Field cards · 23 towns and neighbourhoods · checked 17 Oct 2026
Start here · Town
Base yourself in Deep Cove for early paddles and the Quarry Rock walk before the day crowd arrives.
Sunny weekends fill the lots early, so ride the 211.
Painted after a photo by Jennifer C, CC BY 2.0.
Chapter 01 · 3 places
Central Lonsdale suits visitors who want to eat and swim where North Vancouver locals do. Lonsdale Avenue here is the heart of the city's Persian community, and the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre opened at 23rd Street in July 2026.
Ride the 229 or the 230 down the hill to the SeaBus.
Lower Lonsdale is the easiest base in North Vancouver for a trip without a car, because the SeaBus crosses from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay in 12 minutes and all three of the neighbourhood's hotels stand within about 400 metres of the terminal.
Upper Lonsdale suits hikers and mountain bikers who want a residential base close to the Baden-Powell Trail and the Mount Fromme trails at the top of Lonsdale Avenue.
Leave a trip plan with someone before you ride Mount Fromme.
Chapter 02 · 3 places
Ambleside is West Vancouver's beach neighbourhood near the north end of the Lions Gate Bridge, and it suits a slow day out from downtown Vancouver with a sandy beach at the foot of 13th Street and lunch a short walk up on Marine Drive. West Van has few hotel rooms, so most visitors ride the 250 bus over for the day and sleep in Vancouver.
The 250 from Georgia Street stops at 17th for the museum.
Dundarave is West Vancouver's beach village at the foot of 25th Street, and it suits a morning on the Centennial Seawalk followed by coffee or a long lunch beside the pier.
Horseshoe Bay is the ferry village at the western tip of West Vancouver, and it suits anyone with a sailing to catch who wants fish and chips on Bay Street first.
Troll's opens at 8 am, in time for a morning sailing.
Chapter 03 · 4 places
Chinatown suits a half day of history and eating on foot. The Dr.
The garden allows handheld cameras only, so leave the tripod.
Gastown suits a first night in Vancouver built around dinner and a cocktail, and the Gastown BIA puts it a five-minute walk from the cruise terminal at Canada Place.
The West End suits a slow stay with kids or a dog, because English Bay Beach and the Stanley Park seawall sit at the end of its streets.
The Sylvia discounts weekly stays from November to March.
Yaletown suits a short city stay built on patio dinners and the False Creek seawall, and TransLink's table puts Yaletown–Roundhouse station 23 minutes from YVR–Airport.
Chapter 04 · 3 places
Creekside suits skiers who want a quieter Whistler base with its own gondola up Whistler Mountain. It sits 5 km south of Whistler Village, so a night out in the Village means a car, a bus or a hotel shuttle.
Reserve the Creekside stop when you book the Skylynx.
Pemberton suits backcountry skiers and riders who want a farm village half an hour north of Whistler, with Whistler Blackcomb 37 minutes away on the commuter bus.
Population 3,407
Whistler Village suits skiers and snowboarders who want to walk from bed to the gondolas and from the lifts to dinner.
Book Araxi or Bar Oso when you book the room.
Shorter chapters
Chapter 05 · 1 place
Edgemont Village is the low-rise high street of Upper Capilano in the District of North Vancouver, and it suits families and couples who want Grouse Mountain and Capilano Suspension Bridge Park a short bus ride away.
Ride the 246, then change to the 232 for the Grouse Skyride.
Chapter 06 · 1 place
Lynn Valley is the District of North Vancouver's town centre at Lynn Valley Road and Mountain Highway, and it suits walkers and mountain bikers who want Lynn Canyon Park and Lynn Headwaters Regional Park up the road.
The 210 comes up from Burrard Station with no SeaBus change.
Chapter 07 · 2 places
Deep Cove is the District of North Vancouver's small waterfront village at the mouth of Indian Arm, and it suits anyone after a slow day on the water with a doughnut on Gallant Avenue afterwards.
Sunny weekends fill the lots early, so ride the 211.
Parkgate in the District of North Vancouver suits Mount Seymour skiers and Deep Cove visitors who need a supermarket run or the resort's winter shuttle, and its trade-off is a suburban shopping plaza on Mount Seymour Parkway where errands come before atmosphere.
Chapter 08 · 1 place
Kitsilano suits couples and families who want a beach neighbourhood on English Bay with cafés along West 4th Avenue, and the trade-off is a bus ride downtown, because the SkyTrain extension under Broadway is scheduled to reach Arbutus Street in late 2027.
Population 43,045
For the winter market, park on West 12th or West Broadway.
Chapter 09 · 2 places
Commercial Drive suits travellers who want Little Italy's espresso bars and a SkyTrain hub on the same East Vancouver street, and the trade-off is distance from the beaches on the city's west side.
Take the Expo Line to Commercial–Broadway and walk north.
Main Street suits food lovers and vintage shoppers who want Michelin-listed cooking and brewery taprooms within walking distance in Mount Pleasant and Riley Park, and the trade-off is distance from the water, since downtown Vancouver and the beaches sit a bus or SkyTrain ride away.
Chapter 10 · 1 place
Steveston suits families and seafood lovers who want a working fishing harbour at the mouth of the Fraser River, where boats sell their catch from the public sales float, and the trade-off is distance, because downtown Vancouver sits a Canada Line ride and a bus away.
The catch on the sales float changes daily, so check first.
Chapter 11 · 1 place
Snug Cove suits walkers and families who want a slow island day in Howe Sound, because the BC Ferries boat from Horseshoe Bay docks in the village after a 20-minute crossing.
Walk on if you can, since the Bowen route takes no bookings.
Chapter 12 · 1 place
Squamish suits climbers and mountain bikers who want a working town at the head of Howe Sound, and the YVR Skylynx coach gets there in an hour from downtown Vancouver.
Population 23,819
Reserve the Squamish stop when you book the Skylynx seat.
23 towns and neighbourhoods
