Must-see attractions in British Columbia

  • Top Choice
    Stanley Park

    One of North America’s largest urban green spaces, Stanley Park is revered for its dramatic forest-and-mountain oceanfront views. But there’s more to this…

  • Top Choice
    Sea to Sky Gondola

    On a warm summer’s evening, with a 7.5km ascent under your belt and a pint of craft beer on the table in front of you, there are few better places in…

  • Top Choice
    Butchart Gardens

    Far more than just another pretty flower arrangement, Butchart is a national historic site and a triumph of early-20th-century gardening aesthetics. With…

  • Top Choice
    Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

    One in a magnificent seven of BC national parks, Pacific Rim is replete with wave-whipped beaches and brooding forests, most of them far from civilization…

  • Top Choice
    Bowron Lake Provincial Park

    Forming a natural circle with sections of the Isaac, Cariboo and Bowron Rivers, the park's 116km canoe circuit (permits $30 to $60) is one of the world’s…

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    Garibaldi Provincial Park

    This 1950-sq-km park is justly renowned for hiking trails colored by diverse flora, abundant wildlife and panoramic vistas. Summer hikers seem…

  • Top Choice
    Royal BC Museum

    Arguably the finest museum in British Columbia and carrier of a ‘royal’ prefix since 1987, Victoria’s flagship sight mixes the cream of BC’s provincial…

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    Craigdarroch Castle

    More ostentatious country mansion than fortified castle, Craigdarroch, with its turrets, stained-glass windows and palatial interior, looks like it might…

  • Top Choice
    Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

    As you inch gingerly across one of the world's longest (140m) and highest (70m) pedestrian suspension bridges, swaying gently over roiling Capilano Canyon…

  • Top Choice
    Science World

    Under Vancouver's favorite geodesic dome (OK, it's only one), this ever-popular science showcase has tonnes of hands-on galleries and a cool outdoor park…

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    Roedde House Museum

    For a glimpse of what the West End looked like before the apartment blocks, visit this handsome 1893 Queen Anne–style mansion, now a lovingly preserved…

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    VanDusen Botanical Garden

    This highly popular green-thumbed oasis is a 22-hectare, 255,000-plant idyll that offers a strollable web of pathways weaving through specialized garden…

  • Top Choice
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives

    Illuminating Vancouver's crime-and-vice-addled history, this quirky museum has had a recent makeover, uncovering the former coroner's courtroom (spot the…

  • Top Choice
    Museum of Anthropology

    Vancouver's best museum is studded with spectacular indigenous totem poles and breathtaking carvings – but it's also teeming with artifacts from cultures…

  • Top Choice
    Bloedel Conservatory

    Cresting the hill in Queen Elizabeth Park, this domed conservatory is a delightful rainy-day warm-up. At Vancouver's best-value paid attraction, you'll…

  • Top Choice
    Vancouver Art Gallery

    Combining blockbuster international shows with selections from its striking contemporary collection, the VAG is a magnet for art fans. There are often…

  • Top Choice
    Granville Island Public Market

    Granville Island's highlight is the covered Public Market, a multisensory smorgasbord of fish, cheese, fruit, teas and bakery treats (near-legendary Lee's…

  • Top Choice
    Marine Building

    Vancouver's most romantic old-school tower block, and also its best art-deco building, the elegant 22-story Marine Building is a tribute to the city's…

  • Top Choice
    Richmond Night Market

    Arguably Richmond's biggest lure is this atmospheric, always busy, Asian-flavored night market that has grown from humble beginnings in 2000 to become the…