Vancouver travel guide

Vancouver, United States

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Vancouver

Introduction

Vancouver sits on the north bank of the Columbia River in Clark County, Washington, directly across the state line from Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1825 around Fort Vancouver, a fur trading outpost, and incorporated in 1857, it grew into the county seat and today forms part of the Portland metropolitan area. As a starting point for exploring the region, the city pairs its early history with easy access to the river and to Portland just to the south.

Before you go

Vancouver is a young city by Canadian standards, but the Coast Salish First Nations have lived in the area for thousands of years, and the downtown peninsula's first settlement, Granville, grew up around a saloon and mill on the site of today's Gastown. The arrival of the transcontinental railway secured the city's role as a cargo hub between the Pacific and the rest of Canada, and waves of immigration since — including many arrivals from Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s — have made Greater Vancouver one of the most ethnically diverse metropolitan areas anywhere. It shares its name with Vancouver, Washington, so double-check which one you're booking.

Pack for wet weather if you're coming between November and March: late fall and winter are typically damp and cloudy, with cool daytime temperatures, rain and a chance of snow in December and January, though winters here are milder than in most other major Canadian cities. Spring can still be wet but warms up as the blossom and flowers come out, while summer days are long, usually sunny and comfortable with little humidity. Bring a mix of cool and warm clothing for spring and fall. Note that Destination Vancouver no longer runs a traditional visitor centre, though it keeps a free information phone line and a small mobile booth offering maps and brochures.

Getting there

Vancouver International Airport sits on Sea Island in Richmond and handles frequent flights from across British Columbia, the rest of Canada, other North American cities, Asia, and Europe. The Domestic and International Terminal serves most travellers, while the South Terminal handles prop, small jet, and seaplane service to local communities in British Columbia and Yukon. TransLink's SkyTrain Canada Line runs direct to downtown in about 25 minutes, with an overnight bus (N10) when the train is closed; Route 412 links the South Terminal to Bridgeport station during limited daytime hours. Taxis take roughly 20 to 30 minutes to downtown, with fixed fares by destination zone from the airport and metered fares on the return; all airport taxis accept credit cards.

Floatplane facilities operate about 300 metres south of the South Terminal and at the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre downtown, with frequent flights to Victoria's Inner Harbour, Nanaimo harbour, Comox, Powell River, Tofino, Whistler, the Southern Gulf Islands, and other local destinations, plus sightseeing tours over the central city. Harbour Air and Seair Seaplanes are the seaplane operators serving downtown. Helijet runs helicopter service from a downtown heliport next to Waterfront Station, connecting to Victoria and YVR's South Terminal. Abbotsford International Airport, roughly 60 km east, handles mostly domestic and low-cost carrier flights; the best way in is by car via the Trans-Canada Highway, since there is no public transit link, though two intercity bus operators stop there. Seattle-Tacoma International and Bellingham International, both in Washington, can be cheaper alternatives for US destinations, reached by bus, train, or car rental.

By car, the main route from the east is the Trans-Canada Highway, which skirts the city's eastern edge; exit at Grandview Highway, 1st Avenue, or Hastings Street to get in. From the US border, Highway 99 links with Interstate 5 and runs north, ending after the Oak Street Bridge and continuing as Oak Street. Drivers heading downtown should move onto Granville Street or Cambie Street to cross False Creek. From the North Shore and points further north, the only way in is by bridge: the Lions Gate Bridge into Stanley Park and the West End, or the Second Narrows/Ironworkers Memorial Bridge into East Van.

Many bus services reach the Vancouver area, most terminating at Pacific Central Station, with additional pick-up and drop-off stops at hotels in downtown Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, White Rock, and surrounding areas. Buses cross the border at an alternate crossing east of Peace Arch Park. BC Ferries Connector links Vancouver to Victoria via the Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay ferry, BC Transit's Central Fraser Valley Transit System runs between Burnaby and Chilliwack with stops in Langley and Abbotsford, and Cantrail operates express buses between Seattle's King St Station and Vancouver.

