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North Van Guide is an independent guide to North Vancouver, the rest of Vancouver's North Shore and the day trips from it. We compile it from official sources and measure the runs, trails and drives from open map data.

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Lonsdale and the Shipyards
Capilano and Grouse
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Downtown and Stanley Park
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49°19′ N 123°05′ W · Lonsdale Quay

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North Van Guide

Explore Snow Trails Eat & drink Stay Makers Journal

Downtown and Stanley Park

49°17′ N 123°08′ WVancouver9 sights4 towns14 eat & drink6 stays4 markets1 day trip7 events

Photo by Albert Stoynov on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery

9 in Downtown and Stanley Park

Sights

Brass doors and teal lettering mark the Hornby Street entrance of the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art.

A lawn and vine-covered arcade fill the Cathedral Place courtyard beside the Bill Reid Gallery downtown.

Bill Reid Gallery

City of Vancouver

Gallery$15

Pink clouds drift over the white sails of Canada Place and the Harbour Centre tower at sunset on Burrard Inlet.

A Celebrity cruise ship lies at the Canada Place terminal with the port cranes and North Shore mountains beyond.

Canada Place

City of Vancouver

LandmarkFree

A red pavilion and pines stand over the still jade pond at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden on a December afternoon.

A pavilion with upturned eaves and a willow stand over the pond of the classical Chinese garden in Chinatown.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Chinatown · City of Vancouver

Garden$16

Lamps light the promenade of Canada Place at night where FlyOver Canada sits under the sails.

Curved glass panels on the Canada Place building on Vancouver's downtown waterfront.

Flyover in Vancouver

City of Vancouver

Flight ride$3160 min

Science World's geodesic dome glows blue over the still water of False Creek on a December night.

Science World's dome glows purple at night and doubles in False Creek beside the curving seawall.

Science World

City of Vancouver

Science centre$37.502 hours

Snow falls on a stone balustrade and the bare trees along the water in Stanley Park.

The Lions Gate Bridge spans Burrard Inlet below Stanley Park in the view from the Cypress Bowl Road lookout.

Stanley Park

City of Vancouver

ParkFree

A moon jelly drifts through blue light in a tank at the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park.

Visitors queue under the curved canopy at the entrance of the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park.

Vancouver Aquarium

City of Vancouver

Aquarium$41.951.5 hours

A magnolia blooms beside the Georgia Street steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery below the Hotel Vancouver.

The glass dome over the Robson Square ice rink glows at night across Robson Street from the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Vancouver Art Gallery

City of Vancouver

Gallery$35

4 in Downtown and Stanley Park

Towns and neighbourhoods

Snow weighs down the trees above the red lanterns and lamp posts of a Chinatown street in Vancouver.

A painted dragon head chases its pearl along a Chinatown street during Vancouver's Lunar New Year parade.

Chinatown

City of Vancouver

NeighbourhoodDowntown and Stanley Park

The Gastown Steam Clock lets off steam over Water Street on a rainy winter day.

Lights glow in the trees on a wet night along Water Street in Gastown below the red-lit Harbour Centre tower.

Gastown

City of Vancouver

NeighbourhoodDowntown and Stanley Park

Fresh snow coats the North Shore mountains above the West End towers and the sailboats moored in English Bay.

Walkers follow the seawall path past the logs on English Bay Beach in low February sun.

West End

City of Vancouver

NeighbourhoodDowntown and Stanley Park

Late sun lights False Creek and the towers of Yaletown and downtown below the snowy North Shore peaks.

Low sun lights the downtown towers across False Creek as snow covers the roofs and docks in the foreground.

Yaletown

City of Vancouver

NeighbourhoodDowntown and Stanley Park

14 in Downtown and Stanley Park

Places to eat and drink

All eat & drink

Old brick facades and hanging baskets line a Gastown street below the Harbour Centre tower.

Photo of Gastown

Ask for Luigi

Gastown · City of Vancouver

Restaurant$$$

Rain wets the street outside the Chinese Benevolent Association building and its red awnings in Chinatown.

Photo of Chinatown

Bao Bei

Chinatown · City of Vancouver

Restaurant$$$

A pavilion with upturned eaves and a willow stand over the pond of the classical Chinese garden in Chinatown.

Photo of Chinatown

Barbara

Chinatown · City of Vancouver

Restaurant$$$$

Snow covers the North Shore mountains above downtown Vancouver's towers and BC Place at dawn.

Photo of Downtown and Stanley Park

Botanist

City of Vancouver

Restaurant$$$$

Low sun lights the downtown towers across False Creek as snow covers the roofs and docks in the foreground.

Photo of Yaletown

Elisa

Yaletown · City of Vancouver

Restaurant$$$$

A fried whole fish with a dipping sauce on a candlelit table at Kissa Tanto in Chinatown.

Kissa Tanto's neon KT sign hangs over a navy awning on a brick block in Vancouver's Chinatown.

Kissa Tanto

Chinatown · City of Vancouver

Restaurant$$$$

Evening sun warms the Hotel Europe flatiron where Powell and Alexander streets meet in Gastown.

Photo of Gastown

L'Abattoir

Gastown · City of Vancouver

Restaurant$$$$

Crowds gather in front of Opus Hotel in Yaletown as coloured light plays across its facade.

Photo of Yaletown

Okeya Kyujiro

Yaletown · City of Vancouver

Restaurant$$$$

6 in Downtown and Stanley Park

Places to stay

Coloured stars and a tree of blue lights cover St. Paul's Hospital across Burrard Street for Lights of Hope.

The Burrard hotel on Burrard Street with its teal neon sign above the street.

The Burrard

West End · City of Vancouver

Boutique hotel$$$221.76

Fairmont Pacific Rim at night with windows lit in a heart shape above the entrance.

