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Why Visit British Columbia?

British Columbia is the most-visited part of Canada, and tourism is the province鈥檚 second-biggest industry. Home to the country鈥檚 most ample concentration of stereotypical Canadian natural beauty as well as the thoroughly modern oceanside city of Vancouver, British Columbia has long been one of the Pacific Northwest鈥檚 leading vacation聽destinations.

Orientation

The vast majority of British Columbia’s most popular tourist destinations are found in or around the city of聽Vancouver, which is located on a peninsula in the province’s southwestern corner, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. From there, the cities of聽Victoria and Whistler聽are relatively easy to visit and leave within the same day. The rest of British Columbia, often called the interior, is largely rural, and is visited mostly by tourists interested in camping or other outdoor activities.

Vancouver Tourism

Sights

is located on the tip of a聽peninsula that is聽fairly small geographically, but quite dense with buildings and people. The False Creek inlet and a couple of bridges separate the northern downtown core from the more residential south. The Lion鈥檚 Gate Bridge is attached to the peninsula鈥檚 north, and leads to , which is a completely separate city associated mostly with higher-end real estate and the聽waterfront聽.

Famed聽Vancouver landmarks include, a sports arena with a state-of-the-art retractable roof, the , which was designed to resemble Rome鈥檚 famous coliseum, , a convention centre and cruise ship port topped with a distinctive white sail roof, and the building, which is one of those very tall buildings many large cities seem to have offering amazing panoramic views and a revolving聽restaurant at the top. There are a couple visible remnants of Vancouver鈥檚 stint hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, most notably the giant snowflake-like Olympic Cauldron.

is one of the world鈥檚 biggest parks and is located on a peninsula on the edge of downtown. It鈥檚 home to a collection of totem poles and the large and modern . Circling the park鈥檚 perimeter on a route known as the Seawall is popular with walkers, joggers, and cyclists.

A free downtown shuttle brings visitors to the expensive , a popular tourist attraction that centres around a 450-foot suspension bridge over the Capilano River as well as a newer glass bridge 鈥渃liffwalk鈥� and other forest-themed attractions.

Shopping

Robson Street remains Vancouver’s most fashionable shopping area, though two enormous 鈥� and very pricy 鈥� department stores, and , offer strong competition. The two are conjoined by a small mall known as . The small and pretty聽marina-adjacent is home to a lively marketplace of fresh fish, produce, baked goods, and candy, as well as some artisanal shops.

A half-hour聽drive from Vancouver brings you to ,聽the largest mall in British Columbia.

Nightlife

Granville Street is the city鈥檚 main bar and club district and contains Vancouver’s most popular live music venues. The area in and around the historic Gastown district (see above) is also home to several bars and clubs and becomes a hub of activity after dark. Davie Street is the gay area.

Museums and Galleries

The sits in a refurbished downtown courthouse and is devoted primarily to traveling exhibits from around the world. It鈥檚 best known for containing a permanent collection of paintings by Emily Carr (1871-1945), British Columbia鈥檚 most famous landscape artist.

A half-hour drive聽outside the downtown core located on the sprawling, wooded campus聽of the , the is the city鈥檚 most famous museum, best known for its extensive collection of art and sculptures by the aboriginal peoples of North America鈥檚 west coast.

is an iconic ball-shaped structure housing a mostly child-centric interactive museum of science, as well as an IMAX theatre.

B.C. Tourism Outside Vancouver

The city of is located on the confusingly-named Vancouver Island, which is actually nowhere near Vancouver proper (leading many tourists to call it 鈥淰ictoria Island鈥� instead). Only accessible as a day trip, getting there from downtown聽requires a long drive and ferry ride to reach the Island, followed by another long drive from the Island’s harbour to Victoria itself. The city has plenty of distinctive 19th century architecture, particularly the grand and . The is considered the province鈥檚 best. A half-hour drive聽north of Victoria are the , an enormous flower garden located in an abandoned quarry pit.

The west coast聽of the Island contains smaller communities known for natural beauty, beaches, and a laid-back way of life. The small coastal city of聽 is the most popular hotspot,聽and is a much-loved destination for surfers.

The islands are located about 300 kilometres north of聽Vancouver Island, close to the Alaska Panhandle. Extremely remote, the “Galapagos of the North” can only be accessed by several hours of plane or ferry travel,聽but are聽home to more exotic nature, wildlife, and aboriginal ruins than anywhere else in the province.

B.C. Mountains

B.C. is known primarily to tourists for its mountains, though different ones offer different appeals. The province鈥檚 preeminent ski resort is based around the twin peaks of , with top-end hotels, restaurants, bars, nightlife, shopping, and 鈥� of course 鈥� some of the world鈥檚 best slopes. During the winter months it becomes a boisterous hive of young tourists from all over the world.

is a smaller resort located closer to Vancouver, and is a more family-friendly destination lacking the Whistler party scene. is even smaller, and is a particularly popular destination during the non-winter months thanks to various summer attractions, including ziplines聽and lumberjack competitions,聽and is popular with hikers聽who enjoy attempting the gruelling “Grouse Grind.”