Sea, Cedar & the Coast Mountains
A glass city wedged between the Salish Sea and snow-topped peaks, on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh. Rainforest starts where the bus line ends, and dinner is some of the best on the Pacific coast.
A flat, one-way counter-clockwise loop past Brockton Point, where nine poles carved by Squamish, Kwakwaka'wakw, Haida, Nisga'a and Nuu-chah-nulth artists stand as replacements for originals now in museums.
A former industrial island under the Granville Bridge, now stalls of BC salmon, Okanagan fruit and bakery counters, with artisan studios and a working cement plant next door.
Reopened in 2024 after seismic work, Arthur Erickson's concrete Great Hall frames Northwest Coast poles against Burrard Inlet, with Bill Reid's Raven and the First Men nearby. Closed Mondays in winter.
An aerial tram climbs to 1,100 metres for lumberjack shows, a grizzly refuge and the whole city below. The Grouse Grind trail beside it is uphill-only and closes in winter.
The free North Shore canyon: a 50-metre bridge over a green gorge, then forest trails through second-growth rainforest to Twin Falls and the 30 Foot Pool.
Vancouver's sunniest strand, with a saltwater pool, logs to lean on and a straight-on downtown skyline framed by the Coast Mountains behind.
A triodetic dome of tropical birds and plants atop the city's highest point, an old basalt quarry replanted as terraced gardens with a 360-degree view.
A 137-metre span swaying 70 metres above the Capilano River, plus a treetop walkway and cliff-edge boardwalk. Busy and pricey; a free shuttle runs from downtown.
The old provincial courthouse holds the largest Emily Carr collection anywhere, alongside strong Northwest Coast and Vancouver-school photoconceptual holdings.
An hour up the Howe Sound highway, then a gondola to 885 metres for a suspension bridge, viewing platforms and a fjord that runs straight out to the Pacific.
The first full-scale Ming-style scholar's garden built outside China, assembled in Chinatown in 1986 by Suzhou artisans using traditional materials and no nails. Open Wednesday to Sunday only.
Cobbles, cast-iron lamps and Victorian warehouses on the city's original waterfront, where a 1977 steam clock whistles the Westminster chimes every quarter hour.
Sheltered paddling at the head of Indian Arm, a glacier-carved fjord lined with cliffs and float houses at the far eastern end of North Vancouver.
Canada's largest aquarium, strong on cold Pacific ecosystems — sea otters, jellies and a rescue-and-rehab program that treats stranded marine mammals.
The city's western-facing beach, with freighters at anchor, the A-maze-ing Laughter bronzes on the lawn and long summer light that holds past nine.
Asia-style street food beside Bridgeport SkyTrain, from rotato to dragon beard candy. Seasonal and weekends-only: in 2026 it runs 24 April to 20 September, Friday through Sunday plus holiday Mondays.
Vancouver's densest brewing district: Brassneck on Main Street, 33 Acres on West 8th and Main Street Brewing on East 7th sit within a few blocks of each other.
Water Street and the lanes off it hold the city's tightest cluster of good kitchens and cocktail rooms, all within a few minutes' walk of each other.
Shakespeare in open-backed tents at Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park, the stage framed by mountains and English Bay. Summer only: the 2026 season runs 9 June to 19 September.
Stanley Park's highest lookout, 65 metres above First Narrows, watching the bridge lights come on and ships slide out toward the Strait of Georgia.
A suspended-seat flight simulator over Canadian landscapes under the white sails of Canada Place. Last shows run to 19:30, and to 21:00 in July and August.
Glass tower on the harbour with a rooftop pool deck, a serious spa and Botanist downstairs; rooms face either the mountains or the cruise terminal.
A restored 1927 landmark on West Georgia, half a block from the Art Gallery, with Hawksworth on the ground floor and the Prophecy cocktail bar below.
Family-owned Relais & Châteaux member on Hornby Street, all antiques and flowers, with Bacchus bar downstairs and Robson shopping a block away.
Colour-blocked design rooms in the middle of Yaletown's converted warehouse district, steps from the False Creek ferry dock and the seawall.
Rates change — check the live price.
Photography shows the dishes and cuisine — representative, not from the restaurants themselves.
Vikram Vij's long-running room reinvented Indian cooking in Canada; the wine-marinated lamb popsicles in fenugreek cream are the dish people fly in for.
The room that made flame-seared aburi oshi sushi a Vancouver signature, with harbour-front glass looking across to the North Shore mountains.
A family-run Chinatown institution since 1985. Order the pepper-crusted butter beef and the fried chicken wings; expect a queue and no reservations.
Second-generation Vietnamese cooking on Main Street from the Nguyen family, in a plant-filled room with one of the city's better patios out back.
Jean-Christophe Poirier's Michelin-starred bistro dressed as a Montreal dining room, doing rigorous Québécois-French cooking with BC ingredients. Book well ahead.
Wood-fired grill and hand-rolled pasta in a warm corner osteria off Fraser Street; the spit-roasted chicken and the cacio e pepe are the anchors.
A Compass Card covers SkyTrain, buses and the SeaBus on one fare. A day pass is about C$12; contactless credit cards also tap straight through.
Capilano Suspension Bridge runs about C$80 and gets packed. Lynn Canyon has a free suspension bridge, real forest trails and a fraction of the crowd.
Richmond Night Market runs weekends and holidays only, roughly late April to October. Check dates before you plan an evening around it.
Michelin-listed rooms release tables about a month out and fill fast. Reserve St. Lawrence and Vij's before you fly; Phnom Penh takes no bookings at all.
October to March brings steady coastal drizzle, not storms. A shell and waterproof shoes turn a wet week into a normal one; locals never carry umbrellas.
