The Best of Vancouver: 8 Ways to Spend Your Time in This Metropolitan Paradise
Outdoors Lovers and Big City Dwellers Alike Will Love Vancouver
Vancouver often tops the lists of best places to live in the world and it’s pretty obvious why. This clean and safe Canadian metropolis has a stunning backdrop of mountains and ocean, a thriving cuisine and nightlife scene, plenty of peaceful parks and greenspace, and a high standard of living.
There are so many things to do in Vancouver that you could spend weeks here and still not see it all. There’s something for all types of travelers, whether you are interested in art, history, culture, food or hiking.
Naturally beautiful, ethnically diverse, friendly and laid-back, Vancouver is a delight to discover when traveling Western Canada. Here are some of the best Vancouver points of interest you should check out during your visit:
Granville Island
Check out this cute and quirky island in the middle of the city, home to a funky community of galleries, shops, book stores, independent boutiques and live music venues.
It’s a cool place to shop for locally made crafts and artwork, and there’s also a bustling marketplace filled with delicious produce and artisanal treats. Stop for an ice cream or a coffee — this is a great place to people-watch.
The Grouse Grind
If you’ve been indulging in a little too much ice cream and want to burn some calories, the Grouse Grind is an awesome way to get active and enjoy the gorgeous Vancouver scenery.
Known as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster” the grind is a hiking trail that will take you up multiple wooden steps, 850 meters up a mountain. The gorgeous views at the top are worth it. (Or, you can cheat by taking the Skyride, a gondola that departs every 15 minutes.)
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Stanley Park
This enormous greenspace is actually bigger than New York’s Central Park, which means that it is the largest urban park in North America. It is wrapped around the seawall and offers five miles of spectacular waterfront views.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy the park: jogging along the seawall, relaxing on English Bay Beach, playing beach volleyball, admiring the First Nations totem poles or visiting Canada’s largest aquarium.
Gastown
This popular nightlife area is the oldest part of the city — the first building erected there was a saloon built in 1867. It was a rough and tumble area of town in those early days, but now it has been transformed into a vibrant hipster neighborhood.
You’ll find plenty of great bars and restaurants featuring live music and a welcoming atmosphere.
Brewery Tours
The craft beer culture in Vancouver is thriving and one of the best things to do at the moment is to enjoy brewery tours. There are tour companies that will drive you around in a van to all the local breweries, so you can have a great day out sampling their delicious offerings.
You’ll get to meet the brewers, learn about how the beer is made, taste the results and take home some bottles for yourself.
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Science World
You don’t have to be a kid to love this fascinating interactive museum — you just have to have a strong curiosity about the world around us. Science World has a number of intriguing displays as well as galleries, interactive exhibits and a 400-seat OMNIMAX theater.
Chinatown
Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of the oldest in Canada and the largest. It is perched on the edge of Gastown and is a great place to go when you are craving delicious and authentic Chinese food.
It’s home to some of the best dim sum restaurants in town, as well as cheap markets, cool shops and interesting gift stores. It’s also home to the beautiful Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens, where you can find a moment of peace amid the elegant ponds, bridges and trees.
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Whale Watching
Every year between March and October, thousands of whales migrate through the waters near Vancouver, which makes this city one of the best places in the world for watching these incredible giant beasts.
There are a number of tour operators offering whale watching expeditions in the nearby waters. Keep your eyes peeled — along with whales you might also spot a range of seabirds such as bald eagles, tufted puffins, Pacific loons and harlequin ducks.
