Richmond travel guide
Hong Kong-style food, a Buddhist temple and Steveston's cannery docks
The airport city just south of Vancouver and the region's best place for Chinese and other Asian food, with Steveston's harbour on its south-west tip. June to September brings the night market and the driest weather. A day is enough, or stay here one Canada Line ride from downtown. Prices are very high, and visa-exempt air travellers need an eTA.
Richmond spreads across Lulu Island and Sea Island at the mouth of the Fraser River, so anyone flying into Vancouver lands here first. Since the 1980s it has turned from farmland and a fishing village into the centre of Chinese life in Greater Vancouver, with high-rise towers, Hong Kong-style malls such as Aberdeen Centre and an East Asian majority.
Eating is the main event. No. 3 Road and the malls around it are packed with Hong Kong-style cafes and noodle shops, sushi bars and udon counters, and #9 Restaurant in Lansdowne Mall serves congee and barbecue meats around the clock. In summer the Richmond Night Market adds food stalls after dark.
Steveston, at the southwest tip, is the old fishing village. Boats still tie up at its harbour, and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery tells the story of the salmon canning trade. Inland, the International Buddhist Temple on Steveston Highway has ceramic-tiled halls, a classical Chinese garden and a cafeteria serving vegetarian lunches.
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Asian food, a large Buddhist temple and a fishing village on the river mouth.
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Best time to visit Richmond
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
The dry stretch of the Pacific coast year, when the night market runs every weekend and the dyke trails around Steveston and Garry Point stay firm underfoot.
Mild but grey, with long spells of rain off the Strait of Georgia; malls, dim sum rooms and the Buddhist temple keep the day under cover.
The Steveston Salmon Festival on Canada Day, 1 July, brings a parade and a salmon barbecue to the village; arrive early or come by bike.
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Getting there
Changing at Bridgeport for Brighouse, and the 620 to Tsawwassen ferries
Land at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Sea Island, which is inside Richmond, and take the Canada Line north into the city centre; change at Bridgeport for trains to Richmond-Brighouse. Bus 620 from Bridgeport runs to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal for Victoria and the Gulf Islands. From the Domestic and International terminals, the Canada Line runs north; southbound trains from downtown alternate between the airport branch and the Richmond-Brighouse branch, so change at Bridgeport for a train to Lansdowne or Richmond-Brighouse. The whole trip to the city centre takes about 20 to 25 minutes, and trains come every 6 minutes for most of the day, every 20 minutes late in the evening. A taxi to No. 3 Road takes around 15 minutes. Fares leaving YVR by Canada Line include an airport surcharge. From Victoria and the islands, BC Ferries land at Tsawwassen in Delta, south of Richmond; bus 620 links the terminal with Bridgeport station. Drivers from Vancouver use Highway 99 over the Oak Street Bridge.
- Canada Line
- YVR to Bridgeport, change for Richmond-Brighouse, about 20 to 25 minutes
- Taxi
- Airport to City Centre in roughly 15 minutes
- Bus 620
- Tsawwassen ferry terminal to Bridgeport station
- Buses 301 and 351
- Bridgeport to North Delta, Surrey and South Surrey
- Coming from downtown Vancouver, check the destination board: a train marked YVR-Airport will not reach Richmond-Brighouse.
Where to stay
No. 3 Road towers, Sea Island hotels and the River Rock at Bridgeport
Sleep near the Canada Line and Richmond becomes one of the region's best bases: downtown Vancouver is a direct ride and the food is on your doorstep. Choose the No. 3 Road towers for restaurants, the Sea Island hotels for early flights, or the River Rock casino resort at Bridgeport.
