World City Guide

Key Attractions

Stanley Park
The 10km (6-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 one-hour tours every half an hour, daily from mid-March to late October, for C$20.55 (concessions available). The departure point is near the park’s Georgia Street entrance. As well, a free shuttle bus makes a circuit around Stanley Park every 15 minutes (daily 1000-1830) in the summer.

The network of trails that crisscross the 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of rainforest and parkland connects the Seawall and beaches with an open-air swimming pool, restaurants, a totem pole park and the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. 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 Centre
Tel: (604) 659 3474. Fax: (604) 659 3515.
E-mail: information@vanaqua.org
Website: www.vanaqua.org
Transport: Bus 23, 35 or 135.
Opening hours: Daily 0930-1900 (late Jun-early Sep); daily 1000-1730 (early Sep-late Jun).
Admission: C$16.50 (concessions available).

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 4700 or 662 4719 (information). Fax: (604) 682 1086.
Website: www.vanartgallery.bc.ca
Transport: Granville SkyTrain Station; bus 5, 15 or any Granville Street bus.
Opening hours: daily 1000-1730 (until 2100 Thurs); closed Mon mid-Oct-Easter.
Admission: C$15 (concessions available); by donation Thurs evening.

Gastown
Gastown, the reconstructed old centre 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. The latest attraction, however, is the Storyeum, a live multimedia ‘storytelling experience’ that showcases the history of British Columbia. In summer, free 90-minute tours depart from the Gassy Jack statue in Maple Tree Square at 1400.

Storyeum
142 Water Street
Tel: (604) 687 8142 or (800) 687 8142.
Website: www.storyeum.com
Transport: Waterfront SkyTrain Station; bus 50 (many other downtown routes pass nearby).
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 1000-1700 (showtimes vary and should be pre-booked).
Admission: $22 (concessions available).

Chinatown
Vancouver’s large Chinatown district (website: www.vancouverchinatown.ca), Canada’s biggest, centres on Pender Street and Main Street, and offers a kaleidoscope of colours 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. Fax: (604) 682 4008.
E-mail: sunyatsen@telus.net
Website: www.vancouverchinesegarden.com
Transport: Stadium SkyTrain Station; bus 19 or 22.
Opening hours: Daily 0930-1900 (mid-Jun-Aug); daily 1000-1800 (Sep and May-mid-Jun); daily 1000-1630 (Oct ); Tue-Sun 1000-1630 (Nov-Apr).
Admission: C$8.25, including guided tour and tea; concessions available.

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 boat 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 5784.
E-mail: info@granvilleisland.com
Website: www.granvilleisland.com
Transport: Bus 50; Downtown Historic Railway from Science World; Aquabus or False Creek Ferries.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800 (Information Centre and Public Market); daily 1000-1800 (Net Loft, Kids’ Market and Maritime Market).
Admission: Free.

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 Theatre, with its enormous dome screen.

1455 Quebec Street
Tel: (604) 443 7443. Fax: (604) 443 7430.
Website: www.scienceworld.ca
Transport: Main Street/Science World SkyTrain Station; bus 3, 8 or 19; Downtown Historic Railway from Granville Island; Aquabus or False Creek Ferries.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1700, Sat and Sun 1000-1800. There are also regular evening screenings at the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Admission: C$13.75 (Science World); C$11.25 (OMNIMAX show); C$18.75 (combined ticket); concessions available.

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 Centre (website: www.hrmacmillanspacecentre.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. Fax: (604) 737 2621.
Website: www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com
Transport: Bus 2 or 22 to Cornwall Street and Cypress Street; False Creek Ferries.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1700 (mid-May-Sep); Tues-Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1200-1700 (Sep-mid-May).
Admission: C$8 (concessions available).

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 (information) or 822 4529 (garden shop). Fax: (604) 822 2016.
E-mail: botg@interchange.ubc.ca
Website: www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org or www.nitobe.org
Transport: Bus 41, 43, 49 or 480, or any UBC-bound bus, then a 20-minute walk (UBC Botanical Garden); any UBC-bound bus, then a 10-minute walk (Nitobe Memorial Garden).
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800 (mid-Mar-mid-Oct); daily 1000-1630 (mid-Oct-mid-Mar); Nitobe Memorial Garden open mid-Mar-mid-Oct only.
Admission: UBC Botanical Garden C$6 mid-Mar-mid-Oct, by donation in winter; Nitobe Memorial Garden C$4; combined ticket C$8.

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.

6393 Northwest Marine Drive
Tel: (604) 822 5087 or 822 3825 (information). Fax: (604) 822 2974.
Website: www.moa.ubc.ca
Transport: Bus 44 or any UBC-bound bus, then a 10-minute walk.
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1000-1700; Tues 1000-2100 (late May-early Sept); Wed-Sun 1100-1700; Tues 1100-2100 (early Sep-late May).
Admission: C$9 (concessions available); free Tues 1700-2100.