Few (big) cities worldwide are as lovingly cradled by nature as Vancouver. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the snowy peaks of the Coast Mountains, the biggest and most diverse city in British Columbia perfectly fits the bill for both outdoor adventure and urban excitement.
There’s world-class art (one of my favourite museums in the world – the Museum of Anthropology – is here), incredible food and that infectiously relaxed Pacific Northwest lifestyle. Plus, British Columbia is always best when you’re hopping around multiple cities and towns – both Squamish and Whistler are a short bus ride away and it doesn’t take long to get a seaplane down to the restful capital of Victoria.
The great outdoors is the lifeblood of British Columbia, so you’ll find that there’s a definite bias towards outdoor adventure when it comes to Vancouver’s blend of nature and urban sprawl.
But that isn’t to say Vancouver doesn’t also offer the excitement of big-city living. It can just be harder to find at times. Considering you’ve got a constant frame of wellness to suck you out of your head and into the present moment, Vancouver’s livability is hard to beat. And so it’s always been a haven for visitors, especially when everywhere else in North America gets too… loud and chaotic.
Here are some of the areas I think you should explore in Vancouver if you want to fill that frame of pristine nature with all the great things the city has to offer. Nature aside, you’ll see that staying in Vancouver has plenty to offer visitors of all tastes.
1. Head straight to Mount Pleasant
Whenever I land in a new city I immediately want to know what the “hipster neighbourhood” is.
That catch-all term is corny, sure, but this is generally where life is. The vintage shopping, the trendy cafes, the award-winning restaurants and the sense of security and belonging. Community makes for the best atmosphere, and the most atmospheric neighbourhood in Vancouver in Mount Pleasant.
Why? Murals.
Hundreds upon hundreds of street artists have flocked to Mount Pleasant over the years, filling the area with beautiful, large-scale illustrations that give this neighbourhood a visual statement that’s every bit as important as those towering Coast Mountains. It’s created a culture unlike any other in British Columbia, where artists from all over the world come to Mount Pleasant in August to refresh murals, host street parties and create new conversations.
The Vancouver Mural Festival, which sadly won’t be returning in 2025, has been an incubator for this great neighbourhood for just under a decade. I would say that it’s the best time to visit Vancity, but it was only recently announced that it will no longer be going ahead. I do hope it returns in some form or another because the way it’s pulled this neighbourhood to life is inspiring.
The arterial Main Street is a straight shot through the neighbourhood and is where you’ll find most of what you’re looking for. The coffee shops are some of the best in North America (rivalled only by another Pacific Northwest city – Seattle) and you’re guaranteed to find some markets or live music happening in Guelph Park (which is also where “Dude Chilling Park” is). Then you’ve got rows of great contemporary pizza shops, fashion boutiques, cafes, and Michelin-starred restaurants: you know the drill – hipster neighbourhood, like Newtown in Sydney or Bucktown in Chicago.
Walk down Main Street and you’ll easily find something to do. But if you want a decision, make a booking at the excellent Burdock & Co. This Michelin-starred restaurant rests in the heart of Mount Pleasant, largely unassuming from the outside with a charmingly casual interior where bar seating is best and the inventive cocktail list is a must.
Chef Andrea Carlson favours those dynamic, themed set menus based on stories to bring meaning to each dish. The food changes much too regularly for me to name any essentials, but the Pacific Northwest farm-to-table approach ensures strong, robust flavours for the kitchen team to alchemise into conceptual plates. On my visit, highlights included Halibut mousse with Acadian gold caviar and spot prawns with ginger Island glaze.
2. Take a wok around Chinatown
I’m not being punny, there’s an actual tour titled A Wok Around Chinatown. Run by affable former chef-turned-guide Robert Sung, who for years has been an integral part of the Chinatown Revitalization Committee, the tour is pitched as a blend of cultural history and food. Not that the two should ever be separated, but the best way to understand one of the most distinctive Chinatowns in Canada is through walking, eating and listening.
Bob is a third-generation Chinese Canadian and his knowledge of history is without equal. That’s essential for somewhere as densely packed with distinctive sights and sounds that make this area unlike anywhere else in Vancouver. Compare that to Chinatowns across North America, where the change in atmosphere is less obvious. Authenticity is still packed tight here so Bob has plenty of fascinating stories to tell.
Whenever someone asks me my biggest tip for maximising a short stay in a city, I always suggest taking a tour like this on the first day. It contextualises an area for you and helps bring a city to life, both in front of you and in your mind. You’ll also leave with genuinely local recommendations that are far, far more insightful than any SEO-geared listicle you’d find on Google.
Bob’s tour starts at the picture-perfect Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Gardens, once named the world’s best urban garden in the world by National Geographic, and the value is obvious from the get-go. The tour, which is around AU$122, ensures you aren’t just walking around aimlessly taking photos for the ‘Gram and ignoring all the many subtle, symbolic details that help deepen an understanding of Chinese culture.
Holistic, symbolic design is a big part of what makes the garden a microcosm of Chinese cultural beliefs, and so Bob will point out the intention behind even the smallest details that go largely unnoticed by tourists. Building up that story in your head and connecting the dots is an invaluable way to understand why this transportive garden, where pin-drop tranquillity is given, exists in the first place. Right in the heart of Downtown Vancouver nonetheless.
