Vancouver: The City Most People Underestimate

Vancouver is the third-largest city in Canada and has the mildest climate of any major Canadian city, which means it does not get the -30C winters that deter people from Calgary or Toronto. The trade-off is persistent grey drizzle from November through March. Come in June through September for reliable sunshine, or come in winter and embrace the indoor culture while the ski hills above the city get their first snowfall.

Getting Oriented

Downtown Vancouver sits on a peninsula bounded by English Bay to the south, Burrard Inlet to the north, and False Creek to the southeast. Stanley Park covers the entire western tip. Most of what first-time visitors want to see is accessible on foot or by the SkyTrain metro system. An Orca card (reloadable transit card) covers SkyTrain, buses, and the SeaBus ferry across Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver.

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is 405 hectares of coastal temperate rainforest with a seawall cycling and walking path around its perimeter. The full seawall loop is 8.8 km; rental bikes are available at stands near the Georgia Street entrance and the circuit takes 1.5 to 2 hours. Prospect Point at the northwest tip gives views of the Lions Gate Bridge, the North Shore mountains, and container ships moving through the narrows.

The totem poles at Brockton Point are frequently photographed but not the most interesting First Nations cultural exhibit in the city. The Museum of Anthropology on the UBC campus is significantly better for understanding Pacific Northwest Indigenous art and culture.

North Shore

Two options across the water: Capilano Suspension Bridge is the famous tourist option – fine but expensive at around CAD 60 admission. Lynn Canyon Park, 3 km east, has a free suspension bridge that is shorter but still impressive, plus swimming holes in the canyon, forest trails, and no admission charge. Locals use Lynn Canyon; tourists go to Capilano. The honest recommendation is Lynn Canyon unless the specific bridge-length record matters to you.

Grouse Mountain, at the top of a gondola from North Vancouver, offers hiking in summer and skiing in winter. The view over Vancouver and the Fraser River delta on a clear day is one of the better city panoramas anywhere. The gondola costs around CAD 60; worth it for the view if skies are clear, not worth it in heavy cloud.

Granville Island and East Side

Granville Island, under the Granville Bridge on False Creek, was a disused industrial site until 1970s conversion into a public market, arts studios, and cultural spaces. The Public Market has the best selection of fresh produce, local cheese, smoked salmon, and baked goods in the city. Go before noon; by early afternoon the tourist density slows movement.

Commercial Drive and Main Street (from 2nd Avenue to about 30th) are where the city’s actual food culture lives – Commercial Drive with its Italian-immigrant legacy diversified into Portuguese, Latin American, and Japanese eating options; Main Street with the city’s best concentration of independent restaurants.

Eating

Vancouver’s food scene is Asian-influenced in ways that Toronto and Montreal’s are not. The suburb of Richmond, immediately south and accessible by SkyTrain, has the best Chinese food in North America outside the Chinese mainland. Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant on Main Street in Richmond does dim sum that is legitimately difficult to improve on. The food courts at Aberdeen Centre and Yaohan Centre in Richmond have regional Chinese options at prices that make downtown restaurants look expensive.

For downtown eating: Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown has been the city’s best seafood restaurant for years and remains worth booking – the raw bar is the strength. Miku on the waterfront does aburi (flame-seared) sushi in a style that originated in Vancouver and has since spread internationally.

Book accommodation at least two months ahead for July and August, particularly if you want anything in Kitsilano or the West End at a reasonable price.