- City Centre (No. 3 Road)
- Hotels between Lansdowne and Richmond-Brighouse stations, walking distance to the malls and restaurants; traffic-heavy streets
- Sea Island and the airport
- The Fairmont Vancouver Airport is inside the terminal and others run shuttles; handy before an early flight, dull for an evening out
- Bridgeport
- The River Rock casino resort sits by the station and close to the night market, but little else is walkable
- Steveston
- Waterfront village atmosphere and the best evenings, with only a few small inns and rentals and a bus ride to the Canada Line
Getting around
Numbered roads, No. 3 Road's four stations and the West Dyke Trail
Get around Richmond on the Canada Line and TransLink buses. The city is flat and laid out on a wide grid of numbered roads, with No. 3 Road as the main street and four Canada Line stations along it: Bridgeport, Aberdeen, Lansdowne and Richmond-Brighouse. The West Dyke Trail suits cyclists and walkers. TransLink buses fan out from Richmond-Brighouse station: routes 401, 402 and 407 head south to Steveston in about half an hour, while the 403 runs down No. 3 Road to the International Buddhist Temple on Steveston Highway. Pay with a Compass card or tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard or Amex or a phone wallet; transfers are valid for 90 minutes. Cyclists have it easy on an island this flat: the West Dyke Trail follows the shore from Terra Nova to Garry Point Park with views over the Strait of Georgia, and quiet roads cross the farmland in between.
- Canada Line
- Bridgeport, Aberdeen, Lansdowne and Richmond-Brighouse along No. 3 Road
- Buses
- From Richmond-Brighouse to Steveston and the Buddhist temple, about 30 minutes
- West Dyke Trail
- Flat gravel path along the western shore to Garry Point Park
- Driving
- Numbered roads north-south; Westminster Highway and Steveston Highway east-west
- Parking in Steveston fills on summer weekends; take the bus or a bike instead.
Know before you go
What makes Richmond worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Late-night congee at #9 Restaurant, a Hong Kong-style cafe in Lansdowne Mall that never closes.
- The International Buddhist Temple, with ceramic roof tiles, a huge Buddha statue and a vegetarian lunch.
- Watching seaplanes from the Flying Beaver, a pub on the Fraser River near the airport.
Good to know
- The night market runs only on warm-season weekend evenings, and queues at the entrance build after dark.
- The numbered roads run north-south, with No. 3 Road as the main street, so the grid is easy to read.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Richmond, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Richmond are being researched.
No. 3 Road dim sum, a temple lunch and Garry Point at sunset
Food sets the pace of a Richmond day. Ride the Canada Line to Aberdeen for a late dim sum breakfast around Aberdeen Centre and No. 3 Road, arriving before 10 am at weekends, have a vegetarian lunch at a Buddhist temple, and finish at Garry Point Park in Steveston to watch the sun set over the Strait of Georgia.
Begin with a late breakfast of dim sum. Ride the Canada Line to Aberdeen and walk into one of the big Cantonese dining rooms around Aberdeen Centre and No. 3 Road; on weekends, arrive before 10 am or expect to queue for a table. Leave time to wander the mall itself, a Hong Kong-style complex of bakeries, tea shops and stores.
Around midday, take a bus south to the International Buddhist Temple on Steveston Highway, between No. 3 and No. 4 Roads. Its halls are roofed in glazed tiles, the main hall holds one of the largest Buddha statues in North America, and the classical garden has lotus ponds and a stone bridge. Admission is free, and the cafeteria serves a Chinese vegetarian lunch.
Spend the afternoon in Steveston. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery, a National Historic Site, walks you through the salmon canning trade that once employed much of the village, and the boardwalk leads past Fisherman's Wharf, where boats sell fish straight off the deck. Walk west to Garry Point Park for kites and the sunset over the Strait of Georgia. On a summer weekend, finish at the Richmond Night Market near Bridgeport; otherwise watch the seaplanes on the Fraser from the Flying Beaver pub.
Pineapple buns, Alexandra Road noodles and fish and chips by the wharf
Richmond's Chinese food runs from Cantonese to Sichuan, Shanghainese and Taiwanese, and it draws Vancouverites across the river. Start at a Hong Kong-style café for milk tea and a pineapple bun with butter, eat noodles on Alexandra Road, the street known for its restaurants, and finish with fish and chips on the wharf at Steveston.
