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11

Vancouver Travel & Sightseeing Guide

Filed Under Canada

A trip to Vancouver
One of Canada’s most popular cities among visitors and Canadians alike, Vancouver boasts beautiful scenery, as well as a relaxed cosmopolitan atmosphere due in part to its huge Chinatown area. Located in British Columbia, Vancouver experiences mild weather consisting of mild summers and winters with only light snowfall.

Fights to Vancouver
Serviced by a dozen airlines from around the world, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is located just 15 miles from the downtown area (the penisula found between English Bay and Burrard Inlet). From major cities in the US, flights to Vancouver take anywhere from 45 minutes to 5 hours, and there are 22 US-bound flights a day from the city’s airport. If you are looking for a cheap flight to Vancouver try Ebookers.

There are several transport options for travel between the airport and downtown Vancouver, including scheduled coach transfers, limousines, taxis, and car rentals. Downtown Vancouver is serviced by taxis and buses and its compact size makes it a tourist’s dream to explore on foot or by bicycle. The easiest way to discover the rest of the city is by car.

Vancouver

Sightseeing in Vancouver
The downtown area and other major neighbourhoods are flanked on the west by the English Bay and on the east by Burrard Inlet. The peninsula has views of the mountains and water at every turn, making downtown Vancouver one of the most picturesque urban centres in the world. Walk through the hustle-bustle found on Robson street, experience exotic Chinatown, or explore historic Gastown - all are within minutes of the city’s centre.

Chinatown in Vancouver is home to many Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong and China. The hardworking Chinese have created a Chinese business district boasting Chinese restaurants serving authentic cuisine, as well as a Chinese garden erected in memory of Dr Sun Yat Sen, the late leader of the Republic of China.

Fun by night – eating drinking and partying
Gastown is named after a colourful character, Gassy Jack, a flamboyant riverboat captain, and shouldn’t be missed. Its late 19th century architecture is now home to many restaurants, bars, and galleries and has been turned into an upmarket and trendy district frequented by tourists and locals alike. One popular attraction is Gastown’s steam clock.

Fun by day – shopping and activities
Gastown has a plethora of boutiques for some serious shopping, while the suburbs of Vancouver are lush and green with many parks lined with hiking trails - perfect for those wishing to spend a day outdoors.

The 250-hectare Lynn Canyon Park is home to towering evergreens and boasts a natural landscape of forested valleys and waterfalls. Its most distinctive feature is a suspension bridge hanging 50 metres above a creek. You can also visit Grouse Mountain to see a panorama of the city. In summer there are many trails to explore while in winter there are 25 ski and snowboard runs, plus an outdoor skating rink, all within a 15-minute drive of downtown.

Daytrips
From May until September, whale watching tours can be organised to include photo safaris, a stop off at the Butchart Gardens, and transportation. The ultimate whale-watching full-day excursion starts with a floatplane journey to Vancouver Island. From here, groups set out in zodiacs or covered cruisers for several hours in search of pods of killer whale families. Afterwards, visitors are escorted to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria. A Canadian National Historic Site, the gardens are a horticultural paradise with 55 acres of beautifully tended flower beds.

A Grouse Mountain tour introduces visitors to Vancouver’s north shore. Traversing the Lion’s Gate Bridge and entering north Vancouver, the route grows steeper along the mountain road. Stop at the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge to test your courage crossing it or try the Tree Top Adventure; a terrifying attempt to cross the narrow, swaying pedestrian bridge suspended almost 100 feet above the Capilano River. Later, at the Grouse Mountain Resort, visitors can reach the summit on the SkyRide cable car, where a fine-dining restaurant and casual bar and bistro await.

Must-see attractions
Due to the city’s natural beauty and the incredible scenery of the surrounding countryside, most visitors arrive intending to enjoy the numerous outdoor adventures and places of interest, some of which are specific to the season.

Recognised worldwide as one of the best inter-city parks, Stanley Park comprises 1,000 acres of ancient forestland within walking distance of the downtown centre. Towering redwoods, majestic cedars, Douglas firs and hemlock are only some of the 500,000 trees. The park is home to many jogging and biking trails, gardens, ponds, recreation areas and a nine-kilometre long sea wall that follows the Pacific edge. One of the city’s main tourist attractions, Stanley Park receives in excess of eight million visitors a year.

Granville Island is another of Vancouver’s most popular must-see places. The 37 acre man-made peninsula rests tucked under the southern end of the Granville Street Bridge, accessible by public bus, ferry, or water taxi from Stanley Park. An extremely popular, and usually crowded, summer hotspot, it offers seal watching, a water park, food court, kid’s market, open-air food markets, flower markets, and arts and crafts. It is home to the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, three museums, restaurants, a theatre, pubs and even a hotel.

Best time to go
With one of the mildest Canadian climates, Vancouver is the fourth-warmest city in the country. Average seasonal temperatures rarely fall below 0°C during the coldest month of January or rise above 20°C in the hottest months of July and August. As a west coast port city surrounded on three sides by water and backed by the Rocky Mountains, Vancouver receives more than 1,200 mm of precipitation annually, most of which falls in winter.

While there is no distinct tourist season, as Vancouver receives visitors steadily throughout the year, the most pleasant weather occurs between late August and early September while an enormous amount of travellers arrive during the winter ski season.

Rainy day suggestions
Although being rained out for at least a day is likely, neither Vancouver nor Vancouverites put life on hold when things get wet. One excellent rainy day suggestion is the Vancouver Aquarium located within Stanley Park. It features dolphins, beluga whales, giant snakes and air-breathing fish in addition to 20,000 different kinds of marine life.

Vancouver Art Gallery will please art buffs with its city centre collection of works with those by Canadian artists Emily Carr being among the best loved. The Vancouver Maritime Museum is suitable for all the family and ranks as among the best along the east coast.

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