Unlike most North American cities, Vancouver, the heart of Greater Vancouver, is a people place. The downtown’s West End has one of Canada’s highest population densities. The best way to take in the sights and sounds of downtown is by walking, biking, or tours by bus or trolley. Vancouver’s downtown is surrounded by water on three sides and you can walk along the water around almost the whole of downtown.
Downtown. Sleek, glass-sheathed bank and business towers are tempered by the classical columns of the Vancouver Art Galley, the art deco detail of the Marine Building, and the classical echoes of the new library, a $100 million homage to Rome’s Coliseum. Four blocks east are GM Place and BC Place for pro sports and concerts. Upscale department stores, specialty shops and an underground mall network make for intense shopping in the heart of downtown at Georgia and Granville. Ride to the top of the Harbour Centre tower for a 360° view of the city. For another big picture experience, check the five story high screen at the CN IMAX Theatre® at Canada Place on the harbour.
Robson Street. Also in the heart of downtown, this is Vancouver’s answer to Rodeo Drive and Worth Ave. Robson Street is designer shopping heaven for fashion and gourmet fare. It connects to Denman St. in the West End, which has a funkier, more freewheeling air. Just west of Denman is Stanley Park, one of the largest city parks in North America. A walk around the Stanley Park Seawall also gives a pretty view of city and harbour. The Vancouver Aquarium, with fascinating exhibits of marine and terrestrial life, is right in the park.
Chinatown. North America’s third largest after San Francisco and New York, this bustling commercial area just east of downtown offers divine dim sum, ancient herbal remedies, exotic fish and fowl, and spices and teas. Tranquillity reigns at The Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Garden, the first authentic classical Chinese garden built outside China. Contemplate darting goldfish in this walled oasis where every plant and pebble has been carefully placed to create an atmosphere of perfect harmony. The Chinese Cultural Centre provides guided walking tours, visits to their Chinese museum and groups may participate in hands-on cultural workshops.
Gastown. Just north of Chinatown, the area’s cobblestone streets, brick facades and an antique steam clock echo Vancouver’s early days. Named for its colourful founder, Gassy Jack Deighton, Gastown features fine dining, crafts and souvenirs, high fashion, and clubs for music, comedy and cabaret.
Yaletown. Just south and west of downtown, the young, well-heeled and hip have transformed rows of former warehouses into a digital district with stylish brick and beam offices, lofts, boutiques, trendy eateries, clubs and a microbrewery pub.
Granville Island. Buskers and street performers abound in this former industrial area on False Creek. It has become an eclectic mix of boatyards and bookstores, studios and toy stores, restaurants and galleries, cafes and crafts stores and one of Vancouver’s liveliest places. There is also live theatre, an art school and a celebrated public market. It’s just a short hop by mini-ferry from the south end of downtown.
Science World. At the other end of False Creek, Science World, housed in a dazzling silver geodesic dome, gives kids a hands-on experience of physics, chemistry, biology and zoology and a whole lot of fun. The Alcan Omnimax Theatre features one of the world’s largest dome screens and shows breathtaking science and nature films. V Vancouver Museum. A short walk west of Granville Island, the largest civic museum in Canada houses the new, highly interactive Pacific Space Centre, the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium & Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory.
University of British Columbia (UBC). The Museum of Anthropology housed at UBC has one of the world’s outstanding collections of Pacific Northwest aboriginal artifacts. Also on the sprawling West Side campus is the Nitobe classical Japanese garden and one of Canada’s oldest botanical gardens, started in 1912. V Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. A gorgeous garden celebrated for its international flora and fauna. Specialties include roses, fuschias, heathers, as well as rarities including an Elizabethan hedge maze and topiaries.