Getting around

Vancouver is one of the few major North American cities without a freeway running into its downtown core, a deliberate planning choice that has kept the centre dense and walkable and made transit and cycling genuinely practical ways to get around. TransLink runs the region's public transit network, covering Vancouver along with Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, New Westminster, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Lions Bay, White Rock and Bowen Island. Its services include buses, the SkyTrain rapid transit system, the SeaBus passenger ferry across Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver, the West Coast Express commuter rail, and HandyDART for riders who cannot use regular transit without assistance. TransLink's website and customer information line offer trip planning and details on fares, ticket outlets and refunds, and a regional transportation map is widely available at convenience stores and online. TransLink has no app of its own, but Google Maps, Transit and Citymapper use its GPS data for current routes and estimated arrival times.

Where to stay

Accommodations in Vancouver are generally on the expensive side, with most upscale hotel rooms commanding high rates and motel rooms falling in the mid-range. Hostel accommodation, where you can find it, is the cheapest option, especially if you don't mind sharing a room. The City Centre holds the bulk of the city's accommodation, including most of the high-end hotels and backpacker hostels, and it puts you centrally for attractions. If you'd rather avoid the chain hotels, smaller boutique properties sit outside the central business district but still close to the action, and they tend to cost less than the four- and five-star downtown options. Staying outside the City Centre can open up a wider choice of affordable places. A few budget hotels and motels line Kingsway in East Van and Broadway in South Granville, and B&Bs and rental listings are scattered throughout the city's districts. If you need to be near the airport, Richmond has hotels across a range of luxury and price levels. The suburbs—North Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster—also offer cheaper options with easy public transit access into the city, and if you don't mind driving in, campgrounds in the closest provincial parks sit near Maple Ridge, Chilliwack and Squamish. Note that camping in city parks is prohibited under Vancouver's by-laws; if you sleep rough anyway, avoid the Downtown Eastside, don't be disruptive, don't light fires, and be aware of the risks.

Food & drink

Vancouver is a cosmopolitan city with a wide variety of cuisines and price points, and you'll find plenty of Asian food in particular. Sushi is everywhere, including "all you can eat" lunches of varying quality. If you skip alcohol, you can usually eat reasonably, while the more expensive restaurants offer multi-course feasts with fine service. Look for stands selling the Japadog, a locally invented "Japanese style hot dog" garnished with ingredients like nori seaweed or Japanese mayonnaise. Another local specialty is the B.C. roll, an uramaki sushi roll with barbecued salmon and cucumber, widely available at sushi restaurants. The highest density of restaurants is in Kitsilano or the West End; the central business area holds many high-end places along Robson Street or attached to downtown hotels, while East Van tends to have authentic ethnic restaurants.

Vancouver is famous for its Cantonese restaurants, thanks in part to top chefs who arrived from Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s, making the dim sum, siu mei and other Cantonese dishes among the best in the world. Chinatown itself is now a shadow of its former self, with most remaining restaurants being tourist traps; these days the best Chinese food is found in Richmond, especially along No. 3 Rd, Westminster Hwy, Alexandra Rd, and the side streets east of Richmond Centre. The city has also become more vegetarian and vegan friendly, with exclusively veg options such as Indigo Age downtown, the Naam in Kits, the Acorn on Main St, MeeT in Gastown, Main St and Yaletown, Kokomo in Chinatown, Roots + Fruits in Strathcona, Eternal Abundance on the Drive, and Chomp in Hastings-Sunrise. Many restaurants recommend reservations, often through OpenTable or similar software, though some require a phone call. Budget travellers can pick up a free Georgia Straight and clip two-for-one coupons from the food section. Every January the city holds Dine Out Vancouver, a food festival with prix-fixe menus at local restaurants. Most stores accept credit cards, but small family-owned Chinese businesses often accept only cash. Vancouver is also known for gourmet ice cream shops such as Rain or Shine Ice Cream, Earnest Ice Cream and Bella Gelateria; try the "London fog" flavour, made with earl grey tea and fresh milk.

