The cosmopolitan port city of Vancouver has a lot going for
it as a tourist destination:
spectacular scenery, a bustling
downtown core and public
market, the world-renowned
Stanley Park, celebrated
galleries and museums,
family-friendly attractions,
North America’s third-largest Chinatown, and
unique commercial areas for
browsing and café hopping.
Although winter is cooler
and sometimes wetter than
summer, it is still an excellent time to visit
Canada’s third-largest city. You’ll want to check
the forecast, dress for the weather and tailor
your activities accordingly. If you’ve come to
Whistler for wintertime fun but also want to
explore the world-class city that is just a 90-
minute drive to the south, there is so much to
see and do that the biggest challenge will be
deciding what to leave out.
During winter, shops and cafés are less
crowded, and the lineups for attractions are
shorter than they are in the summer. Jana
Remisova, manager of experience Vancouver
for Tourism Vancouver (TV), says that
on average, TV Visitor Centre staff and
volunteers engage with about 5,000 visitor
VANCOUVER: Canada’s West Coast Hub
STORY BY DAVID BURKE
IMAGES BY JOERN ROHDE
parties a month in winter compared to around
30,000 in summer. If you only have a couple
of days, Remisova suggests taking a hop-on,
hop-off trolley tour that departs from near
the TV Visitor Centre (200 Burrard St., near
the Vancouver Convention Centre) and hits
the highlights around the downtown core
including Stanley Park, Gastown, Chinatown,
Robson Street and Robson Square, B.C. Place
Stadium and the like.
“They can stay on for about two hours and
get a nice overview, and then go back to those
attractions for a closer look,” Remisova says.
“Stanley Park is a big attraction, so from the
trolley you can see that, then maybe go back
and visit the Vancouver Aquarium,” which
is inside the park. In dry weather, walking,
biking or jogging along the Stanley Park
Seawall is a popular activity, offering stunning
views of English Bay, the Lions Gate Bridge
and the North Shore mountains.
Art lovers will want to visit the Bill Reid
Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, including
work by the famed Haida artist himself,
and the Vancouver Art Gallery, both in
the downtown core. If you’re flying out of
Vancouver, Bill Reid’s impressive sculpture
The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe
can also be admired in the Vancouver
International Airport terminal.
