Vancouver

Seawall, Gastown and the North Shore over three days

Vancouver suits three days: cycle the 9 km Stanley Park seawall from Denman Street, then walk past Canada Place to Gastown's steam clock and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden on day one; take an Aquabus to Granville Island's market on day two; and cross to the North Shore on the SeaBus for the third.

Day one, Stanley Park and Gastown. Rent a bike near Denman Street and ride the seawall around Stanley Park, about 9 km, stopping at the Brockton Point totem poles and Siwash Rock. Lock up at English Bay for lunch in the West End. In the afternoon, walk east along the Coal Harbour waterfront past Canada Place to Gastown, see the steam clock on Water Street, and finish at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Chinatown.

Day two, False Creek and the west side. Take an Aquabus from the foot of Hornby Street to Granville Island and graze through the public market. Walk or ride the seawall west past Vanier Park to Kitsilano Beach, then catch the 99 B-Line or a bus out to UBC for the Museum of Anthropology, where the Bill Reid rotunda and the great carved poles need at least two hours. Watch the sun set over the water from Spanish Banks.

Day three, the North Shore. Ride the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay and have breakfast at the market. Continue by bus to Lynn Canyon for its free suspension bridge and swimming holes, or pay for the Capilano Suspension Bridge and its treetop walkways. Fit hikers can climb the Grouse Grind, about 850 metres of ascent, and ride the gondola down; everyone else takes the gondola both ways for the view back over the city.

Spot prawns, Richmond dim sum and Japadog carts

Asian cooking is where Vancouver beats almost every North American city: Cantonese dim sum halls in Richmond rival Hong Kong, Alexandra Road lines up noodle and hotpot shops, and the summer Richmond Night Market runs on weekend evenings. Downtown, Robson and Denman have ramen and izakayas. Wild salmon and BC spot prawns supply the rest.

Asian cooking is where Vancouver beats almost every city in North America. Richmond, beside the airport, has Cantonese dim sum halls as good as many in Hong Kong, and Alexandra Road there is lined with noodle, hotpot and Taiwanese snack shops. In summer, the Richmond Night Market runs on weekend evenings with hundreds of food stalls. Downtown, Robson and Denman streets carry ramen shops and Japanese izakayas, and sushi is everywhere at every price; the city claims the California roll, created by a local Japanese chef.

The sea supplies the rest. Wild Pacific salmon, smoked or grilled, is on most menus, and BC spot prawns arrive for a few weeks each May and June, sold live off boats at Fisherman's Wharf beside Granville Island. Granville Island's public market is the best place to assemble a picnic of candied salmon, bread and berries. Main Street has independent restaurants and craft breweries, Commercial Drive keeps its Italian cafes, and the Punjabi Market on Main Street near 49th Avenue does South Asian sweets and curries.

For quick fixes, find a Japadog cart, hot dogs with seaweed, teriyaki or miso toppings, and finish with a Nanaimo bar, the layered chocolate and custard square named after the Vancouver Island city.

Polar Bear Swim, Bard on the Beach and the rainy season

Vancouver is Canada's mildest big city but wet: January averages about 7°C by day, with around 170 mm of rain in each of November, December and January. Hundreds run into English Bay for the 1 January Polar Bear Swim, local mountains usually ski from December, and cherry trees flower from late March.

The climate is the mildest of any big Canadian city, but it is wet. January averages about 7C by day and 1C at night, with snow rare at sea level, while November, December and January each bring around 170 mm of rain. Locals carry on regardless: on 1 January hundreds of people run into English Bay for the Polar Bear Swim, and Grouse Mountain, Cypress and Seymour above the city usually have snow for skiing from December. Chinatown's Lunar New Year parade falls in late January or February.

Spring starts early. Thousands of ornamental cherry trees flower along the streets from late March into April, and May drops to about 60 mm of rain. Summer is the payoff: July and August average 22C with only around 35 mm of rain each, and the evenings are long. June brings the Dragon Boat Festival on False Creek, Bard on the Beach stages Shakespeare in tents in Vanier Park through the summer, and a free fireworks night at the end of July, which replaced the multi-night Celebration of Light competition in 2026, fills English Bay. Pride follows in early August, and the PNE fair runs until Labour Day.

Rain returns in October, when the film festival brings screenings across the city. For hiking and cycling, aim for June to September; for skiing at Whistler, December to March.