For nightlife, most nightclubs are in the central business district, especially along the Granville Street strip south of Robson and along Water Street in Gastown. Good local pubs cluster in quieter neighbourhoods such as along Main Street or Broadway. Pubs generally close from 1AM, nightclubs between 2AM and 3AM, with very few operating after-hours. Nightclubs with music, a DJ and a dance floor usually charge an entrance fee, and many have long weekend lineups, so going early helps. Liquor stores close by 11PM at the latest, many by 9PM, and there are no other legal options beyond that time apart from drinking at an establishment.

For coffee, Starbucks is the most dominant chain, with Caffe Artigiano and Blenz also found throughout downtown. JJ Bean is favoured among locals, and Bean Around the World is a popular coffee house chain. Waves Coffee is popular with students for its 24-hour operations and free Wi-Fi. For independent chains, try Mario's on Dunsmuir and Howe, and don't miss Trees' cheesecakes and roasted on-site organic coffees. Newer independent coffee shops focus on single-origin beans and a simpler approach, such as Matchstick, Kafka's, Revolver and 49th Parallel. A distinctive local drink is the London fog, similar to a latte but using a shot of earl grey tea instead of espresso, available at virtually every coffee shop. Bubble tea is also popular among Vancouver youth, with tea houses throughout the city, the most notable being Dragon Ball Tea House on West King Edward Ave and Oak St.

Beer drinkers have plenty of options. The largest is the Granville Island Brewery on Granville Island, which offers tours. Other microbreweries are housed in brewpubs such as the Yaletown Brewing Company in Yaletown and Steamworks at the entrance to Gastown. The Alibi Room near Gastown specializes in beers by Northwestern microbreweries, as does the Cascade Room in South Main, while Portland in South Main focuses on Oregon-based microbreweries. East Vancouver, near Commercial Drive and E Hastings St, has become a hot spot for smaller craft breweries, with over ten within walking distance of each other, including Storm Brewing, Callister Brewing and Parallel 49 Brewing Company; a flight of samples is standard, though some places like Storm Brewing provide samples by donation. St. Augustine's near Commercial/Broadway station is a pub with a great craft beer selection. Olympic Village in False Creek is another craft brewing hot spot, with multiple breweries within walking distance, including 33 Acres Brewing Company, Brassneck Brewery and Main Street Brewing Co, all easily accessible by public transit. Outside Vancouver proper, Port Moody is easily reachable by Skytrain and has another strip of small local breweries, while North Vancouver, a short SeaBus ride from downtown, offers a cluster of breweries, a cider mill, distillery, winery and braggotery along its developing "Brewery District".

What to see and do

Vancouver packs a lot into a compact, walkable core. In the central business district you'll find Canada Place with its distinctive sails, the nearby Olympic Cauldron, the Art Deco detailing of the Marine Building, and the old luxury railway hotel of the Hotel Vancouver. Modern landmarks include Shangri-La, the tallest building in the city, and the Sheraton Wall Centre. Head to the West End for Stanley Park, the city's most popular attraction, along with the neighbouring Coal Harbour walkway and the Vancouver Aquarium. Gastown, the original town site, has restored buildings and a steam clock that draws a crowd, while the bustling markets and shops of Granville Island sit just south of downtown in South Granville.

For history and culture, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia houses thousands of objects from BC's First Nations alongside archaeological and ethnographic collections from elsewhere. The Vancouver Art Gallery in the central business district pairs local and international exhibitions with a permanent collection focused on BC artist Emily Carr. The Central Library at Homer and Robson Streets is modelled after the Roman Colosseum, and the small Contemporary Art Gallery on Nelson Street shows modern art. Near the east side of False Creek, the geodesic dome of Telus World of Science (Science World) makes science fun for kids, and the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum at Gate A of BC Place Stadium in Yaletown honours the province's sporting heritage. Kitsilano holds smaller sights including the Vancouver Maritime Museum, the Museum of Vancouver, and the H.R. Macmillan Space Centre.

