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Vancouver

PopulationVancouver’s population is approximately 642,843.
Currency The Canadian Dollar (CAN$). Current exchange rate: CAN$1.53
Tipping Service industry professionals in Canada rely on tips to supplement an otherwise low income. Taxi drivers and waiters are generally given a minimum 10-15% tip, which is generally not included on the bill.
Language Canada is bilingual but the primary spoken language is English (unless you are in Québec where the primary spoken language is Québécois French).
Passports & Visas British citizens travelling to Canada require a full 10 year passport, which should be valid for at least six months after travel dates.
Transportation Vancouver has an award winning transportation system, which includes electric powered and traditional buses, a sea bus, and Sky Train. The best way to see downtown Vancouver is as a pedestrian; city centre parking can be quite expensive and driving downtown can be rather stressful, especially during peak periods. Thanks to the 2010 Olympics, the very convenient Sky Train now runs from Vancouver International Airport right into downtown Vancouver near many major hotels. The Sky Train can also take you further out into the Greater Vancouver Area all the way to New Westminster (the original capital of B.C.). Ferries to Vancouver Island and smaller islands off the coast can be caught from Tsawwassen (about an hour from downtown Vancouver), or from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver.If you are looking to travel to other destinations from Vancouver, Pacific Central Station is home to Via Rail and Amtrak train services which can take you further into Canada or down through the US.
Climate Vancouver is situated on the West Coast of British Columbia in a pacific rainforest, often nicknamed the “Wet Coast”. From October to April it is generally very rainy and cool, while the summer months can be warm and dry, occasionally resulting in moderate drought conditions. In general Vancouver is very temperate, with temperatures very rarely reaching extreme highs or lows.
Ideal Times to Travel Vancouver is at its shining best in the summer months usually from the end of June through September, when the rain takes a break and sunshine shows off the city’s true beauty and architecture. This is also the time of year when Vancouver enters Festival season and there are many great things to do and see. It also stays light quite late which makes for enjoyable summer Vancouver holiday nights. If you love to ski or snowboard you may wish to visit in the winter months! Vancouver is quite near to several spectacular mountain slopes including Grouse Mountain, Cypress Mountain, and Whistler /Blackcomb.
Top Attractions Stanley Park is nestled right beside downtown Vancouver and is a 400 hectare (1,000 acre) haven of evergreen trees and beautiful beaches. It is Vancouver’s first park and a very popular place to visit. It features a 5.5 mile (8.8 km) Sea Wall which makes a wonderful walking and cycling path, stretching around the park giving you the chance to walk or bike beside the spectacular Burrard Inlet with beautiful trees towering overhead and city skylines in view across the waters. Inside the park is a children’s zoo open year round, a miniature railway, and a water park.

In the summer months Stanley Park offers outdoor theatre with “Theatre Under the Stars” at the Malkin Bowl, or “dance at dusk” at Ceperely Meadow. Local artists can often be seen painting or sculpting in the park. Dining in Stanley Park is a great experience, with locations offering spectacular ocean views or views of some of the amazing flower gardens and forests. In the winter, Stanley Park hosts Bright Nights Christmas light display and a Christmas Train. Also found inside the Park is The Vancouver Aquarium, Canada’s largest aquarium!

Vancouver Planetarium makes for a great visit with educational programmes as well as late night music laser shows featuring music from Radiohead, Pink Floyd, U2 and other favourites.

Right in the heart of downtown Vancouver you’ll find The Vancouver Art Gallery, home to rotating collections of historical and modern art and a special local collection from West Coast artists The Group of Seven, including art by British Columbian art hero, Emily Carr.

The Museum of Anthropology at UBC features an unrivalled display of totem poles and local First Nations art, as well as revealing a people’s history of British Columbia and Vancouver.

Lighthouse Park is a popular park in West Vancouver, situated over the Lions Gate Bridge a short drive or bus journey from downtown Vancouver. It is a gorgeous local treasure, a mostly untouched pacific rainforest with marked walking paths leading you past gorgeous old growth trees, and putting you close to spectacular west coast cliffs and scenery. There is also a nature house that children may enjoy, open during the summer months.

Granville Island is an artistic, creative hub home of the Arts Club of Vancouver, Vancouver Theatre Sports League and in October, the Vancouver International Writer’s Festival. You will also find a bustling farmers market, and the Granville Island Brewery which features locally brewed ales. It’s located near south side of the Granville Street Bridge.

