Insight Guides Explore Vancouver & Victoria (Travel Guide eBook)

By Insight Guides

Pocket-sized travel guides featuring the very best routes and itineraries.

Discover the best of Vancouver and Victoria with this indispensably practical Insight Explore Guide. From making sure you don't miss out on must-see attractions like Vancouver's Gastown and Stanley Park and Victoria's harbour and maritime museum, and further away gems like Grouse Mountain and Whistler, the easy-to-follow, ready-made walking routes will save you time, help you plan and enhance your visit to Vancouver and Victoria.

Practical, pocket-sized and packed with inspirational insider information, this is the ideal on-the-move companion to your trip to Vancouver and Victoria.

- Over 15 walks and tours: detailed itineraries feature all the best places to visit, including where to eat along the way
- Local highlights: discover what makes the area special, its top attractions and unique sights, and be inspired by stunning imagery
- Insider recommendations: where to stay and what to do, from active pursuits to themed trips
- Hand-picked places: find your way to great hotels, restaurants and nightlife using the comprehensive listings
- Practical maps: get around with ease and follow the walks and tours using the detailed maps 
- Informative tips: plan your visit with an A to Z of advice on everything from transport to tipping
- Inventive design makes for an engaging, easy-reading experience
- Covers: Canada Place and the waterfront, False Creek and Yaletown, Chinatown and Gastown, Granville Island, Downtown, Stanley Park, Vanier Park and Kitsilano Beach, University of British Columbia, Capilano and Grouse Mountain, Sea to Sky Highway, Victoria Harbour to Bastion Square, Victoria Harbour to Beacon Hill Park, Rockland and Gonzalez (Victoria), Saanich Peninsula, Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Aug 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781839051227

Insight Guides

Pictorial travel guide to Arizona & the Grand Canyon with a free eBook provides all you need for every step of your journey. With in-depth features on culture and history, stunning colour photography and handy maps, it’s perfect for inspiration and finding out when to go to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and what to see in Arizona & the Grand Canyon. 

Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With ­top-­quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the world’s most exciting destinations.

Best Routes

The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destination’s many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments – options are shown in the ‘Food and Drink’ box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more, while a succinct history timeline highlights the key events over the centuries.

Directory

Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with a clearly organised A–Z of practical information, our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafés and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings, and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

© 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Recommended Routes For...

