//
City in British Columbia, Canada
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Vancouver occupies an enviable spot in the world. Blessed with miles of coastline, lush vegetation and crowned by the North Shore Mountains, it's hard to be there and not stop at some point and be amazed by what you see.
The financial, shopping and entertainment centre of the city. It has many of Vancouver's most notable landmarks and easy connections to other parts of the city and the Lower Mainland. With its multitude of accommodation and restaurant options, it is the ideal, if pricey, place to base yourself for exploring the city.
One of the most popular places to hang out in Vancouver, with its beaches, Stanley Park and lots of little shops and eateries.
The original townsite of Vancouver. Gastown is a mix of kitsch, heritage and urban chic. Chinatown was historically one of the largest Chinatowns in North America.
Reclaimed industrial land that is now modern trendy neighbourhoods with some fantastic views along False Creek. The district hosts Vancouver's major spectator sports and was home to the Athlete's Village from the 2010 Winter Olympics and the site of the World Exposition in 1986 (Expo 86).
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Represent Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. The Red Leafs sponsor teams in seven men's sports and nine women's sports. Notably, SFU is the only Canadian school that's a member of the U.S. NCAA, though they are in Division II, competing with mostly smaller, regional U.S. institutions. SFU no longer plays football, either American or Canadian; it had played under American rules in the NCAA, but logistical complications led the school to drop the sport after the 2022 season.
Represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands at the west edge of the Point Grey peninsula. The Thunderbirds field teams in 15 men's sports and 14 women's sports. Unlike SFU, UBC is a member of Canada's governing body for university sport, U Sports.
In the City Centre is home to many touristy shops. The neighbouring Alberni intersection is also home to a variety of high-end shops such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès.
Located in the City Centre. Has more than 150 shops, restaurants and services if you want to walk in an underground shopping centre. The shopping centre begins at its north end at Robson Street, and stretches all the way to Pender Street. There are many floors in the mall depending on where you are, and notable merchants include Holt Renfrew, Harry Rosen, Gap, H&M and Apple Store; the mall is connected to the Hudson's Bay (at Georgia and Granville streets), and Vancouver Centre (a small mall mainly consisting of a lotto centre, London Drugs, and a food court underneath Scotiabank).
Is the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver but is being reborn as a fashion and modern urban design district. Historic buildings house hip restaurants, galleries, and interior design and high-fashion shops. This area also is notable having the most tourist souvenir shops in the region.
Is also popular for its non-mainstream fashion boutiques and high-end salons. A few Popular Yaletown Shopping Streets are: Mainland St., Hamilton St., and Pacific Blvd.
Is an interesting place to go if you fancy the arts. The area boasts a public market, an art school (Emily Carr University of Art + Design), shops, a world music instrument store, restaurants, theatres, galleries, a hotel, boat docks and more.
Located in South Vancouver. Consisting of roughly a hundred or so boutique-like shops, restaurants, and stores (chain or otherwise) in an affluent neighbourhood.
Especially the stretch between 3rd Avenue and Venables St. in East Van, is great for people-watching, produce (Santa Barbara Market), cheese (La Grotta del Formaggio), sausage (JN&Z Deli), etc.
South Main
Located in Mt Pleasant. South of Broadway stretching to around 30th Avenue, has a vibrant and expanding collection of independent restaurants, cafés, high-end niche clothing stores and small boutiques.
Located in East Van between Renfrew and Clark offers some of the best hidden delights in the city. There are many eclectic produce stores (Donald's Market).
An old historic landmark where the first Chinese immigrants to the area settled, though these days it is a shadow of its former self, having become largely deserted and full of homeless people. Other newer and more vibrant Chinatowns have sprung up around 41st Ave. and Victoria Drive, also in Richmond and Surrey, and are much better places to go to if authentic Chinese culture and food is what you are after.
Around Main, between 41st and 49th Ave. Good, cheap Punjabi food along with some Punjabi fashion; street signs are correspondingly in Punjabi.
By car
The main highway into Vancouver from the east is Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway).
By bus
Many bus services reach the Vancouver area, most of which terminate at Pacific Central Station (see "By train" below for the location and directions).
By train
Taking the train to Vancouver is unlikely to be the cheapest option, but it is a scenic one. Train stations:
By boat
Port Metro Vancouver is the home port for the popular Vancouver-Alaska cruise.
By public transit
TransLink's website and customer information line both offer trip planning and information about fares, where to buy tickets and the refund policy.
By ferry
Private operators have scheduled ferry service to destinations around False Creek.
By car
Vancouver's road network is generally a grid system with a "Street" running north-south and an "Avenue" running east-west.
By taxi
By ride hailing
Apps legally permitted to operate in the Vancouver area include:
By bicycle
Vancouver is a very bicycle-friendly city.
By scooter
Renting a scooter is a good compromise between a bike and a car.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Vancouver · International · YVR
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Vancouver and Canada.
Travel tipsDiscover how to use AI to find cheap flights. Learn prompt strategies, smart fare engines, open-jaw routings, and error-fare booking techniques.
6 min read
ItinerariesThe Coast-Vancouver Island Circle Tour, also known as the Coast Circle Tour, is a popular way to see visit some areas of southwestern British Columbia that you might otherwise not visit.
Wikivoyage
Travel tipsGeorge Vancouver was a British officer of the Royal Navy best known for his 1791–95 expedition, to lay formal British claim and start colonization of North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions previously mapped…
Wikivoyage
ItinerariesThe Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) is a series of provincial highways which join all ten provinces of Canada. Following 8,030 km (just under 5,000 miles) of Trans-Canada Highway across all ten provinces is one of the three…
Wikivoyage
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.