Vancouver
Vibrant Hub of Canada’s West Coast
By David Burke | Images By Joern Rohde
If you’re a first-time visitor with only a couple of days to explore Vancouver, Canada’s West Coast hub and the country’s largest urban area west of Toronto, you’ve got some decisions to make. Do you want to focus on art and culture? Dining? Shopping? Sightseeing? Or some combination of the above?
There’s so much to see and do here that you’ll want to start by getting the lay of the land and having a plan.
One of the best ways to start is with a visit to the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre, a short walk from the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Canada Place cruise ship terminal. The lookout provides the ideal location to survey the landscape and enjoy stunning views of Burrard Inlet and the North Shore mountains from the 169-metre (553-foot) observation deck. vancouverlookout.com
Afterward, you can take a hop-on, hop-off city bus tour, which starts and finishes near the Convention Centre and stops at such attractions as Stanley Park, False Creek, the Granville Island Market, Science World, Chinatown, the Vancouver Art Gallery and Bill Reid Gallery, and Gastown, which is back near the starting point. westcoastsightseeing.com
A short walk from the Convention Centre, Waterfront Station offers access to Vancouver’s three light-rail transit lines (Expo, Millennium, and Canada) and the SeaBus, on which you can take a 15-minute mini-cruise to North Vancouver. Attractions there include the Lonsdale Quay Market (lonsdalequay.com) and the new Shipyards District (theshipyardsdistrict.ca), featuring a range of shops, cafés, eateries, and public spaces, with selfie-worthy vistas of Vancouver’s harbour and skyline.
Back in Vancouver proper, the 405-hectare (1,001-acre) Stanley Park, one of the world’s best-known urban oases, fills much of the downtown peninsula’s western end. Here, you’ll find several beaches, the Vancouver Aquarium (vanaqua.org), a stand of totems celebrating the vibrant cultures of British Columbia’s Indigenous peoples, and the popular Stanley Park Seawall walking/biking path.
British Columbia’s rich art and culture are on full display at the Vancouver Art Gallery, which features both permanent and visiting exhibits. “Emily Carr: Navigating an Impenetrable Landscape” features a wide range of the famed B.C. artist’s works until January 2026. vanartgallery.bc.ca
Nearby, the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art showcases the renowned Haida artist’s work and that of many other Indigenous artists. billreidgallery.ca
Canada’s Chinese history comes to life at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Chinatown. On display until late September 2025, “Reshaping Collections: Where History Meets Art” explores the intersection between the country’s Chinese history and its art. chinesecanadianmuseum.ca
Vancouver’s summer and fall event schedule is full of all manner of street fairs, cultural celebrations, sporting events, food and drink extravaganzas, and music festivals to keep your toes tapping, your palate sated, and your brain stimulated all summer long.
Theatre lovers will be enthralled by regular performances that make up Bard on the Beach, this year featuring Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Two Gentlemen of Verona” until Sept. 20 under the big top at Vanier Park. bardonthebeach.org
The Honda Celebration of Light is the longest-running offshore fireworks competition in the world, welcoming more than 1.25 million people to the shores of English Bay for three nights of breathtaking fireworks by the world’s top pyrotechnic teams. This year’s displays will take place on July 19, 23, and 26. hondacelebrationoflight.com
In 2026, Vancouver will host seven games as part of the FIFA World Cup of soccer (a.k.a. football) at BC Place Stadium. For this summer, the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer play at the same facility (whitecapsfc.com), as do the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (bclions.com). The Vancouver Rise of the new Northern Super League women’s soccer circuit play home games at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby (vanrisefc.com). For baseball, the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League are the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and play at quaint Nat Bailey Stadium (milb.com/vancouver).
The Granville Island Market on the southern shore of False Creek is Vancouver’s public market and a popular meeting place. Here, you can browse among the market stalls and cafés, pick up that one-of-a-kind souvenir, and meet the creators of unique art and craft pieces in their shops and studios. granvilleisland.com
The UBC Botanical Garden near the University of British Columbia campus is a destination for plant enthusiasts. It includes the Nitobe Memorial Garden, a traditional Japanese garden dedicated to the memory of Dr. Inazo Nitobe, who wished to foster world peace (botanicalgarden.ubc.ca). South of downtown, you’ll find the VanDusen Botanical Garden, a 22-hectare (54-acre) paradise of gardens, forests, ponds, and even a hedge maze (vandusengarden.org).
In Queen Elizabeth Park, the Bloedel Conservatory houses a lush tropical forest complete with abundant birdlife under a climate-controlled, translucent dome. vancouver.ca
Summer in Vancouver means patio season; there’s nothing better than enjoying those ocean and mountain views from a sunny terrace! Here are just a few of our favourite places to dine and drink al fresco in the city.
Enjoy one of the city’s most comprehensive by-the-glass wine lists and award-winning French cuisine at Provence Marinaside on the False Creek waterfront in Yaletown. A daily happy hour and weekend brunch add to the vibe.
In the heart of the city, atop the fabulous Azur Legacy Hotel, is Lavantine Rooftop Restaurant & Skybar, a festive garden-like space on the 14th floor with superb eastern Mediterranean cuisine with a West Coast touch — don’t skip the juicy, fire-roasted lamb kebabs! — and some of the city’s most creative cocktails.
Take the Aquabus or False Creek Ferry over to Granville Island to enjoy picture-perfect waterfront views, excellent pizzas, and superb seafood on the stunning patio at Dockside Restaurant at the Granville Island Hotel.
Join the locals and enjoy the laid-back vibes at everyone’s favourite happy hour spot on Commercial Drive, Havana Vancouver, where Latin flavours meet Pacific Northwest Coast style. Perfect for people-watching, this spot offers innovative mocktails along with zingy ceviches and more.
- With files from Nikki Bayley