One of Vancouver’s favourite city treasures is Gastown, a national historic site located at the Northeast end of Downtown near the old Pacific Railway Station now homne to Sky Train and Sea Bus terminals. Gastown was Vancouver’s first downtown core. It features historic lampposts, cobbled roads, and an iconic steam clock. Gastown maintains its steam era character while embracing modern art and culture. Gastown features a very popular local brewpub, Steamworks, along with many unique restaurants and shops.

Directly across the water from Gastown (a 15 minute sea bus ride away) is North Vancouver’s Lonsdale Quay Market: an eclectic, multicultural food market mixed with craft and clothing boutiques and seafood restaurants, plus a popular English style pub – The Cheshire Cheese.

Travelling further away from downtown and up into the hills you’ll find Grouse Mountain where you can take a relaxing Sky Tram ride up to the peak and enjoy fine dining and nature walks in the summer or skiing, snowboarding, or sledding in the winter months.

Just an hour and a half drive up the picturesque sea-to-sky highway, you’ll find Whistler where you can enjoy skiing, snowboarding, hiking, mountain biking and other sport while staying in a beautiful alpine resort town home to two gorgeous mountains: Whistler & Blackcomb (which hosted several events for the 2010 Olympics).
Local Culture Vancouver is still a young, growing city. It is framed by beautiful mountains, trees, and beaches. This beautiful scenery has had an impact on local attitudes and culture. Most Vancouverites are very friendly and the general mood is far more laid back than other large Canadian cities. This is in part due to the more temperate Vancouver weather and the prominence of outdoor sport & leisure. Local sports include: cycling, swimming, rowing, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, sailing, mountain biking, hiking, equestrian, and winter sport. Even at its business core, Vancouver is generally more relaxed than other metropolitan centres. It is multi-cultural and embraces its diversity with many year-round cultural festivities. Vancouver also has a vibrant and growing arts scene which includes live comedy, theatre, dance, and art, including gorgeous First Nations painting and sculpture. Vancouver is often called Hollywood North due to the prevalence of film and television production in the region.
ShoppingRobson is a trendy street for shopping on sunny days boasting a variety of popular clothing and shoe shops and a few trendy restaurants. For rainy days, your best option is the indoor Pacific Centre. If you’re looking for a more interesting shopping experience you’ll want to visit Gastown, or travel across the Burrard Inlet via sea bus to visit the Lonsdale Quay Market for some great market food and eclectic local shops.
Whats OnEarly June brings the Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival, a very popular and unique festival promoting Canada’s diverse multi-cultural heritage. The festival presents visual and culinary arts from China, along with a colourful and exciting rowing race along the river. From the end of June to early July, Vancouver hosts the world renowned Vancouver International Jazz Festival with venues all over the city and surrounding areas, it is considered a must-see event which many look forward to every year.

Also during the summer months is the Celebration of Light Fireworks Festival, an International firework competition during which countries compete to create the most exciting fireworks display to music.If you decide to travel to Vancouver over the autumn and winter months you may be interested in the Vancouver International Writer’s Festival, which takes place on Granville Island in October. Or if travelling to Vancouver over Christmas, you’ll want to see the VanDusen Gardens Festival of Lights, a beautiful and enchanting display of lights in VanDusen’s award winning botanical gardens.
Historical ContextVancouver began modestly when the Hudson Bay Company (based near Ontario) sent traders west to set up trading posts around the Pacific coast. British Columbia’s first Fort, Fort Langley, was built in 1827 as a hub for trading, which became the very beginning of the Greater Vancouver area. Fur Trading was the main focal point, followed by salted salmon. In 1858 everything changed as gold was discovered in the nearby Fraser River. As news of gold travelled to California, the area was quickly flooded with American prospectors. In at attempt to prevent American takeover, the area was quickly declared a British Colony, along with Vancouver Island. However, Vancouver as we know it did not truly develop until the onset of the logging industry, which began in 1862. Still, Vancouver did not join Canada officially until 1871, when they were assured that entry into the Confederation would bring the national railway to the west coast.

15 years later the railway brought many settlers to Vancouver and saw its expansion toward the coast, leading to the development of what we know as Vancouver today. Vancouver continues to be a hub for logging and fishing industries and remains very proud of its numerous natural resources. Vancouver’s continuation as centre of trade has resulted in a diverse multi-cultural heritage, of which many of the city’s inhabitants are very proud.