Things to do in Vancouver

Walk-through holographic wildlife attraction beside BC Place with rotating shows such as Dinosaurs, Underwater and Asia.

Granville Island's original whale watching company, running 3 to 5 hour trips for orcas and humpbacks from April through October.

Vancouver's famous 460-foot suspension bridge above the Capilano River, with treetop walkways and a cliffside walk.

Scheduled and charter flights linking Bellingham, Anacortes and Seattle to the San Juan Islands, plus scenic air tours.

Whale watching boat tours from Victoria's harbour in search of orcas, humpbacks and other marine wildlife.

Whale and marine wildlife boat tours departing from Victoria and Vancouver in search of orcas and humpbacks.

North Vancouver mountain resort with an aerial tramway, hiking trails, wildlife viewing and a mountaintop bike park.

A 55-acre National Historic Site of Canada near Victoria with sunken, rose, Japanese and Italian display gardens.

Victoria's flagship museum showcasing British Columbia's natural and human history.

Chamber of commerce for the isolated US exclave community of Point Roberts, reachable overland only through Canada.

Horse-drawn carriage rides through Vancouver's Stanley Park.

Outdoor Shakespeare festival performing under tents at Vanier Park each summer.

Full-hookup RV campground near the Capilano River with a pool and hot tub.

Canada's first museum dedicated to Chinese Canadian history and culture.

Hop-on hop-off trolley tours through downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park, and Granville Island with onboard commentary.

Scenic seaplane flights and scheduled floatplane routes departing downtown Vancouver's Coal Harbour.

Narrated boat tours and dinner or brunch cruises around Vancouver's harbour and Indian Arm fjord.

Small-group sightseeing tours from Vancouver to Capilano Suspension Bridge, Victoria, Whistler, and other BC destinations.

Open-air designer outlet mall near Vancouver International Airport with about 80 brand-name stores.

Interactive science museum in Vancouver's iconic geodesic dome, with hands-on exhibits and an Omnimax theatre.

Aerial gondola near Squamish rising to alpine viewpoints, a suspension bridge and hiking trails.

Floatplane airline offering scheduled flights and scenic sightseeing tours over Vancouver and the Gulf Islands.

Helicopter tour operator flying scenic and backcountry flights over Vancouver and the coastal mountains.

Official visitor guide to the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia: Salt Spring, Galiano, Mayne, Pender and Saturna.

Indigenous cultural centre in Whistler sharing Squamish and Lil'wat Nations art, history and guided tours.

Vancouver sightseeing tour operator running day trips to Whistler, Victoria and around the city.

Official visitor guide to Bowen Island, a short ferry ride from Vancouver in Howe Sound.

See Northwest Coast First Nations art, totem poles and global ethnographic collections at UBC's museum of anthropology.

The board that runs Vancouver's public parks, including Stanley Park, VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory.

Boat tours from Steveston into the Salish Sea to spot orcas, humpback whales and other marine wildlife.

Official visitor guide for North Vancouver and West Vancouver, across the water from downtown Vancouver.

Guided canyoning trips rappelling past waterfalls and sliding through pools near Vancouver and Squamish.

Hop-on hop-off and guided sightseeing tours covering Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler.

Ride an underground mine train and pan for gold at this former copper mine turned National Historic Site.

Bellingham-based whale watching and San Juan Islands cruise operator sailing the Salish Sea.

Elevated boardwalk trail through a rainforest canyon to Mamquam Falls near Squamish.

Waterfront center renting kayaks, SUPs, boats and jet skis with guided paddle and boat tours on Howe Sound.

Canada's largest aquarium in Stanley Park, home to more than 65,000 animals across indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Western Canada's leading public art museum with more than 13,000 works in downtown Vancouver.

Greater Vancouver's largest shopping mall, with about 450 stores, a big food court and direct SkyTrain access in Burnaby, BC.

