city   guide.

vancouver

NEIGHBOURHOODS

DOWNTOWN

Home to Robson Street, one of Vancouver’s oldest commercial streets situated in the heart of Downtown. Emerging luxury retail district on Alberni Street.

CHINATOWN

North America's third-largest Chinatown, known for its buzzing food scene, vivid colours and vibrant culture. Some cool boutiques, but not tons of shopping.

GASTOWN

This stylish neighbourhood is one of Vancouver’s most vibrant and distinctive areas, known for its narrow cobblestone lanes. A diverse mix of retail and dining options plus a bubbling creative and tech scene.

GRANVILLE ISLAND

Situated right under the Granville Bridge. The Granville Island Public Market is a hub of activity, in one of the city’s most important cultural districts, with theatres and artisan workshops.

KITSILANO

Close to Downtown and the beach, West 4th Avenue is a well-known shopping destination with specialist food stores, cool fashion boutiques, gift shops, endless yoga studios and trendy baby boutiques.

MAIN STREET

Busy thoroughfare of East Vancouver, connecting residential neighbourhoods Mount Pleasant and Riley Park. Vintage shops, lots of breweries, and some of the best craft beer in the city.

YALETOWN

Former industrial warehouse district that has been converted into one of the city’s chicest neighbourhoods, filled with residential loft spaces, pavement cafes, cool restaurants, unique shopping and leafy parks.

SOUTH GRANVILLE

South Granville is a smart shopping area with upscale fashion boutiques and stylish furniture stores, as well as a mix of global restaurants and casual cafes. Galleries sell work by local artists, while the art deco Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage theatre hosts plays and musicals. The nearby Shaughnessy area is home to elegant early-1900s mansions and the VanDusen Botanical Garden, with its cedar-tree maze.

48-HOUR RECOMMENDATION

VANCOUVER CITY GUIDE | 48 HOURS

DAY 1

Wake up at...

In the heart of the city, at the newly opened Exchange Hotel. This high-rise lives in the original Vancouver Stock Exchange and has tons of heritage decor and accents to remind you of it. Head out for the 10-minute walk to breakfast staple Medina Cafe. The waffles are a favourite because they're small enough to split as a breakfast appetiser or have as a breakfast dessert. Then make your way Northwest to CF Pacfic Centre for an advanced mall experience. The shopping centre features a healthy balance of luxury and mid-market retailers, from Roots and Wilfred to Holt Renfrew. Be sure to check out the new openings from BonLook and Canada Goose. The former carries chic frames while the latter offers retail-only exclusives, plus limited-edition collaboration pieces and parkas.

Spend the afternoon...

Stopping for a quick caffeine fix at the reliable Revolver coffee shop before exploring historic Gastown. Start at the bottom of Cordova Street and then head east. Check out the latest collections at The Block before perusing local favourites Frank & Oak, The Latest Scoop and Nouvelle Nouvelle as well as Neighbour, which has shops for men's and womenswear. When hunger kicks in, pop over to Tacofino for Californian-inspired Mexican tacos. Go for the salmon ceviche, Oaxacan corn fritters or any of the tacos for a flavour explosion.

Spend the evening...

Back downtown in the centre of the city. Get your culture fix as dusk hits at the Vancouver Art Gallery – a museum-like space that does a great job of highlighting artists of the Asia-Pacific region. After, take a five-minute stroll from the museum to Canada’s favourite department store, The Bay. for one final round of retail. For dinner, head just a bit east into Chinatown for Bao Bei. Enjoy a Taiwanese and Sichuan menu of small shareable plates and dumplings. If you have any energy left after dinner, make your way over to the new D6 Lounge at Parq Vancouver. This chic bar is hidden behind a bookcase and has amazing cocktails.

DAY 2

Wake up at...

In the Kitsilano neighbourhood, a lively, beautiful and ecofriendly beachside community close to Downtown Vancouver. The area is great for activewear and kidswear. Grab a hearty French breakfast on West 4th Avenue at Au Comptoir. With pastries, a soupe du jour, artisan-cured meats, a house-smoked salmon and leek terrine, omelettes and more, you'll have plenty to choose from. Once your food has settled, head south a few blocks to homeware and design objects-focused shop Sort. Explore West Broadway for a bit, and be sure to check out urban athleticwear from local brands Arc'teryx, Kit & Ace, Reigning Champ, and RYU back on West 4th Avenue before leaving the neighbourhood.

Spend the afternoon...

Making your way over to Granville Island, where you can enjoy lunch with a view. Browse Granville Public Market, the city’s most famous food market, which boasts more than 50 vendors. Just outside of the market is newer gem, Popina, quickly picking up steam for its seafood-focused sandwiches, salads and toast. After filling up, take some time to explore the rest of the island, which feels like an Etsy marketplace IRL. From here make your way up granville street & explore CAPOSHIE we might be biased but we think it is the place to find that hidden gem your closet has been waiting for.

Spend the evening...

Discovering Main Street. The hip shopping thoroughfare has vintage and thrift options such as F As in Frank and Mintage Mall, plus cool homeware boutiques and stylish gift shops including Nineteen Ten and Vancouver Special. For dinner, treat yourself to tapas and plates such as patatas bravas at the new Como Taperia tapas bar. For pudding, head down to Sweet Revenge, one of the city's only dessert restaurants

VANCOUVER CITY GUIDE | FAST FACTS

ONCE YOU'RE THERE
AIRPORTS

The Vancouver area is serviced by one major airport, Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Taxis are the easiest and fastest form of transportation here, taking about 20 minutes to the city centre and costing around $35. The Canada Line is Vancouver’s rapid transit rail connecting YVR to Downtown Vancouver in under 30 minutes for $5 plus the cost of TransLink, which is an additional $2.95. You can access trains from both the International and Domestic terminals.

GETTING AROUND

TAXIS

Vancouver is a very walkable city, and fairly easy to navigate thanks to the various transportation methods available. The Vancouver TransLink rail network runs every 15 minutes throughout the day and costs $2.95 for a one-way ticket. Taxis are readily available, as ride-sharing platforms such as Uber and Lyft are unavailable here. You can, however, hail a cab with the E-Cab app. Shareable bikes are available via Mobi Bikes, Vancouver’s public bike share programme, featuring 1,500 bicycles available at 150 stations for locals and visitors to enjoy.

tipping guide

Parking Valets: $1-2
Bellman: $1 per bag
Doorman: $1
Concierge: $5-10 per task performed
Housekeeping: $1-2 per day left at the end of your stay
Waitstaff: 18-20% of bill unless gratuity is already added
Sommelier: 20% of the bottle price Cocktail
Waitress/Bartender: 20% of bill or $1 per drink

SHOPPING HOURS

Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Department stores and shopping malls usually keep longer hours.
* This is a general guideline as hours are flexible and different for each store. Please check store websites or call for more specific information

other

Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time, UTC-8/-7
Electricity: 110V
Common Language: English