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Sightseeing Overview
Downtown Vancouver is a compact area full of activity, day and night. Robson Square is a focal point, with a series of landscaped terraces, a congress center and the Vancouver Art Gallery.

To the west lie the shops and restaurants of Robson Street, while to the southeast are the renovated warehouses of Yaletown, Vancouver’s ‘Soho’, with its trendy shops, galleries, bars and restaurants.

A view of the mountains to the north of the city can be had from Canada Place, which houses the city’s convention centers and whose striking sail-like roof echoes its role as a cruise ship terminal.

East of here lies Gastown (the reconstructed old center of Vancouver) and Chinatown, the largest in Canada and the third largest in North America, where a variety of ethnic eating places and shops can be found.

Beyond that, Commercial Drive offers a more alternative scene, interspersed with older Italian cafés.

Separating Downtown from Stanley Park is the West End, whose green and tranquil streets belie the fact that it has one of the highest population densities in North America. Denman Street typifies the lifestyle, with shops and cafés and a fantastic sunset view over English Bay.

False Creek and Granville Island separate Downtown from the rest of Vancouver to the south. The University of British Columbia is much further to the west, beyond the now-gentrified, former hippie district of Kitsilano.

Tourist Information
Tourism Vancouver - TouristInfo Center
Plaza Level, 200 Burrard Street
Tel: (604) 683 2000.
Website: www.tourismvancouver.com
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1800.

There are also tourist information centers in both terminals at the airport, at the cruise ship terminals, and at the Peace Arch border crossing (Highway 99). Information on travel throughout the province is available from Super, Natural British Columbia (tel: (604) 435 5622 or 1 800 435 5622; website: www.hellobc.com).

Passes
There are no sightseeing passes currently available. However, printable discount coupons are available online (website: www.vancouverattractions.com).

Key Attractions:

Stanley Park
The 10km ( -mile) Seawall that circles Stanley Park (tel: (604) 257 8400; website: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/parks/stanley) provides incredible ocean views for strollers, joggers, cyclists and in-line skaters. Sport equipment may be hired nearby. Stanley Park Horse-drawn Tours (tel: (604) 681 5115; website: www.stanleyparktours.com) offers 1-hour tours every 30 minutes, daily from mid-March to late-October. The departure point is near the park’s Georgia Street entrance. A free shuttle bus also makes a circuit around Stanley Park every 15 minutes (daily 1000-1830) in the summer.

A network of trails crisscrosses the 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of rainforest and parkland, connecting the Seawall and beaches with an open-air swimming pool, restaurants, a totem pole park and the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Center. The aquarium is home to West Coast marine life, as well as creatures from warmer waters. Daily whale and dolphin shows and the feeding of the sea otters are popular events.

Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Center
Tel: (604) 659 3474.
Website: www.vanaqua.org
Opening hours: Daily 0930-1900 (late Jun-early Sep); daily 0930-1700 (early Sep-late Jun).
Admission charge.  

Vancouver Art Gallery
Housed in the former provincial courthouse, the gallery’s permanent collection includes a substantial number of paintings by Emily Carr, whose naturalistic style echoes that of the Group of Seven (the name given to a group of early 20th-century painters whose work highlighted Canada’s beauty). The permanent collection also includes works by Canadian and international artists and is supplemented by a variety of touring exhibitions.

750 Hornby Street
Tel: (604) 662 4719.
Website: www.vanartgallery.bc.ca
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1730 (until 2100 Tues, Thurs; until 2300 fourth Fri every month).
Admission charge; by donation Thurs evening.

Gastown
Gastown, the reconstructed old center of Vancouver, is a pleasant array of cobblestone streets, cafés and shops (tel: (604) 683 5650; website: www.gastown.org). It is named after Gassy Jack, a voluble saloon owner who offered the local mill-workers all the whisky they could drink if they helped construct his saloon - he was open for business the next day. Gastown is also the site of the unique Steam Clock, driven by steam from the system used to heat Downtown’s office buildings. Though based on 19th-century design, the world’s first steam clock was actually built in 1975. Most tourists come here for the shopping - it is one of the best spots in the city in which to find souvenirs such as Inuit art and works by native Pacific Northwest artists.

Chinatown
Vancouver’s large Chinatown district (website: www.vancouverchinatown.ca), Canada’s biggest, centers on Pender Street and Main Street, and offers a kaleidoscope of colors and rich scents. A wide range of restaurants is the focus for morning dim sum and more elaborate evening meals. The night market (open Friday-Sunday, 1830-2300, from June-mid September) is especially worth a visit. Chinese Canadians themselves are just as likely to shop in the southern suburb of Richmond, however, where there are a number of malls comprising mostly Asian shops.

At the western edge of Chinatown, the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Garden was the first full-sized, classical Chinese garden to be built outside of China and offers an oasis from the gritty urbanity that surrounds it. Based on Ming Dynasty precepts, the combination of water, plants, limestone rock and pavilions has finely composed views and is suffused with symbolism.

Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
578 Carrall Street
Tel: (604) 662 3207.
Website: www.vancouverchinesegarden.com
Opening hours: Daily 1030-1800 (May-mid Jun); 0930-1900 (late Jun-Aug); 1000-1800 (Sep); 1000-1630 (Oct-Apr).
Admission charge.

Granville Island
Granville Island is home to a lively mix of entertainment and eating spots, shops and a large public market. Visitors can watch potters, weavers and glassblowers as they work, or stop by the sport-fishing, model ship or train museums (website: www.granvilleislandmuseums.com). There are often concerts and outdoor events during the summer months. Visitors with children will appreciate the Kids’ Market and playground. The best way to get to Granville Island is an experience in itself - on one of the tiny ferryboats that connect various points along False Creek (see Getting Around).

