Vancouver is a great place to visit, with all the attractions, events and facilities you’d expect from a cosmopolitan North American city, in a stunning natural setting – the Pacific Ocean lies to the west and the Coast Mountain range to the east.
Things to see and do:
- Queen Elizabeth Park – worth visiting in itself, with an Oriental garden and a conservatory of tropical birds and plants, but Queen Elizabeth Park is also the highest point in city, and offers great views.
- Stanley Park – another place to go for views of the city and of Vancouver Island; there’s also a selection of Native American totem poles scattered around the park, and the Vancouver aquarium.
- Grouse Mountain – take a cable car up Grouse Mountain to visit the wildlife refuge, the ‘theatre in the sky’; in the winter you can also go skiing, snowboarding and skating, while summertime visitors shouldn’t miss the lumberjack shows.
- Museum of Anthropology – this museum houses a generous collection of Native American artefacts and art.
Getting there:
Vancouver International Airport is six miles south of the city. Buses run to and from Pacific Central Station and Waterfront Station, and there are the usual taxis and car hire also on offer.
Location and weather:
Vancouver is in the south-west corner of Canada, in the state of British Columbia. The Pacific Ocean sits to the west of the city, with Calgary to the east and Seattle just over 100 miles south. It’s very wet in Vancouver – it hardly ever stops raining in the winter – and temperatures are very similar to those in the UK.
Top tip:
Make your way over to Granville Island and catch some Theatresports – or live improvised comedy. The New Revue Stage is the place where the laughs are made; theatresports was pioneered in Vancouver by improv guru Keith Johnstone in the second half of the twentieth century, and still makes for a great night out.
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