Vancouver Sights

  1. BC Place Stadium

    Home of the BC Lions Canadian Football League team, this 60,000-seat Teflon-domed sports stadium was rumored to be on its last legs until it was named as a 2010 Winter Olympics venue and resuscitated with a makeover. The dome's quilted appearance is due to the crisscrossing steel wires holding down the air-supported roof - it deflated spectacularly in 2007 and had to be given the kiss of life by engineers.

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  2. BC Sports Hall Of Fame & Museum

    Located inside BC Place Stadium, the small but perfectly formed Sports Hall of Fame showcases top BC athletes, both amateur and professional, with special galleries devoted to each decade in sports.

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  3. Bloedel Floral Conservatory

    Cresting the hill in Queen Elizabeth Park, this popular Plexiglas conservatory - an ideal indoor warm-up spot on a rainy day - is the area's green-fingered centerpiece. It has three climate-controlled zones with 400 plant species, dozens of koi carp and 100 free-flying tropical birds - expect Charlie the cockatiel to harangue you with his verbal dexterity.

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  4. Brockton Point

    The name refers to the eastern end of the park as well as the eastern tip of the peninsula. It contains Brockton Oval playing field and cricket pitch, a colorful clutch of totem poles from several different First Nations people, and the Nine O'Clock Gun on Hallelujah Point - an electrically fired cannon that sounds at nightly and was originally used by ships' captains to set their chronometers.

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  5. Canada Place

    Built for Expo '86, this iconic, postcard-friendly landmark is shaped like a series of sails that jut into the sky over the harbor. Now a cruise-ship terminal and convention center (a large convention-center expansion will open on the building's west side before the Olympics), it's also a pier where you can stroll out over the waterfront, watch the splashing floatplanes and catch some spectacular sea-to-mountain views.

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  6. Capilano Salmon Hatchery

    Located in Capilano River Regional Park, about 2km north of the Capilano Suspension Bridge, this fish farm is run by the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to protect valuable Coho, Chinook and Steelhead salmon stocks.

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  7. Capilano Suspension Bridge

    As you walk gingerly out on to the world's longest (140m) and highest (70m) suspension bridge, swaying gently over the roiling waters of tree-lined Capilano Canyon, remember that the thick steel cables you are gripping are safely embedded in huge concrete blocks on either side. That should steady your feet - unless the teenagers are stamping across to scare the oldsters.

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  8. Chinese Cultural Centre Museum & Archives

    Check out this museum for a deeper understanding of the often-turbulent history of Vancouver's Chinese immigrants. Changing exhibits are on the main floor, while the 2nd floor's permanent collection highlights Gold Rush history and Chinatown settlement. It also houses the Military Museum, showcasing the sometimes unsung role of Chinese-Canadian soldiers in both world wars.

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  9. Christ Church Cathedral

    Completed in 1895 and designated as a cathedral in 1929, the biggest and best Gothic-style church in the city is nestled incongruously among Vancouver's looming glass towers. Undergoing extensive renovations in recent years, it's a busy site and is home to a wide range of cultural events, including regular choir and chamber music recitals and the occasional Shakespeare reading.

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  10. Coal Harbour Seawalk

    This pathway winds along the waterfront for 2km or so before hooking up with the Stanley Park seawall. A modern-day boardwalk, it combines a background of glassy high-rises with twinkling sea and mountain vistas, bobbing sailboats and the dramatic rise and fall of buzzing floatplanes.

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  11. Contemporary Art Gallery

    Originally the Greater Vancouver Artists' Gallery, this small, off-the-beaten-path art space transformed itself into an independent gallery in 1996, moving to a crisp, purpose-built facility in 2001. It focuses on a wide range of modern art, but photography is particularly well represented here. Exhibitions are ever-changing and include local and international artists - check the gallery's website for artist events and exhibition openings.

