Top Places to Visit in Vancouver

From its ocean views to its snow-covered mountains, there is no wonder Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the whole world. There are a lot of places to explore and have fun either alone, with friends, or with family. Numerous activities to do, and infinite sceneries to look at that when first, it will make you want to live here.

Vancouver has a bit of everything, from malls, to hiking places, from parks to restaurants, and greenery to its urban places. It is a place of mixture; colorful mixtures, one that rivals a kaleidoscope. Today, we will be talking about some of Vancouver’s top places to visit. This will not only amaze you but also will make you want to visit again.

First picture yourself living in Vancouver downtown. You wake in the early morning at about 6 am and decide to go for a jog, as well as to enjoy some scenery, where would you go? The answer is Stanley Park.

Stanley Park is Vancouver’s first and the largest urban park. It consists of 400 hectares of natural rain forest and a 10 km seawall loop that you can walk or bike to. The walk will usually take a normal person 1 hour and 30 minutes for one lap which makes Stanley Park a great place to have a morning jog. The place is also a good area to watch the sunrise, or preferably, the sunset since people said it is more beautiful and vibrant than its couture part. There are varieties of places to stop by as well, like the mini light tower place. It has the wide and beautiful scenery of the Burrard Inlet and the northern City of Vancouver combine.

Besides the 100 km loop, Stanley has more to offer. If you want a pure forest vibe, you can use the Stanley parks mini hiking routes, or if you’re with family, you can go to Stanley’s water park and splash around. One of the most popular tourist attractions of Stanley Park is its railway. You can get a 15-minute ride through Stanley Park with a vintage train. But the most interesting fact about it is the history behind it. The 20 gauge, 2km railway track was used before it was hit by Typhoon Freda, the most devastating Vancouver storm in 1962. The train engine is also a replica of the Canadian Pacific Railway Engine used for passenger trains back in the late 1880s.

What about a place that you can visit for activities all season round? Well, if that is what you are looking for, the perfect place is no doubt Grouse Mountain. As I mentioned, Grouse Mountain is a four-season attraction that features, outdoor activities, snow and summer to do things, food areas, wildlife, and many more.

So far, the most popular activity for tourists, as well as the locals is the Grouse Grind. This is when you try to attempt finishing the Hiking spot of Grouse Mountain. This hiking spot is considered to be the hardest hiking spot in Vancouver. The average time to finish it is 1 hour and 30 minutes which is pretty normal for a hiking spot. However, the real challenge is with the terrain. You see, the route is steep and ragged. It consists of many slope-ups and lots of winding paths. The estimated average inclination of Grouse is 28 degrees with the toughest section tilting at 40 degrees. Therefore, some locals call it the stairway to heaven.

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If hiking is not for you, there is an easier way to go up grouse. Grouse Mountain gondola is one is another way to go up Grouse Mountain and the best way to appreciate the nature and vegetation of the mountain. They say a bird’s eye is the best view to see everything and a Gondola is just like that. You will see the beautiful rain forest and water streams and mini-falls of the grouse mountain, as well as people hiking. Sometimes animals such as bears, and deers would show up, and it is magical to observe the way they are in their natural habitat.

From Vancouver’s lively nature attractions, we now go to the city’s urban places full of magnificent architecture and history. Gastown is probably the top choice when it comes to a city tour in Vancouver. Named from an English mariner Captain John Deighton, aka “Gassy Jack”, the place has its own unique motif and aesthetic compared to any other place in the city. With its iron lampposts, Victorian Buildings, and streets made from cobblestones, they designed the place to look more of an area from the early stages of the industrial age.

So far, the most popular tourist attraction in the area would go to the Gastown Steam Clock. It is a 16-foot-tall clock that plays the Westminster chimes while shooting steam smoke out of its top like an early industrial train. Despite it looking like from the Victorian era, the clock is made in a more recent time. In 1977, Horologist Raymond Saunders and metalwork specialist Doug Smith decided to make the clock and did it successfully. At the time, the clock was considered to be one of the very first steam clocks that had ever been made.

The steam clock rings every quarter-hour. It does this to accumulate steam power for the clock to use and of course, to get people’s attention as well. The steam used for the clock is from the city’s underground steam heating network that spreads throughout downtown. It is a great way to reuse lost energy from the city’s heater.

Besides the Steam Clock, there are also a lot of other things to see in Gastown. You eat in some of the popular restaurants there, such as The Flying Pig, or Maybe the MeeT restaurant. You can also visit the good old Gassy Jack Statue and take a picture in Maple Tree Square.

There are more places that Vancouver could offer you. The only thing that you must do is visit and surely, the city will never let you down.