A Saturday farmers and artisans market of about 60 Vancouver Island vendors at Menzies and Superior streets, a short walk from the BC Parliament Buildings.

Three- to five-hour whale-watching trips from downtown Nanaimo's waterfront into the Salish Sea by open Zodiac or semi-covered boat, with a whale-sighting guarantee.

A 100-acre open-air forestry museum in Duncan with narrow-gauge train rides, 1930s logging-camp buildings, a Ranger Station and forest and marsh trails.

Regional tourism association for Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast, operating the vancouverisland.travel guide from a Nanaimo office.

Municipal hall of Langford, the fast-growing West Shore city outside Victoria that is home to Goldstream Provincial Park, Bear Mountain and Starlight Stadium.

Wildlife rehabilitation centre near Parksville where visitors see more than 60 non-releasable eagles, owls, hawks and black bears, open daily 9 am to 4:30 pm.

Seasonal exhibition and retail gallery in historic Mahon Hall in Ganges, showing fine art and craft by more than 100 Salt Spring and Gulf Islands artists since 1968.

Indoor tropical jungle in Brentwood Bay with thousands of free-flying butterflies from up to 70 species, plus flamingos, parrots, poison dart frogs and tortoises.

Volunteer-staffed visitor centre on Lower Ganges Road in Ganges, home base of the Chamber's free Salt Spring Island Visitor Guide and fold-out island map.

Guided caving tours in Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park near Qualicum Beach, from a family-friendly cave walk to a five-hour rappelling adventure.

Donation-based natural history and cultural arts museum in a former Maple Bay school, with a woolly mammoth skeleton and artifacts from around the world.

Chamber-run visitor centre in downtown Ganges, open daily, where staff and volunteers help plan Salt Spring Island beaches, dining and attractions.

Non-profit destination office for Oak Bay, Victoria's seaside neighbourhood of village shops, beaches, golf, kayaking and whale watching, 3 km from downtown.

Small-group van tours of Salt Spring Island led by a local guide, visiting artist studios, farms, a cheesemaker and Gulf Islands viewpoints from Ganges.

Family-founded whale watching operator at Fisherman's Wharf in Victoria, running 3.5 to 4 hour Salish Sea trips year-round with a whales-guaranteed policy.

Victorian-era mansion of coal baron Robert Dunsmuir in Victoria, a National Historic Site restored to show 1890s life over four floors and 87 stairs.

Delta craft brewery whose taproom pours fresh beer alongside handmade tacos and burgers daily from 11 am, with growler fills and off-sales.

Birds-of-prey centre near Duncan on Vancouver Island with daily flying demonstrations, hawk walks and hands-on encounters with eagles, hawks and owls.

Municipal hall of Saanich, Greater Victoria's most populous district, home to Mount Douglas (PKOLS), Mount Tolmie and the beaches of Cadboro and Cordova Bay.

More than 85 miniature dioramas and model railways inside the Fairmont Empress on Victoria's Inner Harbour, from 1880s dollhouses to space scenes.

Volunteer-staffed visitor centre on Beacon Avenue in Sidney by the Sea, the seaside town next to Victoria's airport and the BC Ferries terminal.

Family-run lavender farm, artisan distillery and botanical studio on Salt Spring Island, with a farm shop of oils, perfumes and skincare and distilling workshops.

Seventy-acre seaside estate near Qualicum Beach with old-growth Douglas-fir trails, ten acres of rare rhododendrons and tea in the historic Milner House.

Horse-drawn carriage tours of Victoria's Inner Harbour, Legislative Buildings, James Bay and Beacon Hill Park, departing from a kiosk on Belleville Street since 1903.

Zodiac-style boat tours of Vancouver's waterfront departing from Granville Island, covering Coal Harbour, English Bay, False Creek and Stanley Park in 90 minutes.

Rent an e-bike or join a guided ride from Ogden Point along Victoria's coastline, through Beacon Hill Park and past landmarks.