Diners sit under a sculpted paper light in the window-lined dining room of the Fairmont Pacific Rim.

Fairmont Pacific Rim

City of Vancouver

Hotel$$$$

Brick entrance and garden frontage of HI Vancouver Downtown hostel with its peace pole.

Brick front of HI Vancouver Downtown on Burnaby Street with flowering trees in spring.

HI Vancouver Downtown

West End · City of Vancouver

Hostel$$42.75

Coloured light patterns cover the windows on the Opus Hotel facade in Yaletown.

Crowds gather in front of Opus Hotel in Yaletown as coloured light plays across its facade.

Opus Vancouver

Yaletown · City of Vancouver

Boutique hotel$$$$319

Brick heritage facade of Skwachays Lodge on Vancouver's Water Street with a carved totem on the roofline.

Skwachays Lodge on West Pender Street in late sun with its carved pole above the cornice.

Skwachays Lodge

Chinatown · City of Vancouver

Boutique hotel

Fog glows under the street lamps along Beach Avenue and the English Bay lawn on a December night.

The Sylvia Hotel on Beach Avenue stands in December sun with its winter ivy bare across the brick.

Sylvia Hotel

West End · City of Vancouver

Hotel$$$179

4 in Downtown and Stanley Park

Markets

Glass ornaments shaped like owls and houses hang on a stall at the Circle Craft Christmas Market in Vancouver.

Hand-carved wooden animals and palm trees fill a maker's shelf at the Circle Craft Christmas Market in Vancouver.

Circle Craft Holiday Market

City of Vancouver

Nov 11 to Nov 15, 2026

Red Farmers Markets tents and a stall table on the paved square at the Downtown Farmers Market.

Downtown Farmers Market

City of Vancouver

May 13 to Dec 23, 2026Wed 14:00–18:00

Wooden stalls and a lit Christmas pyramid fill Jack Poole Plaza at the Vancouver Christmas Market at night.

Lit trees and wooden stalls of the Vancouver Christmas Market stand below the Olympic Cauldron on Jack Poole Plaza.

Vancouver Christmas Market

City of Vancouver

Nov 16 to Dec 24, 2026

Shoppers walk between rows of tents at the West End Farmers Market on Comox Street

Stalls line the street at the West End Farmers Market with downtown towers behind

West End Farmers Market

West End · City of Vancouver

West EndMay 2 to Oct 31, 2026Sat 09:00–14:00

1 in Downtown and Stanley Park

Day trips

Late sun warms the Fairmont Empress and the sailboats moored in Victoria's Inner Harbour.

Flower baskets line the Inner Harbour Causeway in Victoria with the BC Parliament Buildings beyond.

Victoria

Downtown and Stanley Park

Seaplane 35 minLast home 9:00 pm

7 in Downtown and Stanley Park

Events and seasons

A runner raises a fist under the blue finish arch of the BMO Vancouver Marathon as the clock reads 3:38.

A BMO Vancouver Marathon half-marathon finisher's medal rests on its blue ribbon on a wooden bench.

BMO Vancouver Marathon

City of Vancouver

RaceMay 2, 2027

Dancers in red carry a golden dragon down a Chinatown street during Vancouver's Lunar New Year parade.

A painted dragon head chases its pearl along a Chinatown street during Vancouver's Lunar New Year parade.

Dates projected

Chinatown Spring Festival Parade

Chinatown · City of Vancouver

FestivalFeb 7, 2027

Coloured stars and a tree of blue lights cover St. Paul's Hospital across Burrard Street for Lights of Hope.

Thousands of lights and stars cover the facade of St. Paul's Hospital on Burrard Street for Lights of Hope.

Lights of Hope at St. Paul's Hospital

City of Vancouver

LightsNov 12, 2026

Hundreds of swimmers splash into English Bay below the West End towers at the 2025 Polar Bear Swim.

Dates projected

Vancouver Polar Bear Swim

West End · City of Vancouver

FestivalJan 1, 2027

Pink cherry blossoms frame the glass towers of downtown Vancouver under a clear blue spring sky.

Cherry trees in bloom arch over the False Creek seawall as cyclists and walkers pass the marina at dusk.

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

City of Vancouver

FestivalMar 27, 2026

Snow covers the North Shore mountains above downtown Vancouver's towers and BC Place at dawn.

Photo of Downtown and Stanley Park

Vancouver International Wine Festival

City of Vancouver

FoodMar 6, 2027

Marchers in rainbow balloon costumes walk past Davie Street in the 2014 Vancouver Pride Parade.

Dates projected

Vancouver Pride Parade

City of Vancouver

FestivalAug 1, 2027

41 places on the map

Find your way around Downtown and Stanley Park

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In the journal and guides

Read more about Downtown and Stanley Park

Can you do Whistler in a day without a car?
Yes. In winter 2026/27 the coaches leave downtown Vancouver from 6:00 am, and the last ones home leave Whistler at 7:00 pm or later, for $42 to $44 return.
How do you get from YVR to North Vancouver?
Ride the Canada Line to Waterfront and the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay for $11.60 on a weekday or $10.00 after 6:30 pm and at weekends. Take a taxi after the last Sunday boat or when the skis come too.
How do you plan the nights before and after a Vancouver cruise?
Sleep within a walk or a SeaBus ride of Canada Place the night before you sail, and come in from YVR on the Canada Line. After you land, the park shuttle to the Capilano Suspension Bridge will hold your bags for the day.
Should you stay in North Vancouver or downtown Vancouver?
Lower Lonsdale wins when your days point north to Grouse and the canyons, and the SeaBus that links it to downtown costs an adult $5.10 at most in 2026.