Top 10 Things to Do in Vancouver

Gastown presents Vancouver's historic Victorian core across 12 cobblestone blocks, anchored by the famous steam-powered clock on Water Street. The neighbourhood borders the Downtown Eastside, making the social contrast visible—population density hits 5,000 per square km in adjacent areas. Guilt & Co. offers underground live music, adding to the vibrant cocktail bar scene.

Grouse Mountain offers a uniquely Vancouver experience with night skiing until 10pm, city lights below. In summer, the summit features hiking to the Eye of the Wind turbine, a grizzly bear refuge, lumberjack shows, and paragliding. The summit restaurant's view is arguably Canada's best dining panorama, though it is pricier than the typical casual eatery.

Richmond's dim sum is widely regarded as the best outside Hong Kong, thanks to top Cantonese establishments like Fisherman's Terrace and Empire Seafood. This concentration is among the largest outside mainland China, with trolleys serving fresh har gow and siu mai by 10am on weekends.

Whistler Blackcomb is the largest ski resort in North America, with 3,307 hectares of terrain and 200+ trails, connected by the record-breaking PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola. In summer, it becomes North America's finest mountain bike park, while the car-free village and 45-minute gondola rides make it a year-round destination. Day trips from Vancouver are feasible, but overnight stays enhance the experience.

The Museum of Anthropology at UBC, an Arthur Erickson masterpiece, houses monumental totem poles and Bill Reid's iconic The Raven and the First Men, one of Canada's most significant Indigenous artworks. The Great Hall's glass walls frame the Pacific and North Shore mountains, while the museum's collection of 38,000 objects offers deeper cultural insights than the average gallery. Its UBC setting on Point Grey adds a scenic backdrop.

The Vancouver Art Gallery offers the most extensive Emily Carr collection anywhere, featuring over 300 of her works alongside a distinguished Pacific Rim contemporary art program. Housed in Francis Rattenbury's former courthouse—a Neoclassical landmark encircled by Arthur Erickson's cascading Robson Square terraces—it draws over 700,000 visitors annually. At $27.50 admission (free for under-19s and select evenings). While its permanent collection outshines Kitsilano Beach in cultural depth, the gallery's planned move to False Creek makes visiting this historic site before relocation essential.

Kitsilano Beach features Vancouver's only heated outdoor saltwater pool at 137 meters long—one of Canada's longest—set against a pristine crescent of sand facing the North Shore mountains. With summer afternoon temperatures averaging 22°C, it attracts over 1 million visitors per year. The view of downtown skyline from Kits Beach is a signature postcard scene, and the surrounding neighborhood boasts yoga studios plus the legendary Naam vegetarian restaurant. Best visited on a late summer weekday afternoon to avoid peak crowds.