Vancouver

A livable city between mountains and sea: Stanley Park, Granville Island and Gastown, the North Shore's suspension bridges, Grouse Mountain and Deep Cove, plus the Richmond night market and Steveston Fisherman's Wharf.

Vancouver sits in the southwest corner of British Columbia, Canada, between Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River, with the Coast Mountains to the north and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Metro Vancouver has a population of about 2.7 million, roughly one-fifth of whom are of Chinese descent, so Chinese food and Chinese-language services are very easy to find. The climate is temperate oceanic: June–September is sunny and dry at 20–25°C and is the best season; cherry blossoms fill the city in April; November–March is rainy, but the three North Shore mountains (Grouse, Cypress and Seymour) allow day-trip skiing. The main areas are: the downtown peninsula (Canada Place, Gastown, Chinatown, Robson Street, Yaletown and Stanley Park); Granville Island, Kitsilano Beach and the UBC Museum of Anthropology on the south shore of False Creek; the North Shore's Capilano Suspension Bridge, Lynn Canyon, Grouse Mountain and Deep Cove, reached by a 12-minute SeaBus ride to Lonsdale Quay; and, to the south in Richmond, the night market and Steveston Fisherman's Wharf. Whistler and Victoria are separate destinations and need their own accommodation. Getting around: YVR airport has direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and more, and the SkyTrain Canada Line reaches downtown in 25 minutes; the SkyTrain, buses and SeaBus all accept a Compass card or credit card, and downtown is friendly to walkers and cyclists. We recommend 3–4 days. Tips: listed prices do not include the 12% tax, and tips run 15–18%; the East Hastings Street area at the east end of downtown is less safe and best avoided.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries