My Guide to Vancouver
*All work including photos and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the Expedia video, freely available on Youtube.
Vancouver has one of the mildest climates of any of the Canadian cities, a real home from home for English visitors as the climate is similar to the U.K's. It is a beautiful city, with a quiet, relaxed feel to it. There is an abundance of art and culture here if you have time to enjoy it. A very intriguing city.
Vancouver has one of the mildest climates of any of the Canadian cities, a real home from home for English visitors as the climate is similar to the U.K's. It is a beautiful city, with a quiet, relaxed feel to it. There is an abundance of art and culture here if you have time to enjoy it. A very intriguing city.
Here are my top recommendations of things to see in Vancouver
1) Stanley Park is my favourite place. We hired bicycles near the Park entrance at the end of Robson Street. It was a great way to see so many of the sites. We all enjoyed that. 2) Gas Town This is the oldest part of town, with the old gas powered clock. It is a pretty tourist area, with shops and restaurants. You can also walk from here to China Town, which is a big attraction too. 3) Yale Town This is a downtown restaurant area. We found some lovely little independent restaurants here. It was a nice place to walk around, with little dog parks etc which were amusing. There were lots of homeless people here though, although we didn't feel unsafe. 4) Granville Island This is worth a visit, especially if you have older / teenage children. There are markets, food stalls, music etc. It has a younger feel to it than other parts of the city. I can hear and smell it now. 5) Grouse Mountain This is a must see part of the area. You get a great view of the city from here. There are some tourist attractions on top of the mountain such as some bears (behind a fence) and various shows etc in the summer. 6) Capilano If you are feeling brave you can also walk across the Capilano suspension bridge. I must admit I didn't attempt this. 7) Robson Street is the most famous shopping street and with a thriving film industry based in Vancouver, you may even spot a film star here. Don't arrange to meet anyone in Starbucks though, as there is one every few yards! Vancouver Marina
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Places to visit from Vancouver if you have more time.
1) Vancouver Island Take a ferry across to this quaint, very English island. The capital Victoria is beautiful and feels like an English town that has stayed in the past. There are lots of interesting things to see and do here and hikes and trails to take outside of the city if you get time. Below is a photo of the Government building in Victoria. 2) Seattle USA
Take a 2 -3 hours drive down to Seattle. You can also take a bus or as we did the Amtrak Cascades Train from Vancouver along the breathtakingly beautiful Puget Sound to downtown Seattle in a relaxing sightseeing 4 hours. See my page on what to do in Seattle, this lively, enchanting city. (Pictured below) )
3) Whistler This world famous ski resort is also worth a visit in the summer. Whistler is the perfect ski resort for any level skier. My sister rates it as her favourite ski resort in the world. 4) Calgary A 10 hour drive will take you through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. You will drive through mountain ranges and past lakes to get to Calgary. You can even fly home to England from here. 5) Tulalip Outlet Mall, USA. This is a two hour drive from Vancouver, a popular place for Canadians to shop, as taxes are much lower in U.S. There is a bus that runs services there from Vancouver. 6) Whale watching Take a boat trip down to the San Juan Islands (U.S) and other areas to see the Orca whales in the wild. May-Sep only. 7) take a seaplane tour of Vancouver 8) Bowen Island Hike. 9) North Cascades National Park. US. (Make sure you visit Diablo Lake which is stunning.) You could also take an Alaska or Hawaii cruise from Vancouver if you have the time. Celebrity, Cunard, Seabourn and others operate cruises from here. |
Where to Stay
The best area to stay in Vancouver is the West End, near Stanley Park. Also Main area Vancouver is a good choice. We stayed in Yaletown which was nice.
Places to avoid include Chinatown, Mole Hill, The area next to the stadium, Downtown East Side and Westbrook Village.
Places to avoid include Chinatown, Mole Hill, The area next to the stadium, Downtown East Side and Westbrook Village.
Food
Vancouver is a very ethnically diverse city and this is reflected in the huge range of food available in the restaurants here. You will be spoilt for choice. With a huge Chinese and Indian population, there is no shortage of these foods as well as Japanese, seafood, American etc.