Granville Island
Tel: (604) 666 6655. 
Website: www.granvilleisland.com
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1900.
Free admission.  

Science World
The distinctive silver geodesic dome at the end of False Creek houses Science World - an interactive museum with a special appeal for children. However, the high quality of the exhibits, temporary exhibitions and fascinating demonstrations of science should keep audiences of all ages rapt. It is also the site of the Alcan OMNIMAX Theater, with its enormous dome screen.

1455 Quebec Street
Tel: (604) 443 7443.
Website: www.scienceworld.ca
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800. There are also regular evening screenings at the OMNIMAX Theater.
Admission charge.

Vancouver Maritime Museum
The Vancouver Maritime Museum chronicles the region’s rich sea-going history with exhibits on everything ship-related, including the RCMP Arctic schooner St Roch (the first vessel to navigate the Northwest Passage from West to East) and working vessels in the Heritage Harbour. Sharing Vanier Park with the museum are the HR MacMillan Space Center (website: www.hrmacmillanspacecenter.com) and the Vancouver Museum (website: www.vanmuseum.bc.ca). Major outdoor events take place in the park in summer.

Vanier Park, 1905 Ogden Avenue
Tel: (604) 257 8300.
Website: www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1700 (mid-May-Sep); Tues-Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1200-1700 (Sep-mid-May).
Admission charge.

UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden
For nature lovers, there are two world-class gardens on the University of British Columbia campus - the UBC Botanical Garden and the delightful Nitobe Memorial Garden. The former is a 28-hectare (70-acre) collection of temperate plants from around the globe (with the largest collection of rhododendrons in Canada), while the latter is a traditional Japanese garden and a tranquil place for reflection.

6804 Southwest Marine Drive
Tel: (604) 822 9666. 
Website: www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org or www.nitobe.org
Opening hours: (UBC Botanical Garden) daily 1000-1800 (mid Mar-mid Oct); daily 1000-1700 (mid Oct-mid Mar); (Nitobe Memorial Garden) Mon-Fri 1000-1430 except during holidays (mid Oct-mid Mar); daily 1000-1800 (mid Mar-mid Oct).
Admission charge.

Museum of Anthropology
The Museum of Anthropology on the UBC campus is a striking building designed by Arthur Erickson for the purpose of displaying a comprehensive collection of British Columbia’s First Nations heritage. The simple concrete forms allow the star attraction, totem poles, to stand out against the view of the ocean visible through the expanse of glass walls. The museum is currently undergoing a C$52m renewal project which will incorporate a new research center and include redesigned visible storage galleries and a series of innovative research suites. All permanent galleries at the museum will remain open throughout the renovations and construction, which are expected to be completed by 2010.

6393 Northwest Marine Drive
Tel: (604) 822 5087/3825.
Website: www.moa.ubc.ca
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1700, Tues 1700-2100 pay as you can (mid May-Sep); Tues-Sun 1100-1700, Tues 1700-2100 pay as you can, Mon closed (Sep-mid May).

Further Distractions:

Grouse Mountain
Just 20 minutes to the north of the city and clearly visible from almost anywhere in downtown Vancouver, Grouse Mountain (website: www.grousemountain.com) as well as neighbors Cypress Mountain (website: www.cypressmountain.com) and Mount Seymour (website: www.mountseymour.com), beckons the visitor. The mountains offer skiing opportunities in the winter and spring, and the chance to hike, mountain bike or even paraglide in summer. The SkyRide gondola, North America’s largest aerial tramway, offers a dramatic approach to Grouse Mountain - every 15 minutes the cable car makes the 1,100m (3,700ft) ascent. Rugged individuals usually do the ‘Grouse Grind’ (a 1.5 to 2-hour hike up the slope) instead. At the top, trails branch out offering opportunities to explore, with impressive views of the city, ocean and mountains. Night-time skiing is a popular activity. There is also the Peak Chairlift, traveling right up to the 1,250m (4,100ft) summit with its 360-degree panoramic view.

Grouse Mountain SkyRide & Ski Resort
6400 Nancy Greene Way
Tel: (604) 984 0661 or 986 6262 (snow line).
Website: www.grousemountain.com
Opening hours: Daily 0900-2200; winter weekends from 0815.
Admission charge (SkyRide); free in summer (Peak Chairlift).

Capilano Suspension Bridge
High over the canyon to the west of Grouse Mountain is the Capilano Suspension Bridge, one of the world’s longest (and highest) suspended footbridges at 140m (450ft) long, which offers a stomach-churning view into the gorge, some 70m (230ft) below. On-site attractions include a totem pole park, native carving center and nature trails. Less impressive, but free of charge, is the suspension bridge between the Ecology Center and network of trails in Lynn Canyon Park (website: www.dnv.org/ecology).

3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver
Tel: (604) 985 7474.
Website: www.capbridge.com
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (Jan-mid Mar, Nov-mid Dec); 0900-1800 (mid Mar-Apr, Oct-Nov); 0900-1830 (Apr-May); 0900-1930 (May-mid May); 0830-2000 (mid May-Sep); and 0900-1900 (Sep-Oct). (Closing times tend to coincide with dusk.)
Admission charge; discount coupon on the website.

VanDusen Botanical Garden
The VanDusen Botanical Garden is home to a variety of beautiful and exotic plants. The main attraction for many visitors, however, is the Elizabethan hedge maze, one of only six in North America. The best time for tourists to visit the gardens is during the month of December, when the grounds are lit by thousands of Christmas lights.

5251 Oak Street
Tel: (604) 878 9274.
Website: www.vandusengarden.org
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1600 (Nov-Feb); 1000-1700 (Mar, Oct); 1000-1800 (Apr), 1000-2000 (May); 1000-2100 (Jun-Aug); 1000-1900 (Sep).
Admission charge.  

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