Back to Nature

Children

Foodies

History Buffs

Rainy Days

Shopping

Sporty Types

Views

Explore Vancouver and Victoria

Geography and Layout

Vancouver

Victoria

History

Climate

Population

Vancouver

Victoria

Local Customs

Politics and Economics

Food and Drink

Gourmet Coffee Scene

Where to Eat

High-end restaurants

Ethnic restaurants

Pubs

Chains

Food trucks

Foodie Tours

Shopping

Where to Shop

Vancouver

Victoria

What to Buy

Fashion

Crafts

Food

Souvenirs

Entertainment

Vancouver

Theater

Comedy and live venues

Victoria

Theater

Music, dance, comedy

Activities and Sports

Spectator Sports

Water Sports

Adrenalin Rush

Walking and Hiking

Golf

Winter Sports

History: Key Dates

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

Vancouver: Canada Place and the waterfront

Vancouver Lookout

Canada Place

Burrard Landing and Harbour Green Park

False Creek and Yaletown

Terry Fox Statue

BC Place

Parq Vancouver and Plaza of Nations

Olympic Village

Science World

Yaletown

Chinatown and Gastown

Chinatown

Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

West Pender Street and the Millennium Gate

Gassy Jack Statue

Gastown Steam Clock

Granville Island

The Market

Net Loft and Railspur Alley

Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery

Ron Basford Park

Cartwright and Duranleau Streets

Downtown

Northwest Coastal Art Gallery

Christ Church Cathedral

Vancouver Art Gallery

Robson Square

Along Robson Street

Stanley Park

Vancouver Aquarium

Totem Poles

Nine O’Clock Gun and the Lighthouse

Female Figures

Lumberman’s Arch

Vanier Park and Kitsilano Beach

Vancouver Maritime Museum

Museum of Vancouver

The Space Centre and Gordon Southam Observatory

Kitsilano Beach Park

University of British Columbia

Museum of Anthropology

Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery

Nitobe Memorial Garden

Pacific Museum of Earth

Beaty Biodiversity Museum

UBC Botanical Garden

Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm

Performance Venues

Capilano and Grouse Mountain

Capilano

Grouse Mountain

Sea to Sky Highway

Britannia Beach National Historic Site

Sea to Sky Gondola

Squamish

Squamish to Whistler

Whistler

Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre

Victoria Harbour to Bastion Square

Inner Harbour

Maritime Museum of British Columbia

Christ Church Cathedral

St Andrew’s Cathedral

Bastion Square

Victoria Harbour to Beacon Hill Park

Legislative Assembly

Robert Bateman Centre

Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park

Emily Carr House and Gardens

Beacon Hill Park

Victoria: Rockland and Gonzales

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Craigdarroch Castle

Government House

Abkhazi Garden

Gonzales Park

Saanich Peninsula

The Gardens at HCP

Centre of the Universe

Victoria Butterfly Gardens

Butchart Gardens

Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo

Cherry Point and Venturi Schulze

Duncan, City of Totems

Cowichan Valley Museum

BC Forest Discovery Centre and nightlife

More Wineries

Chemainus

An artsy town

Other distractions

Nanaimo

Harbourfront Walkway

A cluster of museums

Other distractions

Accommodations

Waterfront Hotels

Around False Creek

Chinatown and Gastown

Granville Island

Downtown

Stanley Park

Vanier Park and Kitsilano Beach

University of British Columbia

Capilano and Grouse Mountain

Squamish

Whistler

Victoria Harbour and North Hotels

Victoria Harbour and South Hotels

Victoria Rockland and Gonzales Hotels

Three Gardens and the Centre of the Universe

Duncan

Chemainus

Nanaimo

Restaurants

Waterfront

False Creek & Yaletown

Chinatown and Gastown

Granville Island Restaurants

Downtown

Stanley Park

Vanier Park and Kitsilano

Victoria

Duncan

Chemainus

Nanaimo

Nightlife

Theaters and Concert Halls

Vancouver

Victoria

Movie Theaters

Vancouver

Victoria

Bars and Pubs

Vancouver

Victoria

LGBTQ

Vancouver

Victoria

Comedy Clubs

Vancouver

Victoria

Nightclubs

Vancouver

Victoria

Live Music

Vancouver

Victoria

A-Z

A

Age Restrictions

B

Budgeting

C

Children

Clothing

Crime and Safety

Customs

D

Disabled Travelers

Drinking

Drugs

E

Electricity

Embassies and Consulates

Emergencies

F

Festivals

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

H

Health

Pharmacies and hospitals

Hours and Holidays

Statutory holidays

Movable statutory holidays

I

Internet

L

Language

LGBTQ travelers

M

Media

Newspapers and magazines

Radio and TV

Money

Credit cards, debit cards, and traveler’s checks

Taxes

Tipping

P

Post Offices

R

Religion

S

Smoking

T

Telephones

Time Zone

Tourist Information

Tours and Guides

Transport

Arrival by air

Arrival by train

Public transportation

Driving

V

Visas and Passports

W

Washrooms

Weights and Measures

Women Travelers

Books and Film

Books

Films

Recommended Routes For...

Back to Nature

Head out to Capilano Suspension Bridge and Cliffwalk and Grouse Mountain (route 9) to view nature in all its grandeur, or take a whale-watching tour from Vancouver (route 4) or Victoria’s harbor (routes 11 and 12).

iStock

Children

Young visitors will enjoy Science World, and if they are into sports, BC Place (route 2). Stanley Park (route 6) has a great aquarium, totem poles, and places to let off steam. The excursion to Capilano and Grouse Mountain (route 9) offers a full day of adventures.

iStock

Foodies

Granville Island (route 4) is a foodies’ mecca, with its superb public market and craft distillery, while Downtown (route 5) or Chinatown and Gastown (route 3) offer many fine restaurants. Route 15 features several wineries to visit.

Shutterstock

History Buffs

Explore where Vancouver began in Gastown (route 3), delve into First Nations history and culture at the Museum of Anthropology (route 8), and visit the seat of the provincial government and the Royal BC Museum (route 12) in Victoria.

iStock

Rainy Days

In Vancouver a cluster of galleries and other indoor attractions are within a short distance of each other (route 5); or take cover in BC Place or Science World (route 2). The southern downtown area of Victoria (route 12) mostly features indoor visits.

iStock

Shopping

Robson Street in Vancouver (route 5) has a wide range of stores, or explore the artisan studios of Railspur Alley on Granville Island (route 4). Route 11 in Victoria ends up in a great shopping area and the trip to the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo includes small towns noted for their art and craft galleries (route 15).

