Visit Vancouver
Visit Vancouver
First, let’s get there !
Vancouver is a wonderful, vibrant city that has something for absolutely everyone. It offers beautiful beaches, world class shopping, a multicultural attitude and provides a gateway to the fantastic outdoor experiences of British Columbia.
Flying into Vancouver is, really, just the beginning of the adventure but what a great place to start.
Several options are available to get you to the Pacific coast; road, air and water methods are all available but the most common will be by aircraft.
Air Canada, BA and Virgin combine to offer up to 5 direct scheduled flights per day into Vancouver during the summer and Air Transat adds several more per week. Indirect flights are, sometimes, much more economical during peak seasons but you will, of course, need to make a plane change somewhere.
Loads to do
Vancouver, itself, is well worth the flight and you could easily spend a fortnight here in the summer. When the summer sun beats down, the sands of Kitsilano and Jericho Beaches are a welcoming sight and, if it rains, there are loads of indoor options, as well. Here are just a few of the things you could do:
– Vancouver Science World
– BC Museum of Anthropology
– Granville Island Market
– Vancouver Aquarium
Shopping and lunch
All in all though, Vancouver weather is very pleasant in the summer and even a rainy day can be fun. While a car is a nice option if you want to see the outskirts, the public transit system is efficient and affordable and will get you to just about anywhere.
The local communities are very diverse and well worth a visit; Chinatown is a must for authentic and Westernised food and, possibly, a few trinkets. Although these won’t be a novelty to visitors from the UK, there are some fantastic Indian shops and restaurants around 49th and Main and don’t forget that the exchange rate for the pound goes a long way toward stocking up on gifts.
To the South of Vancouver proper is Richmond and the fishing community of Steveston and, while the boats still bring in their catches, the area has become more of a tourist attraction and a great place for some lunch and a beer in the sun.
My fondest childhood memories of Vancouver revolve around Stanley Park and its huge trees and open spaces. A stroll along the seawall is a great place to spot seals, fish and a seemingly endless variety of bird life. You could, easily spend days exploring this great resource and, best of all, it’s free.
Beyond Vancouver
There are so many vastly different areas that are worth exploring that I could go on here for ages. I recommend a copy of The Lonely Planet to get started and then we can have a further chat to get down to the details.
Vancouver is a great destination in itself but it is also a gateway to everything that Western North America has to offer. Vancouver Island is a short ferry ride away and, while a lot farther, the Rocky Mountains are within driving distance and, also, the warm lake waters and beaches of the Okanagan Valley. Lastly, or those that are more winter driven, let’s not forget that it’s not that far to some of the world’s best skiing: Grouse Mountain, Cypress, and Whistler.
