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Vancouver hotels, restaurants, things to do, events - Destination Vancouver is the official source of tourist information for Vancouver BC Canada The 2023 Michelin Guide Vancouver has arrived! Learn more
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- Downtown Vancouver. To kick off your Vancouver exploration and soak up the local atmosphere, nothing beats a little jaunt downtown. That’s where you can admire the skyscrapers and find yourself in the heart of the city’s bustle.
- The Vancouver Lookout. Every big city must have its observation tower and Vancouver is no exception. Toronto has the CN Tower, Vancouver has the Vancouver Lookout!
- Whale and orca watching. Vancouver is brimming with companies offering whale and orca watching tours. I especially recommend this half-day boat trip provided by GetYourGuide and operated by a local tour company.
- Stanley Park. In major Anglo-Saxon cities, it’s a common sight to find a “green lung” where nature thrives amidst the urban landscape: Montreal boasts Mount-Royal Park, while New York has its iconic Central Park.
Vancouver Attractions. Vancouver has an endless supply of attractions and things to see and do. It doesn't matter what time of day or what time of year - whether you want to be indoors or out, active or a spectator - Vancouver has it all! Relax and Rejuvenate.
- Overview
- Coolest neighborhood: Chinatown
- Choose your adventure
- What to eat
- Where to stay
Discover Canada’s artful and adventure-filled urban oasis in the Pacific Northwest.
A kayaker paddles along the Coal Harbour near downtown Vancouver.
“Vancouver is a wonder city,” Canadian author Stephen Leacock once wrote. “It has the combined excellence of nature’s gift and man’s handiwork.” Today this statement rings truer than ever. The glittering glass metropolis—set against temperate rainforest, ocean inlets, and the Coast Mountains of British Columbia—keeps finding new ways to shine.
Over the past five years, the city has taken important steps toward reconciliation with the native Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh people, and a thriving indigenous tourism industry has grown along with it. More restaurants and bars are sourcing local ingredients—from foraged berries to Douglas fir infusions—and a booming brewery and distillery scene rivals that of Portland.
When you spot the terracotta-tiled Millennium Gate and the dragon-topped red lampposts, you know you’ve arrived in Vancouver’s vibrant Chinatown. For a primer on the neighborhood, join Historical Chinatown Tours to venture inside 100-year-old clan houses, where Chinese elders play mah-jongg, and behind the scenes at Sai Woo, the modern rendition of a restaurant that first opened in 1925. The sign out front is a crowd-funded replica of the original, which pays homage to Pender Street’s neon glory days. (See a Nat Geo photographer’s favorite Canadian places.)
Other highlights include the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, an oasis of flowering trees, koi ponds, and stone courtyards built in Ming dynasty style, and the Rennie Museum, showcasing one of Canada’s biggest contemporary art collections (by appointment) in the district’s oldest building. In summer 2019, the Chinatown Storytelling Center opened with displays detailing the arduous path from Chinese immigrant to Canadian citizen. After dark, get a taste of the dining scene that’s redefining Chinatown. Opt for mantou buns and “kick-ass fried rice” at Bao Bei or Japanese-accented Italian fare at its raved-about sister spot, Kissa Tanto. For a nightcap, try the Opium Sour at The Keefer Bar, a sexy twist on a traditional Chinese apothecary.
For nature lovers: Walk through the rainforest of Stanley Park with Candace Campo, the First Nations owner of Talaysay Tours, and you’ll start to see cedar bark as clothing, hemlock needles as the makings for tea. “The forest is our grocery store, our pharmacy,” Campo says. Take that notion to Deep Cove, for a paddle up Indian Arm before checking out the North Shore Spirit Trail, a new greenway luring pedestrians, joggers, bikers, and in-line skaters.
For culture vultures: The UBC Museum of Anthropology curates innovative programs and in 2017 opened the Gallery of Northwest Coast Masterworks. Led by Vancouver Art Gallery, the contemporary art scene has expanded with the new Polygon Gallery, dedicated to Canadian photography. Fans of Coast Salish art should stay overnight at Skwachàys Lodge, where 18 rooms were designed by indigenous artists like Richard Shorty, whose work is sold in the lodge gallery. (Journey through the indigenous art scene in Canada.)
