Journeys
Vancouver, between the mountains and the sea
Few cities have a setting like Vancouver's: a peninsula of towers between a sheltered harbour and the open sea, with snow-capped mountains rising just across the water. It is a city for walking, cycling and boats, and the gateway to the wild Pacific coast beyond.
By Walter Pellow20 October 20264 min read
Vancouver occupies a peninsula on the coast of British Columbia, between the deep inlet of Burrard Inlet to the north and the mouth of the Fraser River to the south. The land has long been home to the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. The British naval officer George Vancouver surveyed the coast in 1792. A century later, when the Canadian Pacific Railway chose the small sawmill town on the inlet as the western end of its transcontinental line, the city named after him was born. It grew quickly, and today it is Canada's third-largest metropolitan area, a city of glass towers and green spaces with a famously mild, damp climate and one of the most beautiful settings of any city in the world.
Stanley Park and the seawall
At the tip of the downtown peninsula lies Stanley Park, a great expanse of forest, beaches and lawns, set aside as a park in the 1880s and now one of the largest urban parks in North America. Its giant cedars and firs give a taste of the coastal rainforest within walking distance of the city centre. Around its edge runs the seawall, a path along the shore that has been extended over the years until it runs for many kilometres along the waterfront. Walking or cycling it, with views across the water to the mountains, is the best introduction to the city.
The waterfront, and the North Shore
Across False Creek, a short ferry ride from downtown, Granville Island is a former industrial area turned into a busy public market, artists' studios and restaurants. Gastown, the oldest part of the city, has cobbled streets, Victorian buildings and a steam-powered clock that whistles on the quarter hour. Chinatown, nearby, is one of the largest in North America.
The North Shore mountains rise directly across the harbour. Grouse Mountain, reached by cable car, has walking trails and views back over the city, and the Capilano suspension bridge sways high above a forested canyon. In winter, skiers can be on the slopes within half an hour of the city centre.
Few cities have a setting like Vancouver's.
Vancouver is also known for its food, and especially for its seafood and its Asian cooking. The city has large Chinese, South Asian, Japanese and Korean communities, and some of the best Chinese restaurants in North America are found in its suburbs. Wild Pacific salmon, spot prawns in season and fresh oysters from the coast are all local specialities. Japanese restaurants are everywhere, and the Richmond night markets, in summer, are a feast of Asian street food. Granville Island's public market is the place to assemble a picnic for the seawall.
Beyond the city
The coast west of Vancouver is some of the wildest and most beautiful in North America. Ferries cross the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island and Victoria, the provincial capital, a city of gardens and a harbour with a distinctly British air. On the island's west coast, Pacific Rim National Park protects long, wild beaches and coastal rainforest. Tofino and Ucluelet are small towns known for surfing in summer and storm-watching in winter. On the way, MacMillan Provincial Park protects Cathedral Grove, a stand of giant old Douglas firs, some of them many centuries old.
North of the city, the Sea-to-Sky Highway from Horseshoe Bay follows the shore of Howe Sound to Whistler, host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, with walking and mountain biking in summer.
Explore Worldwide's Canadian Rockies and Pacific Coast, fourteen nights from June to September, includes Vancouver, Victoria, Pacific Rim National Park, Ucluelet and Tofino, MacMillan Provincial Park, Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay, Whistler, Clearwater and Wells Gray Provincial Park, and Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
Travelsphere's Spectacular Rockies and Vancouver, eleven nights, combines Vancouver and Victoria with Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Kamloops. Travelsphere's Grand Tour of Canada and the Rocky Mountaineer with Vancouver Add-on, eighteen nights, adds extra time in Vancouver to a coast-to-coast journey.
Vancouver's weather is mild but often wet, especially from autumn to spring. Summer is the driest and sunniest season, and the best time for the coast. Whenever you go, take a waterproof, and don't let the rain keep you indoors. The forest is at its best in the wet.
By Walter Pellow, the name Atlas & Passage’s editorial team writes under. Prices and dates in the trips below come from the operators and can change.