Start with a Hong Kong-style café, or cha chaan teng, for milk tea, a pineapple bun with a slab of butter and a plate of baked pork chop rice. #9 Restaurant in Lansdowne Mall serves this kind of food, plus congee and barbecue meats, at any hour.
Alexandra Road, a short block between No. 3 Road and Garden City Road, packs dozens of restaurants into a few hundred metres: hot pot, hand-pulled noodles, Korean grills and late-opening dessert cafés. The food courts in Aberdeen Centre and the neighbouring malls are the cheaper route through the same cuisines. Japanese food is strong too; Fukuroku on No. 3 Road does sushi and udon.
In summer, the night market fills with stalls selling skewers, bubble waffles and fried squid, best on a Friday or Saturday after 9 pm when the evening cools. For something entirely different, Steveston's wharf is the place for fish and chips eaten on the dock, and Lamajoun on River Road cooks Armenian flatbreads. Sanduz Estate on Blundell Road pours fruit wines for tasting.
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How we research our Richmond travel guide
Richmond facts are checked against the City of Richmond's website, Destination Canada and the eTA rules; Canada Line service and BC Ferries links are confirmed with the operators.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Richmond.
Cancellations & changes
Yes. Airport trains run north to Bridgeport, where you switch to a southbound train for Lansdowne and Richmond-Brighouse. The ride takes about 20 to 25 minutes in total.
General
Hong Kong milk tea, a pineapple bun with butter and baked pork chop rice are the classics. #9 Restaurant in Lansdowne Mall serves them around the clock.
Half a day covers the cannery museum, the boardwalk, Fisherman's Wharf and a walk to Garry Point Park.
Yes, everyone is welcome at no charge. The cafeteria serves vegetarian lunches, and groups of 15 or more can book a guided tour.
Yes, it is a flat shoreline path with views over the Strait of Georgia and the mountains. It ends near Steveston, handy for lunch.
The 2010 speed skating venue is now a community sports centre with an Olympic museum inside, close to the Fraser River.
Get around Richmond on the Canada Line and TransLink buses. The city is flat and laid out on a wide grid of numbered roads, with No. 3 Road as the main street and four Canada Line stations along it: Bridgeport, Aberdeen, Lansdowne and Richmond-Brighouse.
Timing & weather
It runs on weekend evenings in the warmer months, roughly late spring to early autumn, near Bridgeport station. Check the current season's dates before going.
The best time to visit Richmond is Jun to Sep. Night market season and dry days on Steveston's waterfront.
- Best overall: June - September (The dry stretch of the Pacific coast year, when the night market runs every weekend and the dyke trails around Steveston and Garry Point stay firm underfoot)
- Wet season: October - April (Mild but grey, with long spells of rain off the Strait of Georgia; malls, dim sum rooms and the Buddhist temple keep the day under cover)
Getting there
Sea Island, where the Fairmont is inside the terminal, or a City Centre hotel on No. 3 Road a few Canada Line stops away.
On the short stretch of Alexandra Road between No. 3 Road and Garden City Road, with dozens of Asian restaurants, many open late.
Land at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Sea Island, which is inside Richmond, and take the Canada Line north into the city centre; change at Bridgeport for trains to Richmond-Brighouse. Bus 620 from Bridgeport runs to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal for Victoria and the Gulf Islands. From the Domestic and International terminals, the Canada Line runs north; southbound trains from downtown alternate between the airport branch and the Richmond-Brighouse branch, so change at Bridgeport for a train to Lansdowne or Richmond-Brighouse.
Families & accessibility
The complex at the south end of No. 6 Road has an IMAX cinema, bowling, a pool, an indoor waterpark and Canada's largest indoor trampoline park.
Visa & documents
Visa-exempt travelers, including citizens of the UK, the EU and Australia, need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or through Canada. US citizens need only a passport. Other nationalities need a visitor visa.
Health & safety
Canada's main risks are natural: wildlife, summer wildfires and extreme winter cold. Store food properly in bear country, check wildfire and road conditions before summer drives, and carry winter gear when driving in snow. Call 911 for police, fire or ambulance anywhere in the country.
