Twice voted the world’s best place to live, Vancouver is a cosmopolitan city bustling with life and energy that has a warm welcome for all visitors. With its numerous attractions, natural beauty, and thriving downtown core, Vancouver makes for a great vacation destination. Some of the best places to visit in the city include:
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is the largest city park in Canada with 1000 acres of natural beauty. It’s open all year round – you can enter and leave at any point in the park. Walking around the seawall, which follows the shore of the peninsula that makes up Stanley Park, is a great way to spend a few hours. The entire circuit is 10km (a little over six miles). Although you can simply take time to enjoy the tranquility of the park, there are a number of attractions there too, including two swimming pools, a pitch and putt golf course, an aquarium, and two beaches (Second Beach and Third Beach).
Granville Island
If you want to get a feel of the real Vancouver then head for Granville Island. This place has great waterfront activities that attract tourists and locals alike.
Granville Island isn’t actually an island but a small peninsula located underneath Granville Street Bridge. It’s busy at weekends, so if you can get there anytime between Monday and Thursday you will have a little more room (the shops and outlets operate regular store hours).
While you can drive to Granville Island, parking is at a premium. The best way to go is by boat: Take the Aquabus from Hornby Street Pier or the ferry (operated by False Creek Ferries) from Sunset Beach behind the Aquatic Center.
The highlight of Granville Island is the Public Market. It’s the city’s best market (and pretty good by many another top cities’ standards). It sells fresh produce including fruit and vegetables, baked goods, seafood, cheese, and lots more – and with the odd street musician here and there you’ve got a treat for all the senses! There’s also a food court selling a variety of international dishes.
Canada Place
Canada Place was originally built for Expo ’86. With its sail-like structure, it’s the city’s iconic landmark, as well as an impressive piece of architecture. Located on the waterfront, Canada Place is currently used as a hotel, convention center, and cruise ship terminal for Alaska-bound cruises.
People make the trip to Canada Place for the spectacular views it offers: It’s the best place from which to take photos of the surrounding mountains, and you also get to watch the seaplanes take off from the harbor nearby.
While you probably won’t need to spend any longer than an hour or so at Canada Place, you can combine your trip with a visit to the IMAX theatre there for some entertainment.
Gastown
Gastown is a historic neighborhood in Vancouver situated downtown on the north-east corner. It was the city’s first downtown core and gets its name from “Gassy” Jack Deighton, who in 1867 opened the area’s first saloon. The area soon became the centre of trade and commerce and in 1886 was incorporated as the City of Vancouver. That same year the Great Vancouver Fire destroyed all but two of its buildings. Today it’s a vibrant mix of old and new with restaurants, boutiques, nightclubs, and business offices. Two popular annual events held in Gastown are the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and the Tour de Gastown International Bicycle Race.
Whatever you look for in a vacation, Vancouver can offer it. And spending just a few days in this great city will show you why it’s voted the world’s number one.