I took a condensed version of the tour due to time constraints, but the four-hour walk around Chinatown will fill you with barbequed meats, live seafood, pastries, teas and even take you through all the essential Cooking tools and herbal remedies that are deeply embedded in Chinese herbal medicine. Most importantly, Bob helps you understand the history of Chinese immigration in British Columbia and the role this played in Vancouver’s development.
The highlight stop: New Town Bakery, where the oversized BBQ pork buns are so big and delicious that they’re called “Chinese burgers.”
Plus, if it wasn’t for Bob I wouldn’t have discovered what is now the first restaurant I’m going to next time I end up in Vancouver. That is, Phnom Penh, a Bib gourmand institution with almost 100 Cambodian and Vietnamese dishes. It’s hard to reserve but they do takeout, and the butter beef. The generous plate of rare marinated beef is delicately thin and served on a bed of fried garlic, cilantro and housemade sauce.
3. Try not to trip in Gastown
To the west side of Vancouver’s chaotically busy waterfront is the lush, wide-open spaces of Stanley Park. And to the immediate east: what I guess could be considered the city’s Old Town. Gastown is the most recognisable neighbourhood in Downtown Vancouver because of its historical brick buildings and cobblestoned streets.
As such, there’s plenty of character providing a nice little frame for all those top-tier coffee shops, boutiques and casual eats. Yes, stop by the steam clock. The horological masterpiece dates back to 1977 and is one of the only fully functioning steam-powered clocks in the world remaining. It’s worth seeing. But there’s also a lot more to do around these streets, aside from the obvious tourist-trap shops and overpriced restaurants.
I tend to start every morning in Gastown simply because this is where I’ve found the best coffee in the city. Head on straight to Revolver with its dynamic coffee program always touting something new. But Nemesis Coffee and Timbertrain are also good shouts if you want to know why the Pacific Northwest does coffee unlike anywhere else in North America. Hawaii’s famous Kona coffee aside.
Strut around the cobblestoned streets to start the day. But the reason I like waking up in Gastown is it’s also just an easy walk to both the CBD and Stanley Park. Don’t bother going further east unless you’re in an Uber. That immediate stretch of E Hastings is not a nice area.
4. UBC
The University of British Columbia is a literal breath of fresh air. The hip campus is surrounded by forest and ocean, making it easily one of the most picturesque areas in town. And one that not many tourists visit, given it’s a university campus. But the neighbourhood around it has plenty of great spots to eat and drink.
That said, the reason I love UBC so much is the newly reopened Museum of Anthropology. Mexico may have the more world-renowned anthropological institution, but this beautiful building houses such an extraordinary collection of tribal artefacts and objects that you could spend hours here and still fascinating things to see.
The Great Hall hosts some incredible First Nations creations, including unforgettable totems that reach from the floor and rocket towards the ceiling. Try and align your visit with some free cultural performances and don’t forget to take a walk behind the museum. Arthur Erickson’s beautiful architecture set against the forest is an unforgettable sight in a city where such cinematic beauty is only a matter of looking up.
5. Kitsilano
Known to locals as “Kits,” this celeb-studded beachside neighbourhood is typically the first suggestion you’ll get if you ask any young Vancouverite where they like to spend most of their time. The sense of community out here is stronger than in most Vancouver neighbourhoods, with big-hearted service and a seemingly endless row of colourful cafes, broken up only by contemporary yoga and fitness studios.
Quiet, leafy, lined with beautiful historic houses. Kits ticks all the boxes for Vancouver’s prettiest neighbourhood, but the real stunner is the beach with its direct views of the mountain. Spend some time here, grab a bite at local favourite Fiore Famglia and then catch one of the False Creek ferries over to Granville Island.
You wouldn’t find a travel guide in Vancouver that doesn’t mention this boho fabulous island with its industrial bones transformed into warehouses full of restaurants, food halls, waterfront breweries and performance venues. It’s hard to find late-night culture outside of the West End in Vancouver, so make sure you check what’s on at the Improv Centre and the Arts Club Theatre while you’re there.
Where should I stay in Vancouver?
Fairmont Waterfront | REVIEW
Vancouver is dominated by Accor’s historic Fairmont brand. There are no less than four Fairmont hotels in the city – with one at the international airport – and they are all incredibly different from one another. I’ve stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront twice now and would pick that as my favourite, with its incredible picture windows looking out over the Coast Mountains and Vancouver’s frenetic harbour. Laying in bed and watching all the seaplanes land while cargo ships slowly pace by is a swift reminder of Vancouver’s beauty.
The food is great too. Arc Dining has the single best breakfast I’ve had in Canada, with brekkie poutine a must. Although it’s the Wagyu burger with foie gras that’s the real stunner here; better than you’d expect with locally sourced beef.
The Paradox Hotel | REVIEW
The oversized suites with wraparound balconies at The Paradox Hotel are easily the most generous accommodations in Vancouver. If you want space, this ritzy, influencer favourite is a no-brainer. The beautiful, elegant design completely papers up the building’s garish past as a Trump International Hotel. Now The Paradox is a tasteful, well-located hotel just a short walk from the CBD on Vancouver’s luxury shopping strip.
It’s a scene-to-be-seen type of hotel, with Mansions nightclub popular amongst locals and an incredible pool terrace with a hot tub. I’ve never seen a Canadian hotel where the cutting-edge nightclub has an indoor pool built into the floor (it’s covered during events) as well, so stay here if you’re planning on fitting some nightlife into your trip. You’ll also find only one of two Mott 32 restaurants in North America here (the other is in Las Vegas).
The author explored Vancouver as a guest of Destination British Columbia.
