Top 10 Things to Do in Vancouver

Granville Island is a converted industrial peninsula under the Granville Bridge housing the Public Market — Vancouver's culinary heart with over 50 food vendors selling fresh salmon, BC cheeses, artisan baked goods, and hot lunch stalls. Beyond the market, the island is a working arts community with a bronze foundry, ceramics studios, the Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and small theatres. The False Creek ferry is the most charming way to arrive. Allow a full morning, then eat lunch at the market's north end hot food stalls.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver has been drawing visitors since 1889 — a 137 m long, 70 m high bridge swaying over the Capilano River in old-growth Douglas fir forest. The park has expanded to include the Cliffwalk (a cliff-hugging walkway above the canyon) and Treetops Adventure (a series of suspension bridges through the forest canopy). Admission is $68 for adults — expensive but genuinely spectacular, especially in autumn foliage or when the trees are dusted in rare Vancouver snow. Book online for a small discount.

Gastown is Vancouver's historic original neighbourhood — a 12-block area of Victorian buildings on cobblestone streets centred on the famous steam-powered clock on Water Street. Today it's a mix of independent boutiques, acclaimed restaurants, and the city's most vibrant cocktail bar scene. Guilt & Co. for underground live music, Chambar for Belgian-North African cuisine, and the late-night ramen at Harvest Community Foods are highlights. The neighbourhood borders the Downtown Eastside, making the social contrast very visible — respect the community.

Grouse Mountain rises directly above the North Shore, accessible from downtown by transit and gondola in about 45 minutes. In winter it offers night skiing from 9am to 10pm with city lights twinkling below — uniquely Vancouver. In summer the summit has hiking to the Eye of the Wind turbine, grizzly bear refuge, lumberjack shows, and paragliding. The Skyride gondola runs year-round ($75 adults); hiking up via the Grouse Grind (a brutal 2.9 km vertical climb, 290 m gain) is free. The summit restaurant has arguably the best view from any dining room in Canada.

Richmond, Vancouver's southern suburb, is home to one of the largest concentrations of Chinese restaurants outside mainland China — and its dim sum is widely regarded as the best available outside Hong Kong. Fisherman's Terrace Seafood Restaurant, Empire Seafood Restaurant, and Golden Ocean are consistently rated among the finest Cantonese establishments in North America. Arrive before 10am on weekends for the freshest trolley service. The Richmond Night Market (May–October) is North America's largest night market with 100+ food stalls.

Whistler Blackcomb, 120 km north of Vancouver via the Sea-to-Sky Highway, is the largest ski resort in North America — 3,307 hectares of ski terrain, 200+ marked trails, and the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola connecting two mountains at record-breaking altitude. In summer it transforms into North America's finest mountain bike park and hiking destination. The Sea-to-Sky Highway journey itself — ocean fjords, waterfalls, and mountains — is one of the world's great drives. Day trips are feasible from Vancouver; staying overnight is better. The village is car-free and beautifully designed.

The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia is Arthur Erickson's masterpiece — a soaring Great Hall of floor-to-ceiling glass housing monumental Pacific Northwest Indigenous totem poles, house posts, and canoes. The Haida carver Bill Reid's The Raven and the First Men is one of the most significant works of Indigenous art in Canada. Admission is $22; free on Tuesday evenings. The museum is on the UBC campus at the western tip of Point Grey, with the Pacific and North Shore mountains visible from the grounds.

The Vancouver Art Gallery is housed in the former provincial courthouse at the heart of Robson Square — a Neoclassical building by Francis Rattenbury surrounded by the cascading terraces of Arthur Erickson's civic plaza. The permanent collection is particularly strong in Emily Carr, BC's most beloved artist, and contemporary Pacific Rim art. Admission is $27.50; free for those under 19 and on select evenings. The gallery is planning a major move to a new building in the False Creek area — visit the current historic location while you can.

Kitsilano Beach, known as "Kits Beach" to locals, is Vancouver's favourite summer gathering place — a long crescent of sand facing the North Shore mountains with a heated outdoor saltwater pool (one of the longest in Canada), beach volleyball courts, and restaurants lining Cornwall Avenue. The view of the downtown skyline against the mountains from Kits Beach is the essential Vancouver postcard. The neighbourhood is full of excellent cafes, yoga studios, and the legendary Naam vegetarian restaurant. Best visited on a late summer weekday afternoon.