Popular Restaurants
Hydra Estiataria, Seafood/Mediterranean/ Greek
Delara Restaurant, Middle Eastern/Persian
Black + Blue Steakhouse
Five Sails Restaurant, French (Nice views!)
Marcello Pizzeria, Italian
The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant
Absinthe Bistro, French
Kingyo, Japanese
Bao Bei, Chinese
Sula Indian Restaurant
Sura Korean Cuisine
Vancouver has a huge port and this is the major industry here. To get from the airport to the city centre is easy and inexpensive on the sky train. Public transport around the city is also good. This isn't a cheap city though, you can expect to pay UK prices for a meal out here. Vancouver is constantly in the top ten cities to live in, in the whole world. I think this is due to the close proximity to the sea, to parks and mountains, yes similar to it's US rival Seattle, but Canada has an NHS style healthcare system and benefits similar to European countries, which make it very appealing to Europeans wanting to settle here. This is reflected in the high house prices though recently.
Crime
Vancouver is the second safest city in Canada behind Quebec city. Like any large city it does have pick pockets and some gang violence, but compared to other Canadian cities and US cities it is safe.
Seattle is the nearest major city to Vancouver and I will mention the differences. Crime is slightly higher in Seattle, but with a slightly warmer climate, more well paid jobs and a cheaper cost of living, many Canadians do work there or move there for work. Likewise many people from Seattle move to Vancouver for a lower crime rate and free health care. It does seem more Canadians travel to Seattle for work than the other way around though. They do work well together these cities, copying things that work well in one city to the other, so you will notice a lot of similarities. Politically they share similar values. They have a closer bond than Vancouver does with other Canadian cities, due to their proximity, which is why I mentioned their special cross border relationship. Both cities were heavily impacted by Covid when the border between them was closed and they are now happy this border is open again.
Obviously gun control is stricter in Vancouver than the US, which is visible in crime statistics there.
Popular Restaurants
Hydra Estiataria, Seafood/Mediterranean/ Greek
Delara Restaurant, Middle Eastern/Persian
Black + Blue Steakhouse
Five Sails Restaurant, French (Nice views!)
Marcello Pizzeria, Italian
The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant
Absinthe Bistro, French
Kingyo, Japanese
Bao Bei, Chinese
Sula Indian Restaurant
Sura Korean Cuisine
Vancouver has a huge port and this is the major industry here. To get from the airport to the city centre is easy and inexpensive on the sky train. Public transport around the city is also good. This isn't a cheap city though, you can expect to pay UK prices for a meal out here. Vancouver is constantly in the top ten cities to live in, in the whole world. I think this is due to the close proximity to the sea, to parks and mountains, yes similar to it's US rival Seattle, but Canada has an NHS style healthcare system and benefits similar to European countries, which make it very appealing to Europeans wanting to settle here. This is reflected in the high house prices though recently.
Crime
Vancouver is the second safest city in Canada behind Quebec city. Like any large city it does have pick pockets and some gang violence, but compared to other Canadian cities and US cities it is safe.
Seattle is the nearest major city to Vancouver and I will mention the differences. Crime is slightly higher in Seattle, but with a slightly warmer climate, more well paid jobs and a cheaper cost of living, many Canadians do work there or move there for work. Likewise many people from Seattle move to Vancouver for a lower crime rate and free health care. It does seem more Canadians travel to Seattle for work than the other way around though. They do work well together these cities, copying things that work well in one city to the other, so you will notice a lot of similarities. Politically they share similar values. They have a closer bond than Vancouver does with other Canadian cities, due to their proximity, which is why I mentioned their special cross border relationship. Both cities were heavily impacted by Covid when the border between them was closed and they are now happy this border is open again.
Obviously gun control is stricter in Vancouver than the US, which is visible in crime statistics there.
One thing that surprised me about Vancouver is just how close it is to the US border. A Taxi driver told me he lives on the border and gets his petrol in U.S. as it is much cheaper there. It therefore makes for a perfect two centre holiday, combining Vancouver and Seattle.
For more information visit this tourist information site: http://www.tourismvancouver.com/