Parks and gardens are scattered throughout the city. Stanley Park offers miles of walking and cycling trails, beaches, views, and totem poles, with the Seawall — a paved trail around the park's perimeter that now joins the seawalls in Coal Harbour and Kitsilano — as the most popular route. Elsewhere you'll find VanDusen Botanical Garden in South Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Park near South Main, the Nitobe Memorial Garden and UBC Botanical Garden at the university, and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Chinatown. For skyline and Coast Mountains views, try Stanley Park, Harbour Centre, Spanish Banks and Jericho Beaches in Point Grey, Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver, City Hall at 12th and Cambie, Queen Elizabeth Park, or CRAB Park in East Van.

The city isn't all outdoors. Symphony and opera venues sit in the central business district, and much of the live theatre is in South Granville, particularly on Granville Island with its thriving arts scene. Chinese New Year brings colour and a parade to Chinatown on the east side of downtown, and June sees the annual Dragon Boat Festival on False Creek. The largest festival crowds turn out for the Honda Celebration of Light, a three-night fireworks competition over English Bay in late July, best viewed from Sunset Beach or Kits Beach and Vanier Park — arrive hours early and take public transit, as roads near English Bay typically close in the evening. Other notable events include EAT! Vancouver in early November, the Vancouver International Film Festival in September and October, the Fringe Festival, Bard on the Beach at Vanier Park from May to September, the three-day Folk Fest on the beach in Kitsilano, and the Vancouver Pride Parade in early August.

Comedy thrives here too, with dedicated clubs and regular shows ranging from theatres to pizza joints, including the Improv Centre on Granville Island. Live music spans venues from BC Place to local bars, pubs, and coffee shops, and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs for two weeks in late June and early July. To get active, walk, jog, bike, or rollerblade the Seawall from Canada Place around Stanley Park and along False Creek through Yaletown, Science World, and Granville Island to Kits Beach; rentals are available near Denman and West Georgia. On a nice day you can rent a speedboat at Granville Island and tour the waters around Stanley Park and Coal Harbour, and golf courses and pitch-and-putt courses are plentiful. Beaches include Kitsilano Beach, Jericho, and quieter Spanish Banks in Kitsilano, English Bay Beach in the West End, and Wreck Beach at the tip of Point Grey, the only city beach where you can bare it all.

When to go

Summer is Vancouver's best season, with long, mostly sunny days and little humidity. Daylight stretches from early morning until well after 9PM in late June, and temperatures from mid-June to early September are generally comfortable, peaking in late July and early August. Eastern parts of the city run warmer than the rest, and a few exceptionally hot days can push temperatures higher still. If you want the driest, brightest version of the city, plan your trip around these months.

The rest of the year is wetter and greyer. Late fall and winter bring damp, cloudy days with cool temperatures, and December and January are the coldest and wettest months, with a chance of snow — though the city usually sees only a few snow days a year. Daylight is short then, with sunrises after 8AM and darkness before 4:15PM in December. Spring remains wet but warms up, and from early March the shrubs, blossom trees and flowers put on a colourful show. Fall turns cooler and wetter again, a transition into the damp late fall. For spring and fall trips, pack a mix of cool and warm weather clothing.

Three days in Vancouver

Day one: Start in Vancouver, Washington, and orient yourself around the Columbia River and Clark County. Founded as Fort Vancouver, the city sits in the shadow of its larger namesake to the north, and its story runs back through the Coast Salish First Nations, Granville, Gastown, and the Pacific ties that link Canada to Hong Kong and Greater Vancouver. Pack for November through March, when it is cold and wet, and note that spring brings milder, showery days.

Day two: Turn your attention to the wider region and the travel connections that shape it. Vancouver International Airport spreads across Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, and serves as a North American gateway to Asia and Europe, with the Domestic and International Terminal alongside the South Terminal. TransLink keeps the city linked, and the airport's reach extends as far as the Yukon.

Day three: Use your final day to plan onward travel between Washington and Oregon. Portland lies within easy reach, and Destination Vancouver can help you weigh the options. Whether you head south into Oregon or north into British Columbia, the Columbia River and the Pacific coast frame the whole journey.

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