Attraction
Stanley Park
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.
Most lists of things to do in Vancouver start with Stanley Park, the 405-hectare forest on the edge of downtown that is circled by the seawall, and with the North Shore, where Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and Grouse Mountain are a short trip from the centre. Downtown has the Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada Place and the Vancouver Lookout, while Gastown, the city's oldest district, and neighbouring Chinatown hold heritage streets, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and many of the best bars. Across False Creek, Granville Island and its Public Market are reached by small ferries.
Food is a major reason to visit. Seafood and sushi are everywhere, from aburi sushi at Miku to the omakase at Tojo's, and the city has Michelin-starred restaurants such as St. Lawrence, Published on Main and Kissa Tanto alongside long-running favourites like Vij's and Phnom Penh. Main Street, Mount Pleasant and Gastown are good areas for independent cafés and bars. Three or four days covers the main sights, and a week allows day trips to Whistler and the Sea-to-Sky corridor or to Victoria on Vancouver Island.
Attraction
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.
Attraction
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…
Attraction
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…
Attraction
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…
Attraction
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.
Attraction
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…
Café
Founded as a single Gastown café in 2017, Nemesis was ranked 15th in the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026, the highest-placed café in Canada.
Café
A long-time Gastown favourite on Cambie Street, Revolver brews a rotating menu of coffees from respected roasters across North America and beyond.
Café
Born at the Whistler Farmers' Market, Purebread fills its Gastown bakery on West Hastings Street with breads, sweet and savoury pastries, cakes, pies and meringues.
Café
49th Parallel's Main Street café pairs the roaster's small-batch, direct-trade coffee with Lucky's Doughnuts, made from scratch with seasonal flavours.
Café
Milano Coffee Roasters' Gastown espresso lounge serves award-winning Italian-style espresso, with tasting bars where you can sample several blends side by side.
Café
Inside Granville Island Public Market, the Blue Parrot and JJ Bean counter serves the local roaster's coffee from 7:30am, before most of the market opens.
Hotel
A Forbes Five-Star hotel on the Coal Harbour waterfront with 367 rooms and suites, a rooftop pool, a fifth-floor spa and the Botanist restaurant and bar.
Hotel
Opened in 1927 and restored in 2011, the Rosewood Hotel Georgia pairs heritage interiors with Hawksworth Restaurant, a garden terrace, Sense spa and several bars.
Hotel
Vancouver's château-style railway hotel, opened in 1939 for the royal tour, with a copper roof and gargoyles, 557 rooms, a pool, spa and Notch8 restaurant.
Hotel
A family-owned Relais & Châteaux hotel with 83 rooms and suites opposite Robson Square, home to Bacchus Restaurant and Lounge and a spa with a eucalyptus…
Hotel
Built in 1912 and covered in Boston ivy, the Sylvia is a heritage hotel on English Bay beside Stanley Park, with 120 rooms and suites and…
Hotel
The only hotel on Granville Island, on the False Creek waterfront at 1253 Johnston Street, with balcony rooms, penthouses and the all-day Dockside Restaurant.
Bar
Inside Fairmont Pacific Rim, Botanist Bar serves inventive cocktails inspired by British Columbia's landscapes and is ranked among North America's 50 Best Bars.
Bar
Opened in 1929, the Art Deco Commodore Ballroom on Granville Street holds about 990 people and is known for its sprung dance floor and decades of…
Bar
In a century-old building on Alexander Street, The Alibi Room pours craft beer from more than 50 rotating taps alongside ethically sourced comfort food.
Bar
Down a set of stairs at 1 Alexander Street, Guilt & Company is an underground bar with two live music shows every night and late opening…
Bar
In the 1910 Leckie Boot Company building on Water Street, the Pourhouse pours classic cocktails at a 38-foot reclaimed Douglas fir bar near the Steam Clock.
Bar
Opened on Main Street in 2013, the Shameful Tiki Room is a dimly lit, windowless tiki bar serving vintage cocktails such as the Zombie, Jet Pilot…
Restaurant
Chef Jean-Christophe Poirier's Michelin-starred restaurant on Powell Street serves refined Québécois and French cooking, with maple running through a weekly-changing table d'hôte.
Restaurant
A Michelin-starred restaurant on Main Street cooking seasonal British Columbia produce from local farms and foragers, with à la carte dishes and a Harvest Tasting Menu.
Restaurant
Opened by chef Hidekazu Tojo in 1988, Tojo's on West Broadway is known for seasonal omakase menus and as the home of the inside-out California roll.
Restaurant
Upstairs in a faded Chinatown building, Michelin-starred Kissa Tanto blends Japanese and Italian cooking in a room modelled on 1960s Tokyo jazz cafés.
Restaurant
Opened by chef Vikram Vij in 1994, this Cambie Street Indian restaurant is a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick and still welcomes walk-in guests every evening from…
Restaurant
In a Yaletown heritage warehouse, Blue Water Cafe has served seafood, oysters and sushi for 25 years under executive chef Frank Pabst, with a garden patio…
Thing to do
Opened in 1979 in a converted industrial building, Granville Island's indoor Public Market has around 50 vendors selling seafood, produce, baked goods and international food.
Thing to do
Built for Expo 86 under white fabric sails on Burrard Inlet, Canada Place combines a cruise terminal, convention centre and a public promenade with harbour views.
Thing to do
Vancouver's first downtown, Gastown is a National Historic Site of heritage buildings, independent shops and bars, with the steam-powered clock on Water Street.
Thing to do
On top of Harbour Centre since 1977, the Vancouver Lookout is a 360-degree observation deck 168 metres above downtown, reached by a 40-second glass elevator ride.
Thing to do
Vancouver's seawall is a continuous waterfront path of about 22 km from Coal Harbour around Stanley Park and False Creek to Kitsilano, shared by walkers and…
Tour operator
Award-winning storytelling walks of about two hours through Gastown, Stanley Park, Davie Village and downtown, covering Prohibition, crime, fires and hidden history.
Tour operator
A female-owned company leading small-group food tours since 2010, with tastings at Granville Island Public Market, in Gastown and around Robson Street.
Tour operator
Running tours since 1985, Landsea offers small-group city tours of Vancouver and seasonal day trips to Whistler, Squamish and Victoria's Butchart Gardens.
Tour operator
Flying from the Coal Harbour seaplane terminal since 1982, Harbour Air offers scenic flights over Vancouver and scheduled floatplanes to Victoria and the coast.
Tour operator
Sailing from the Denman Street dock in Coal Harbour, Harbour Cruises runs guided harbour tours, brunch and dinner cruises and trips up the Indian Arm fjord.
Three or four days covers Stanley Park, downtown, Gastown, Granville Island and the North Shore, and a week leaves time for day trips to Whistler or Victoria.
Downtown and Coal Harbour are the most convenient for sightseeing, the West End puts you close to Stanley Park and English Bay, and Granville Island suits a quieter waterfront stay.
The Canada Line SkyTrain runs from Vancouver International Airport to downtown Vancouver, and taxis and ride-shares are also available at the airport.
Hotels and dining can be expensive, especially in summer, but free sights such as Stanley Park, the seawall, Gastown and the Canada Place promenade help keep costs down.
The main tourist areas are well used, but take the usual city precautions, especially at night, and check local advice about specific streets and neighbourhoods.