout of hills, ridges, valleys and an alluvial plain means walking works best in the four town centres — Lougheed, Edmonds, Metrotown and Brentwood — where you'll find the malls, shops and high-rise clusters. Elsewhere the city is spread out and suburban, so treat walking as a way to cover the last stretch of a trip rather than to cross the city. Elevation means Burnaby typically gets more snow in winter than nearby Vancouver or Richmond, so winter walking conditions can differ from elsewhere in the region. The city has a high proportion of park land, including Central Park, Robert Burnaby Park, Kensington Park, Burnaby Mountain, Burnaby Lake, Deer Lake and Barnet Marine Park, but these aren't necessarily connected to each other on foot.
Where to stay
Burnaby's accommodation clusters around its main commercial and transit corridors, so your choice of base depends largely on how you plan to get around. Near the Canada Way and Willingdon area you'll find the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre, attached to the Grand Villa Casino, while the Hilton Vancouver on McKay Avenue offers rooms with either a mountain or a city view, along with a convention centre, fitness facility and pool. Along the Lougheed Highway, the Executive Hotel Burnaby provides deluxe suites with spacious living areas, jacuzzi bathtubs, a fridge, coffee maker and microwave, and is known for attentive, friendly service.
For longer stays or self-catering, the Accent Inn on Henning Drive stands out: every room has a kitchenette, private bath and air conditioning, and the property adds a fitness room, jacuzzi and sauna, with wireless internet available. Elsewhere, the Best Western Plus Kings Inn on Kingsway and the Holiday Inn Express Midtown on Central Blvd are practical mid-range options — the latter lets children under 12 stay and eat free. Hotel Burnaby on Kensington Avenue rounds out the city's own listings.
Food & drink
Burnaby's eating scene spreads across its neighbourhoods rather than clustering in one downtown strip. In Burnaby Heights, along Hastings Street around Willingdon and Gilmore, you'll find delis, bakeries and cafes, including a deli-bakery-cafe next to Anton's that locals treat as a neighbourhood favourite. Anton's itself, on Hastings Street, serves huge dishes of pasta. Further along East Hastings, Cockney Kings Fish & Chips is a long-standing local favourite, with friendly staff, polite service and takeout wrapped in newspaper in the old English style; all-you-can-eat fish and chips is available early in the week. Chad Thai, also on East Hastings, serves excellent Thai food at low prices in unappealing decor, while X-site Bar and Grill on Hastings Street is a favourite of SFU students for cheap food, drinks and weekly specials.
Near Metrotown, Saffron offers contemporary-decor Indian food. On Burnaby Mountain, the Diamond Alumni Centre at SFU is open for lunch only and reservations are recommended, with great prices partly because it's university subsidized. For a sit-down meal, Hart House sits on Deer Lake. To drink, the Hop and Vine serves great pub food and some of the tastiest burgers and pizza in town, with an outdoor patio that's perfect in summer, while the Keg Steakhouse and Bar on Still Creek Drive is an ideal spot for an intimate dinner over quality steaks in tasteful, darker-toned surroundings.
What to see and do
For outdoor time, head to Barnet Marine Park, a north-facing shoreline park that draws beachgoers in summer; note that the western end is an off-leash dog area, so pick your picnic spot accordingly. Burnaby Lake Regional Park, the city's largest lake, is a fine place for birdwatching, with a loop trail, several entrances, a seasonal nature centre at the Piper Avenue entrance, and beaver and muskrat often visible from Piper Spit. Deer Lake Park offers an almost circular lake with shoreline walking, views toward Metrotown, and canoe and kayak rentals on its east side. For higher ground, the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area has views over Greater Vancouver, rose gardens, the Ainu totem pole carvings known as the Playground of the Gods, and trails labelled with distance, time and difficulty; it is also a mountain biking destination, with a bike skills park at the base. Capitol Hill Reservoir Park is a good spot for sunsets over Vancouver, Burrard Inlet, the Lions Gate Bridge and the North Shore Mountains, while Central Park packs in a children's playground, pitch and putt golf, and ponds shared by ducks and remote-controlled boats. Several attractions suit families and culture-seekers. The Burnaby Village Museum and Carousel recreates a turn-of-the-century town staffed by people in period dress, with shops such as the blacksmith and the Chinese herbalist, a preserved interurban streetcar, and a restored vintage carousel. Within Deer Lake Park you will also find the Burnaby Art Gallery, showing contemporary and historical work in a heritage house, and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, which hosts performances and festivals. If you have kids or like trains, the Burnaby Central Railway in Confederation Park runs miniature train rides through forest, over trestles and into tunnels, alongside an outdoor model railroad with replicas of real rolling stock and engines. Swangard Stadium in Central Park hosts events, and near SFU you can look at the UniverCity residential community or start a hike around Burnaby Mountain.When to go
Burnaby has an oceanic climate, with mild, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. Summer is the most comfortable time for outdoor activities: you can expect the least rain of the year and generally pleasant conditions across the city.
Winters are cool and rainy, bringing the wettest conditions of the year. If your plans take you up Burnaby Mountain, prepare for cooler temperatures and more snowfall than the rest of the city.
Three days in Burnaby
Day one: Base yourself in Burnaby, on the Burrard Peninsula in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. Get oriented using TransLink's SkyTrain, and pick up a Compass Card or Compass Ticket so you can move easily between neighbourhoods; ticket machines accept American Express, Mastercard and Visa. Spend the day getting a feel for the city's spread between Vancouver to the west and New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Moody and Surrey to the east and south.
Day two: Use the SkyTrain and SeaBus network to link Burnaby with the wider region. Head into Vancouver along Hastings St or Broadway, or follow Kingsway and the Lougheed Highway across the city. If you want water views, make for the Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm, or continue by SkyTrain toward Port Moody and Coquitlam. For a longer regional trip, the West Coast Express and HandyDART round out the transit options available through Metro Vancouver.
Day three: Look south and west. Cross toward New Westminster and the Fraser River, or carry on to Richmond on Lulu Island. If you are driving, the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 1 connect Burnaby with the rest of the Lower Mainland, including Surrey and North Vancouver. Keep your Compass Card topped up for the return leg, and plan your final stops around the SkyTrain so you finish close to where you started.