Stunningly beautiful Vancouver was named the Top Destination in Canada in TripAdvisor’s 2012 Travelers’ Choice awards, and the Top City in Canada in the 2012 Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
The eighth largest city in Canada, Vancouver has been chosen as the “World’s Most Liveable City” not onece or twice but eight times since 2002 by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Situated at sea level, scenic Vancouver features both ocean and mountain views and a temperate climate – one of the warmest in Canada.
Up there among the best
Vancouver is vibrant, progressive, cosmopolitan and culturally diverse, with world-class restaurants, entertainment and sports facilities. Tourists frequently comment on the cleanliness and the safety of the city, and the friendliness and hospitality of Vancouverites. Accommodations are affordable compared to other first-rate destinations such as London and New York.
Attractions
Vancouver’s core is compact and easy to get around in, with lots to do within a small area. Major attractions include:
- Historic waterfront Gastown
- Canada Place convention centre cruise ship port, and hotel, with its fabric roofs which resemble sails
- One of the largest and most exotic Chinatowns in North America, including the classical Dr. Sun Yet Sat Chinese garden
- The world class Vancouver Art Gallery
- The over 70,000 sea creatures in the Vancouver Aquarium
- The 1000-acre urban oasis of Stanley Park, including almost 9 kilometers of seawall
- The futuristic domed Science World at Telus World of Science (a children’s favourite)
- Numerous beaches (with incredible sunsets)
- Granville Island Public Market (including the Arts Club Theatre)
- The 167-meter-high Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre, with a spectacular 360° view of Metro Vancouver. Warning – the trip up in the exterior glass elevator is not for the faint of heart.
Other popular activities with both tourists and locals include skiing, sailing, swimming, golfing, major sporting events, live music, dance, theatre, shopping (check out world-renowned Robson Street), night clubs, and dining out in any type of restaurant you have a craving for.
When in Vancouver, it’s a short trip across the Burrard Inlet to one of the top attractions in the Vancouver area, the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in the city of North Vancouver.
Don’t forget Whistler
And it’s a day trip (about one and three quarter hours away) up the winding, picturesque coast-hugging Sea to Sky Highway to the well-known resort municipality of Whistler. While Whistler, nestled at the foot of the Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, is famous as a ski destination, it has plenty to offer tourists year-round, including dining, shopping, golfing, mountain biking, events and festivals, and sight-seeing opportunities second to none, including breath-taking chair and gondola lifts, and even bear-viewing tours.
Visit www.hellobc.com/vancouver for more information on this enthralling city, including a list of the many festivals and special events happening in Vancouver year-round. Don’t forget your travel insurance either. It pays to feel safe after all, especially if you go for the wilder side of Vancouver!