Things To Do in Vancouver BC

Welcome to Cool Vancouver, an Internet travel, tour, and activity center that connects you with the best things to do in Vancouver BC, a densely-populated, culturally diverse, and famously beautiful international seaport city located in the far southwestern corner of the Canadian Province of British Columbia. Here at Cool Vancouver, you can find the best of Vancouver tours and attractions, get real-time availability information, and plan your perfect Vancouver visit in minutes.

Scenic, unpolluted, and renowned for the quality of life enjoyed by its residents, Vancouver also has a lot to offer visiting urban explorers, history and culture buffs, outdoor activity enthusiasts, and lovers of majestic ocean and mountain scenery. The hub of Canada’s 3rd-largest metropolitan area, Vancouver sits just 55km north of the Canada/US border crossing at Surrey BC in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. Understanding a little about Vancouver’s geography and history is important to recognizing its attraction as a visitor destination.

The Greater Vancouver area stretches along the northeastern shore of the Strait of Georgia, an extension of the Strait of Juan de Fuca that brings deep, navigable water more than 200 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Like Seattle USA, a sister Pacific Rim seaport city 234km to the south on the shores of Puget Sound, another inlet off the Juan de Fuca strait, Vancouver is situated on a sheltered deep-water harbor flanked by forested mountains. Burrard Inlet leads miles inland past First Narrows at Prospect Point then widens to form Vancouver Harbor. These protected waters were a haven for early sea captains seeking protection from the stormy northwestern Pacific along with access to plentiful fresh water and seemingly endless stands of tall old-growth trees for wood to repair battered ship's rigging.

Also like Seattle, founded in 1851, Vancouver is a young city, established in 1867 and still defined by its natural setting. A metropolis with over 2 million inhabitants, Vancouver retains the raw beauty and adventurous allure of its origins as an isolated wilderness port and jump-off point for exploring the rugged mountains and primeval forests that remain to surround and dominate the modern cityscape.

Originally the site of ancient First American villages, Vancouver began as a trading port and settlement, a center of logging and timber production, and a stop-over for hardy pioneers and hopeful gold prospectors headed north into the vast wilds of Western Canada and Alaska. Today, mild weather, beautiful ocean, forest, and mountain vistas, a multitude of outdoor recreation opportunities, and a vibrant, hip urban scene attract a multitude of visitors and immigrants alike to Vancouver every year.

Vancouver Attractions

Vancouver's main attractions include the historic downtown and waterfront areas; Vancouver Chinatown, the third-largest in North America; Stanley Park—one of the world’s greatest urban parks; the 28km Seaside Greenway—longest uninterrupted waterfront path in the world; and access to 3 world-class ski resorts and summer outdoor playgrounds all within a 30-minute drive of downtown Vancouver.

Exploring the city blocks of Central Vancouver, you will find many museums and galleries including several focused specifically on the region’s Native American cultures, a huge selection of international dining options and excellent seafood restaurants, a long-established craft brewing culture, eclectic shopping, funky street life, and a harbor-front area busy with container ships from around the world, cruise ships, and pleasure craft. Cool Pacific Northwest summers, mild (if rainy) winters, and a closely-spaced street grid make it easy to explore downtown and environs on foot or via the city’s free public transportation system, a great way to get familiar with what Vancouver has to offer.

Gastown was the first name of the settlement that grew around the site of the 1867 Hastings Sawmill and an associated tavern owned by John ‘Gassy Jack’ Deighton. Later registered as a townsite named Granville, the city was renamed Vancouver in 1886 in a deal with railroad officials when the Canadian Pacific transcontinental railway was extended to what was then becoming a vital port link in the trade between the big cities of Eastern Canada and the countries of the Pacific Rim and East Asia.

The original tavern site at the corner of Water and Cambie streets near the railway yards serving the port is marked by the Gastown Steam Clock, a popular attraction that serves as the focal point of Gastown and marks the hours with puffs of steam accompanied by a whistle. Now Vancouver’s oldest neighborhood, Gastown retains historic charm with cobblestone streets, old brick buildings, and Victorian architecture. As a trendy urban place to be and be seen, Gastown and the surrounding blocks feature many options for dining and libations, live music venues, a multitude of indie art galleries, boutiques ranging from funky resale to high-end, edgy fashion studios in the neighboring Railtown district, and a lively pedestrian street scene when the weather is pleasant.