Shutterstock

Sporty Types

Grouse Mountain (route 9) and Whistler (route 10) have lots of facilities for both summer and winter sports. In Vancouver, the BC Sports Hall of Fame (route 2) will engage spectator sports fans, and you can rent a bike and cycle the Seawall (route 1).

iStock

Views

Neither city is short on views, particularly from their waterfronts, but high points include the Vancouver Lookout (route 1), the Eye of the Wind at Grouse Mountain (route 9), and Gonzales Hill in Victoria (route 13) ˗ with a stunning view over the Juan de Fuca Strait.

Shutterstock

Explore Vancouver and Victoria

Vancouver and Victoria are equally enticing, but very different – one a big, vibrant, modern city, the other a dignified capital. Both have stunning waterfronts, fine architecture, world-class museums and galleries, fascinating heritage sites, and welcoming people.

Aerial view of downtown Vancouver

iStock

Vancouver is the largest city in Western Canada, lively in a laid back kind of way, and sophisticated but not above making fun of itself. A multicultural beacon of tolerance and inclusivity, it is consistently ranked as one of the best cities in the world. The population is noted for its healthy and active lifestyle and for high levels of environmental awareness – Greenpeace was founded here in 1971 – and it’s not just aware, it puts its money where its mouth is. Not only has this become the greenest city in North America, its government plans to make it the greenest city in the world by 2020. It is also the third-largest movie and TV production center in North America, earning it a nickname it shares with Toronto: ‘Hollywood North.’

Victoria, the provincial capital of British Columbia, was established in colonial times, and retains a modicum of ‘Englishness’, with its refined afternoon teas and British-style pubs. Like Vancouver, it is high on environmental awareness issues, and is home to a health-conscious and active population – the city is often referred to as the ‘cycling capital of Canada’ for having the highest proportion of bicycle-riding residents per capita.

Geography and Layout

Vancouver

With Burrard Inlet to the north, English Bay to the west, Vancouver Harbour to the east, and False Creek cutting to the southern section, the downtown core of Vancouver can almost seem like an island. But the metropolitan area stretches far beyond, encompassing 21 municipalities and covering 2,930 sq km (1,131 sq miles).

The road pattern is in a grid, except where large parks get in the way, with streets (which are named) running north–south and avenues (which are numbered, except for Broadway and King Edward Avenue) running east–west. Avenues also have ‘East’ or ‘West’ attached, depending on which side of Ontario Street they are on.

Vancouver’s downtown core is quite compact and very walkable, but there is an excellent transit system (for more information, click here) that includes buses, the SkyTrain system, the SeaBus, and the False Creek ferries.

Victoria

Victoria is smaller and even more walkable. Centered on its lovely inner harbor, on the southwestern extremity of Vancouver Island, it faces south toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the US state of Washington. It also has a comprehensive bus service within and beyond the downtown area.

Both cities offer sightseeing buses, cruises, floatplane flights, and whale-watching trips, and taxis are also plentiful.

The popular Gassy Jack statue, Gastown

iStock

History

For more than 10,000 years the Coast Salish people have called this area home, with the Salishan and Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) groups predominating around the province’s southwest coast and Vancouver Island. The Northwest culture was generally peaceful and diplomatic, with disputes often solved with gifts rather than aggression. Art was, and still is, very important within the culture, and superb examples of their distinctive style of painting, carving, masks, woven goods, and basketry can be found in museums, galleries, and craft shops throughout the region.

The arrival of Europeans began with the Spanish, followed later by Captain James Cook, searching for the Northwest Passage in the 1770s, with a young George Vancouver in his crew. George was to return in 1792, this time captaining his own vessel and charting the coastline of the island and the part of the mainland that would take his name. The sailors took home stories of the vast forests and the furs they had seen, prompting the arrival of loggers and trappers on a quest for these lucrative materials.

The furs were traded by the NorthWest Trading Company and its rival the Hudsons Bay Company. The latter still has a chain of department stores across Canada. The forests provided much-needed lumber, much of which was transported back to Europe. Western red cedar was much in demand because of its natural resistance to rot, and pin-straight Douglas fir trunks were used for the masts of sailing ships. The first sawmill in this part of the world was established where Victoria now stands, and the second was on the site now occupied by Vancouver. It was very demanding work, and all those loggers, and the fur trappers, got extremely thirsty. Enter Gassy Jack Deighton (for more information, click here), who opened a saloon, and later a hotel, to cater to this demand. A small town began to grow up around it, which came to be known as Gassy’s Town – today’s Gastown.

Gold was discovered in various parts of British Columbia in the mid 1800s, bringing in hordes of prospectors along with people who could make a living providing services to them. These rich pickings encouraged Britain to create a colony and develop what would become the province of British Columbia. Periods of boom and bust followed, but recent history has been consistently on the upward trend. This has boosted, and been boosted by modern-day immigration, particularly