For music mavens: Downtown’s Granville Entertainment District is still one of the best spots to catch a show, thanks to a trifecta of historic venues—Vogue, Orpheum, Commodore Ballroom—that attract top talent. In other areas, discover hidden gems such as the Rogue Folk Club, which stages bluegrass and roots music in a churchlike hall in Kitsilano. Below the cobblestone streets of Gastown, Guilt & Co offers pay-what-you-can jazz, soul, and cabaret.
For craft connoisseurs: Vancouver Foodie Tours will shepherd you to the tastiest treats at the Granville Island Public Market: Oyama sausages, Benton Brothers cheeses, Lee’s honey donuts. The neighborhood of East Van, aka “Yeast Van,” hosts breweries and distilleries including Bomber and Off the Rail brewing and Odd Society Spirits. Go behind the tanks with Canadian Craft Tours. Nearby, the semimonthly Eastside Flea is a hip gathering of indie makers.
Native roots: A pioneer of First Nations–inspired cuisine, the indigenous-owned Salmon n’ Bannock serves the namesake bannock (a traditional quick bread) with mushrooms, as well as maple-cured salmon and slow-cooked bison. Mr. Bannock, the city’s first indigenous food truck, began offering Squamish-style smoked meats and clay-oven creations last year. Head to Forage for dishes made with wild ingredients, and belly up to Botanist for cocktails like Candy Cap Magic, which arrives in a cloud of wood-scented dry ice. (Explore authentic food cultures around the world.)
Standout sushi: The restaurant that introduced flame-seared aburi and pressed oshi sushi to Canada, Miku makes its own sake to pair with the Aburi Prime platter of nine rice bites topped with everything from jalapeno-spiced sockeye to Japanese Wagyu. Kishimoto offers six types of oshi—rectangular rice pedestals for delicacies such as pickled mackerel and flamed eel. Be sure to arrive early at Raisu for the Oceans Offering: 12 multicolored oshi squares presented in a bamboo box. The izakaya makes only 10 orders each night.
Left:
Miku’s Aburi Prime sushi platter features nine tasty varieties.
Photograph by Mark Yuen
Right: Head bartender Jeff Savage pours a concoction at Botanist.
A star of the new Parq Vancouver casino complex, The Douglas mixes playful sophistication with Pacific Northwest earthiness. An illuminated, glass-enclosed Douglas fir tree presides over the check-in counter, and wood features in the decor throughout, along with mid-century furnishings and views of Vancouver. On the sixth-floor rooftop, The Victor restaurant sends out classic steaks plus regional seafood such as Dungeness crab and British Columbia king salmon.
Unveiled in 2018, the EXchange Hotel occupies 11 floors of the 1929 Stock Exchange Building. During its LEED Platinum conversion, the first in Canada, the Edwardian facade was integrated into a modern tower. A Mediterranean restaurant, bar, and café—named after the Greek island Hydra—opened this spring.
The marble fireplace and grand staircase in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s 1927 lobby hark back to the days when Nat King Cole stayed here. In 2011 the hotel debuted the indulgent Sense spa and sleek new rooms with soaking tubs. In the basement speakeasy, Prohibition, find a throwback haunt for live music, creative cocktails, and traditional pours of absinthe.
Serena Renner is a writer based in Vancouver. Follow her travels on Instagram.
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Dec 21, 2021 · Our top recommendations for the best things to do in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with pictures and travel tips. Find fun things to do, best places to visit, unusual things to do, and...
Sep 9, 2021 · Things to Do. The Best Things to Do. Free Things to Do. Things to Do With Kids. Where to Ski Near Vancouver. The Best Vancouver Beaches. Hiking Near Vancouver. Vancouver's Best Parks. Vancouver's Best Museums. Shopping in Vancouver. Itineraries, Day Trips & Tours. Itinerary: Three Days in Vancouver. Day Trips From Vancouver.
