Best Attractions in Vancouver (2026)

Vancouver's sights are split between the downtown peninsula, the North Shore across Burrard Inlet and the University of British Columbia on Point Grey. Stanley Park, at the tip of the peninsula, is free and takes at least half a day, with the Vancouver Aquarium inside it. Downtown, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Bill Reid Gallery are a few minutes apart on Hornby Street, and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Chinatown is an easy walk from Gastown. Science World sits in its Expo 86 dome at the end of False Creek and is the best choice for families on a wet day.

Plan the North Shore as a separate day. Capilano Suspension Bridge Park runs a free shuttle from Canada Place and usually takes two and a half to three hours, and Grouse Mountain, reached by the Skyride tram, can be added for the afternoon. The Museum of Anthropology at UBC deserves a half-day of its own, ideally on a Thursday evening, when admission is half price after 5pm. Queen Elizabeth Park and the Bloedel Conservatory, south of downtown, are a quieter option. Book timed tickets online where they are offered, start early in summer, and keep indoor sights such as the museums and aquarium for rainy days.

10 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Attraction

1. Stanley Park

Urban parkWest End

Opened in 1888, Stanley Park covers about 405 hectares of forest, beaches and lakes on the Downtown peninsula, circled by an 8.8 km stretch of seawall.

View details

Attraction

2. Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

Suspension bridge and rainforest parkNorth Vancouver

A 140-metre suspension bridge 70 metres above the Capilano River, with treetop walkways, a cliffside path and rainforest trails, reached by a free shuttle from Canada Place.

View details

Attraction

3. Vancouver Aquarium

AquariumStanley Park

Opened in Stanley Park in 1956, the Vancouver Aquarium has galleries from the Amazon to the BC coast, sea otters, a 4D theatre and a marine mammal rescue area.

View details

Attraction

4. Museum of Anthropology at UBC

Anthropology museumUniversity of British Columbia

Arthur Erickson's 1976 museum on the UBC campus holds around 50,000 ethnographic objects, Northwest Coast poles in its Great Hall and Bill Reid's The Raven and the First Men.

View details

Attraction

5. Vancouver Art Gallery

Art museumDowntown

Housed in a 1911 former courthouse on Robson Square, the Vancouver Art Gallery holds about 12,000 works, including the largest collection of paintings by Emily Carr.

View details

Attraction

6. Science World

Science centreFalse Creek

Science World fills the geodesic dome built for Expo 86 at the east end of False Creek, with hands-on galleries, live science shows and an OMNIMAX theatre.

View details

Attraction

7. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Classical Chinese gardenChinatown

Opened in 1986 with help from Suzhou garden experts, this Chinatown garden was the first Chinese garden built outside Asia, with a koi pond, rock mountain and free jasmine tea.

View details

Attraction

8. Grouse Mountain

Mountain resortNorth Vancouver

A 1,231-metre peak on the North Shore reached by aerial tram, with grizzly bears Grinder and Coola, ziplines, the Grouse Grind trail and skiing in winter.

View details

Attraction

9. Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art

Indigenous art galleryDowntown

Founded in 2008, the Bill Reid Gallery on Hornby Street shows the work of the Haida artist Bill Reid alongside exhibitions by contemporary Indigenous artists.

View details

Attraction

10. Queen Elizabeth Park

Park and conservatoryLittle Mountain

Set on Little Mountain about 125 metres above sea level, Queen Elizabeth Park has sunken quarry gardens, an arboretum and the Bloedel Conservatory with free-flying tropical birds.

View details