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  12. Cypress Provincial Park

    Around 8km north of West Van via Hwy 99, Cypress offers some great summertime hiking, including the Baden-Powell, Yew Lake and Howe Sound Crest trails, which plunge through forests of cedar, yellow cypress and Douglas fir and wind past little lakes and alpine meadows. In winter, the park's Cypress Mountain resort area makes this one of the city's favorite snowbound playgrounds.

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  13. Downtown Historic Railway

    This beautifully restored, clackety old streetcar hits the ancient tracks from Granville Island to Science World during a smile-inducing 15-minute journey. The railway used to be part of the Vancouver tramcar system, and today it's still operated by the city's Engineering Services department - you'll see retired uniformed volunteers, who used to work on the old cars when they were in full service, staffing the line.

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  14. Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden & Park

    A tranquil break from clamorous Chinatown, this intimate 'garden of ease' exhibits the Taoist symbolism behind the placing of gnarled pine trees, winding covered pathways and ancient limestone formations.

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  15. Emily Carr Institute Of Art & Design

    Named after BC's most famous historic painter, the institute is well regarded for its visual- and media-arts programs. Housed in a corrugated metal factory building near a cement plant, it has a gritty, angst-worthy vibe that matches that of its young students.

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  16. English Bay Beach

    Whether it's a languid early evening in August with buskers, sunbathers and volleyballers sharing the beach, or a cold, blustery day in November with just you and a dog-walker staring at the waves, English Bay is a top West End highlight.

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  17. George C Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary

    Across the South Arm of the Fraser River, this smashing 300-hectare sanctuary attracts feathered fowl and curious visitors in almost equal measure. Bald eagles, Siberian swans, peregrine falcons, blue herons and 264 other species choose to roost here and there are plenty of opportunities for viewing.

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  18. Gm Place

    Also known as 'the Garage,' the newer of Vancouver's two downtown stadiums hosts the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . Game nights, when the 20,000-capacity venue heaves with fervent fans, are the city's most exciting sporting events - you'll enjoy the atmosphere even if the rules are a mystery.

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  19. Granville Island Brewing

    Canada's oldest microbrewery offers half-hour tours where the smiling guides will walk you through the tiny brewing room (production has mostly shifted to larger premises) before depositing you in the Taproom for samples, including Cypress Honey Lager and the recommended Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale.

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  20. Granville Island Public Market

    A multisensory deli specialising in gourmet fish, cheese, fruit and bakery treats, the covered market is a chatty, visceral place to mix with the locals. It's a great place to pick up picnic fixings (Vanier Park is a short seawall stroll away if you're looking for a spot) and buskers are a regular fixture around the market's exterior.

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  21. Grouse Mountain

    Calling itself the 'Peak of Vancouver,' this mountaintop perch offers smashing views of the downtown towers, shimmering in the water below you. In summer, Skyride gondola passengers can access restaurants, lumberjack shows, alpine hiking trails and a grizzly bear refuge.

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  22. Gulf Of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site

    Once you've perused the boats hawking the day's fresh catch, Steveston's main attraction is the old-school cannery, now transformed into an excellent industrial heritage museum that explores the sights and sounds (and smells) of the region's bygone era of labour-intensive fish processing.

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  23. Horseshoe Bay

    The small coastal community of Horseshoe Bay marks the end of West Vancouver and the start of trips to Whistler, via the Sea to Sky Hwy (Hwy 99), or Vancouver Island, Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast via the BC Ferries network.

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  24. Hr Macmillan Space Centre

    Popular with packs of marauding school kids - expect to have to elbow them out of the way to push the flashing buttons - this high-tech science center illuminates the eye-opening world of space. There's plenty of fun to be had battling aliens, designing a spacecraft or strapping yourself in for a simulator ride to Mars, and there are also movie presentations on all manner of spacey themes.

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  25. International Buddhist Temple

    Reflecting the classical architecture of Beijing's Forbidden City, a highlight of this fascinating, two-tiered temple complex (also known as Kuan Yin Temple) is its sumptuous Gracious Hall, complete with deep-red exterior walls and a gently flaring orange porcelain roof.

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