Vancouver is situated on a peninsula that nearly closes off the western reaches of Burrard Inlet to form Vancouver Harbor. Occupying the tip of the peninsula, Stanley Park rivals New York’s Central Park, and is 1/5th larger at over 1.5 square miles. Popular attractions include a bike path along the 8.8km Stanley Park Seawall, an intact stand of old-growth forest, and Native American archaeological sites. At the park’s northern extreme, the shoreline anchors the southern end of Lions Gate Bridge, a historic suspension bridge carrying highway 99 across the First Narrows of Burrard Inlet. Lions Gate hangs 364 feet above the water and offers sweeping city views from the 4,978-feet main span that stretches across to mainland British Columbia.

Within easy sight from the 167-meter Vancouver Lookout at the top of the Harbour Centre in the Heritage District of Vancouver, Grouse Mountain raises snowy winter ski slopes above the Northern Vancouver skyline directly across the harbor from Gastown. Only 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver, six terrain parks and night-skiing until 10pm everyday beckon skiers and snowboarders. In the summer, the infamous Grouse Grind—called ‘Mother Nature’s Stairmaster’—takes the fit and the wanna-bes up a 2.5km, 30° staircase trail that climbs the face of Grouse Mountain to the panoramic peak chalet. There, cold drinks, the Skyride gondola station, and a scenic ride down await as rewards. Further along the North Shore, Cypress Mountain, home to the 2010 Winter Olympics, is just 17 miles away from downtown, and family-friendly Mt. Seymour with its drier high-altitude snow is also only a 17-mile drive.

The Best Things to Do in Vancouver

Along West Pender Street, within easy walking distance of Gastown, Vancouver’s Chinatown has been bustling with life since the 1890s and is only eclipsed in size by the New York and San Francisco Chinatowns. Fans of great Chinese food and all lovers of the exotic and interesting definitely need to stroll the busy streets and storefront markets here. Outstanding dim sum, fragrant bakeries, specialty shopping, and museums celebrating Chinese culture and the role of Chinese people in Canadian history all await exploration. Don't miss the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Canada's first classical Chinese garden, named the World’s Top City Garden by National Geographic.

Voted by Trip Advisor users as the World’s Best Urban Park, Stanley Park is the place to spend a wonderful day, particularly when the weather is good. A bike ride around the park is like no other. The path takes you along the seawall where sea lions bask and dolphins leap offshore, around an old-growth forest with huge trees over 75 meters tall, and past marinas, lighthouses, beaches, a rose garden, a lagoon that is home to many native bird species, and many perfect picnic spots. The park is also a good stop-over on the way up to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, where a swaying tree-top bridge built in 1889 runs for 137 meters over a river and through the ancient coastal rainforest. With a 30-acre park, a visitor center, 7 bridges in total, and a thrilling Cliffwalk path suspended above the Capilano River, Capilano Park is one of Vancouver’s most popular visitor attractions.

Winter or summer, the 1.5 hour ride up to Whistler and the Whistler Blackcomb ski resorts is a Vancouver must-do. Known as the Sea-to-Sky Highway from where it leaves the north end of Lions Gate Bridge, British Columbia Highway 99 has been rated as one of the world’s most scenic drives. Amazing vistas, towering canyon walls, waterfalls, lakes, Native American cultural centers and more make the ride unforgettable. Whistler Village is a vacation destination in itself, gateway to a skier’s paradise with 2 mountains comprising the largest ski area in North America. Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are connected by the incredible 3-mile-long Peak 2 Peak Gondola, the highest gondola in the world at 436 meters (1,430 feet), with a between-tower free span of 1.88 miles where the cables cross the Fitzsimmons Creek valley between the two peaks. Gondola rides, mountain biking, hiking, and other thrilling outdoor sports activities along with great dining and entertainment are available year-round.

This brief introduction offers just a taste of the top things to do in Vancouver BC. Take advantage of Cool Vancouver and our secure online reservation system to check real time availability and build an awesome custom Vancouver itinerary. Colorful photos, detailed information, and genuine customer reviews help you choose the best Vancouver attractions, and it takes seconds to book your spots and have all the important information delivered right to your mobile device. Whether you are planning ahead or already in Vancouver, Cool Vancouver makes organizing your visit fun, and our friendly customer service team members are always ready to help via phone, email, text, or chat if you have any questions. Welcome to Cool Vancouver!

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