The Landmarks That Made Vancouver
Start where the city itself began. Walk into Gastown on a weekday morning and you'll feel the weight of 1867—the original makeshift tavern built by Gassy Jack still anchors the district in spirit, though what you see now are restored brick buildings and cobbled streets. The steam clock marks the original site and draws crowds, but the real draw is standing in the neighbourhood where Vancouver's story started. North of Gastown, the skyline opens up: Canada Place juts into the harbour with its distinctive sails, the Olympic Cauldron sits nearby as a marker of the 2010 Winter Olympics, and the Marine Building stands nearby with intricate Art Deco detailing that speaks to Vancouver's early twentieth-century ambition. The Hotel Vancouver, an old luxury railway hotel, anchors the central business district with its own architectural weight. If you want to see how the city builds now, visit Shangri-La, the tallest building in the city, and the Sheraton Wall Centre.
Museums That Show You BC and the World
The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia holds several thousand objects from BC's First Nations, alongside significant collections of archaeological and ethnographic materials from elsewhere in the world. It is a serious collection in a serious space. For visual art, the Vancouver Art Gallery in the central business district brings together local and international work, with a permanent collection that centres on Emily Carr, the renowned British Columbia artist. The Central Library at Homer and Robson Streets, modelled after the Roman Colosseum, is itself worth visiting—it houses the city's largest library collection. On the east side of False Creek, the Telus World of Science sits inside a shiny geodesic dome and fills its space with exhibits and shows aimed at making science engaging. In Yaletown, the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum at Gate A of BC Place Stadium preserves BC's sporting heritage through collections and stories. Smaller but worthwhile: in Kitsilano you'll find the Vancouver Maritime Museum, Museum of Vancouver, and H.R. Macmillan Space Centre.
Parks, Gardens, and the Seawall
Stanley Park sits at the tip of the West End and is the city's most popular attraction. Miles of trails wind through it, beaches punctuate its edges, and views open onto the mountains. The Seawall is its main draw—a paved trail that runs around the park's perimeter and now extends through Coal Harbour and Kitsilano, totalling 22 km. You can walk, jog, bike or rollerblade it; rentals are available near the corner of Denman and West Georgia. The Stanley Park section and the stretch along the north shore of False Creek draw the most traffic. Beyond Stanley Park, Vancouver spreads its gardens across neighbourhoods: VanDusen Botanical Garden in South Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Park near South Main (also a good vantage point for the skyline), the Nitobe Memorial Garden (the Nitobe Japanese Garden) and UBC Botanical Garden at the University of British Columbia, and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Chinatown.
Beaches and Outdoor Living
Vancouver's beaches lack glamour and waves, but on a sunny summer day they fill with people seeking sand and water. Kitsilano has a string of them: Kitsilano Beach is the most popular and hosts beach volleyball; Spanish Banks is quieter and draws skimboarders; Jericho sits between them. English Bay Beach near Denman and Beach in the West End is the largest and most popular beach on the downtown waterfront. Wreck Beach, at the tip of Point Grey in UBC, is as much rock as sand and holds a particular place in the Vancouver identity—it is the only city beach where clothing is optional. For a different kind of water experience, rent a speedboat from Granville Island and take a ride around Stanley Park and Coal Harbour when the weather is fair.
Festivals, Markets, and Neighbourhoods to Wander
Granville Island sits just south of downtown and pulses with bustling markets and shops. It is also home to a thriving arts scene, with much of the city's live theatre concentrated there and on the surrounding South Granville streets. The Improv Centre on Granville Island anchors Vancouver's enormous stand-up comedy scene—the Lower Mainland hosts nearly 10,000 improv, stand-up and open mic shows a year across three dedicated clubs and more than two dozen venues, from theatres to pizza joints.
The city's festivals draw crowds across seasons. The Honda Celebration of Light in late July is a three-night fireworks extravaganza over English Bay where countries compete with 20-30 minute displays set to music. Fireworks begin at 10PM and are best viewed from Sunset Beach in the West End or Kits Beach and Vanier Park in Kitsilano; plan to arrive hours early and use public transit, as crowds are enormous and roads close from 6PM. The Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs for two weeks in late June and early July. Chinese New Year transforms Chinatown with colour and festivities, including a parade. The Dragon Boat Festival takes place on False Creek in June. EAT! Vancouver—The Everything Food + Cooking Festival—runs for six days in early November, drawing celebrity chefs, local restaurants, wineries and food artisans. The Vancouver International Film Festival runs in September and October, the Fringe Festival presents live theatre in a variety of styles, the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival runs May through September at Vanier Park in Kitsilano, and a three-day Folk Fest on the Kitsilano beach features folk, roots and world music acts. Vancouver's annual Pride Parade in early August attracts over 600,000 spectators.
Begin planning a trip to Vancouver by choosing a season: summer for beaches and outdoor festivals, late July for the fireworks, November for the food festival, or June-July for music and theatre. Book accommodation near the Seawall if you want easy access to the parks, or in Granville Island if you want markets and theatre steps from your door.