Granville Island is a converted industrial peninsula under the Granville Bridge housing the Public Market — Vancouver's culinary heart with over 50 food vendors selling fresh salmon, BC cheeses, artisan baked goods, and hot lunch stalls. Beyond the market, the island is a working arts community with a bronze foundry, ceramics studios, the Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and small theatres. The False Creek ferry is the most charming way to arrive. Allow a full morning, then eat lunch at the market's north end hot food stalls.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver has been drawing visitors since 1889 — a 137 m long, 70 m high bridge swaying over the Capilano River in old-growth Douglas fir forest. The park has expanded to include the Cliffwalk (a cliff-hugging walkway above the canyon) and Treetops Adventure (a series of suspension bridges through the forest canopy). Admission is $68 for adults — expensive but genuinely spectacular, especially in autumn foliage or when the trees are dusted in rare Vancouver snow. Book online for a small discount.

Gastown is Vancouver's historic original neighbourhood — a 12-block area of Victorian buildings on cobblestone streets centred on the famous steam-powered clock on Water Street. Today it's a mix of independent boutiques, acclaimed restaurants, and the city's most vibrant cocktail bar scene. Guilt & Co. for underground live music, Chambar for Belgian-North African cuisine, and the late-night ramen at Harvest Community Foods are highlights. The neighbourhood borders the Downtown Eastside, making the social contrast very visible — respect the community.

Grouse Mountain rises directly above the North Shore, accessible from downtown by transit and gondola in about 45 minutes. In winter it offers night skiing from 9am to 10pm with city lights twinkling below — uniquely Vancouver. In summer the summit has hiking to the Eye of the Wind turbine, grizzly bear refuge, lumberjack shows, and paragliding. The Skyride gondola runs year-round ($75 adults); hiking up via the Grouse Grind (a brutal 2.9 km vertical climb, 290 m gain) is free. The summit restaurant has arguably the best view from any dining room in Canada.

Richmond, Vancouver's southern suburb, is home to one of the largest concentrations of Chinese restaurants outside mainland China — and its dim sum is widely regarded as the best available outside Hong Kong. Fisherman's Terrace Seafood Restaurant, Empire Seafood Restaurant, and Golden Ocean are consistently rated among the finest Cantonese establishments in North America. Arrive before 10am on weekends for the freshest trolley service. The Richmond Night Market (May–October) is North America's largest night market with 100+ food stalls.

Whistler Blackcomb, 120 km north of Vancouver via the Sea-to-Sky Highway, is the largest ski resort in North America — 3,307 hectares of ski terrain, 200+ marked trails, and the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola connecting two mountains at record-breaking altitude. In summer it transforms into North America's finest mountain bike park and hiking destination. The Sea-to-Sky Highway journey itself — ocean fjords, waterfalls, and mountains — is one of the world's great drives. Day trips are feasible from Vancouver; staying overnight is better. The village is car-free and beautifully designed.

The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia is Arthur Erickson's masterpiece — a soaring Great Hall of floor-to-ceiling glass housing monumental Pacific Northwest Indigenous totem poles, house posts, and canoes. The Haida carver Bill Reid's The Raven and the First Men is one of the most significant works of Indigenous art in Canada. Admission is $22; free on Tuesday evenings. The museum is on the UBC campus at the western tip of Point Grey, with the Pacific and North Shore mountains visible from the grounds.

The Vancouver Art Gallery is housed in the former provincial courthouse at the heart of Robson Square — a Neoclassical building by Francis Rattenbury surrounded by the cascading terraces of Arthur Erickson's civic plaza. The permanent collection is particularly strong in Emily Carr, BC's most beloved artist, and contemporary Pacific Rim art. Admission is $27.50; free for those under 19 and on select evenings. The gallery is planning a major move to a new building in the False Creek area — visit the current historic location while you can.

Kitsilano Beach, known as "Kits Beach" to locals, is Vancouver's favourite summer gathering place — a long crescent of sand facing the North Shore mountains with a heated outdoor saltwater pool (one of the longest in Canada), beach volleyball courts, and restaurants lining Cornwall Avenue. The view of the downtown skyline against the mountains from Kits Beach is the essential Vancouver postcard. The neighbourhood is full of excellent cafes, yoga studios, and the legendary Naam vegetarian restaurant. Best visited on a late summer weekday afternoon.