Luxury hotels in Vancouver

Vancouver guide

Vancouver: Stanley Park and the mountains by the sea

Cycle the seawall, cross the Capilano bridge and eat some of North America's best seafood.

Stanley Park, a forest larger than New York's Central Park at the edge of downtown, is Vancouver's most cited sight. Cycle the seawall that circles it, past the totem poles at Brockton Point and the beaches of English Bay.

Cross to the North Shore for the Capilano Suspension Bridge and the Grouse Mountain gondola, explore Granville Island's market, and eat sushi and Pacific seafood. Vancouver is also the gateway to Whistler, along the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and to Vancouver Island.

Granville Island and the Capilano bridge

Granville Island, a former industrial area under a bridge in False Creek, is one of Vancouver's most cited places, with its Public Market of fresh produce and seafood, artisans' studios and small ferries that link it to downtown.

Across the harbour in North Vancouver, the Capilano Suspension Bridge stretches 137 metres over a canyon in the rainforest, with treetop walkways and a cliffwalk. Grouse Mountain, reached by gondola, offers views over the city and a grizzly bear refuge.

Whale watching and Vancouver Island

Whale watching in the Salish Sea, where orcas, humpbacks and grey whales feed, is one of the most cited experiences from Vancouver, with the best season from April to October. Boats leave from the city, from Steveston and from Victoria.

A seaplane flight from the downtown harbour to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia on Vancouver Island, takes about 35 minutes and gives spectacular views. The Butchart Gardens, a former quarry turned into a celebrated garden, are a short drive from Victoria.