Vancouver Travel Guide

Travel guide to Vancouver, Canada with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Vancouver sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.

Vancouver Overview

Vancouver, located in the British Columbia province of Canada, has a population of over 500,000 and is situated close to the Pacific Ocean and the mountains of the Pacific Coast mountain range.

A major Canadian centre for commerce it is, and has been for some time, a very important city. Take a look at the fantastic skyline views, with majestic buildings rising up to create a stunning backdrop and contrasting sharply with the geographical majesty created by nature. This combination, when added to the warm and friendly people, gave the city the accolade of having the best quality of life in the world for four consecutive years. That tells you how amazing this city is.

As a city of contrasts the weather plays its own part - from sunbathing on the beach during the summer to skiing in the mountains during the winter it really does offer something for everyone. The contrasts are also carried through to the different cultures and nations represented here. Being a port Vancouver was always going to find people of many nations stopping off here, but here they stay and settle down, giving the city the wonderful sense of wellbeing and diversity that pervades its soul.

For those seeking evening entertainment there are many clubs and bars offering every possible mix of music, drinks and food. Again it appears that the eclectic mix of tastes has been distilled in Vancouver to create a fine mix that cannot be bettered.

Top Vancouver Attractions

The world famous Stanley Park, one of the North American continent's largest urban parks, is a must see, especially at Christmas time when it is transformed into a winter wonderland complete with train to ride around in.

Also not to be missed are the breadth of different restaurants, offering fine foods from around the world. Chinese food is what the city is best known for, but other countries are well represented too, and all are worth a visit, or two.

Shopping in Vancouver

There are a couple of key areas to look at when planning a shopping trip in Vancouver. The first is Robson Street where the majority of the main retailers can be found. The other one is Granville Island Market, where after a short ferry ride there are all manner of stalls and shops offering hand crafted and specialist items for sale.

Vancouver Sporting Events

2010 will see Vancouver hosting the Winter Olympics, utilising a lot of their existing infrastructure to provide venues and resources suitable for professional athletes. For something a little less competitive though there are many opportunities here for skiing, mountain biking, boating and white water rafting.

Of course Ice Hockey is the main sport here, with the local team being the Vancouver Canucks who play in the NHL.