Visit Vancouver This Summer for Beautiful Parks, Innovative Food and Charming Neighborhoods

Vancouver is a perfect summer getaway. British Columbia’s biggest and most diverse city boasts miles of coastline, an expansive food scene, an historic downtown area and acres of forests and parks. 

STAY 

The place to begin a stay in Vancouver is the beautiful Fairmont Waterfront hotel with breathtaking views of the Vancouver harbor, mountains, city skyline and Stanley Park.

The 489-room hotel is close to many attractions including Gastown, the Vancouver Convention Center, Seawall walking paths and the Waterfront Sky train station.

Rooms are contemporary with warm cream and caramel brown color schemes, blue accents and blond wood furniture. Bathrooms house luxurious rain showers and some rooms include private terraces leading to the resort’s huge outdoor pool, jacuzzi, steam room and 2,100 square foot herb garden housing on-site beehives. There is also a 24-hour fitness center, modern ARC restaurant and an exclusive concierge level. Located at 900 Canada Place, reservations at 604.691.1991. 

DINE

Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio

Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio offers a great view as well as a bounty of fresh seafood. Diners can enjoy front row al fresco views of Granville Island, sunset over False Creek and excellent people watching via the adjacent seawall path. The menu includes a wide variety of Peruvian and Japanese dishes. Decadent diners can begin with a caviar service, complete with potato blinis and créme fraiche and enjoy a variety of rolls, sashimi and nigiri. Standout dishes include the Nova Scotia lobster and shrimp risotto with preserved lemon and truffles; the Aji Panca glazed sablefish with smoked potato puree and kale and the scallops with pork belly and edamame and huacatay purée. Complete your meal with spiced donut like picarones with candied pecans, spiced syrup and lucuma ice cream. Located at 1600 Howe Street, reservations at 604.681.1164. 

CinCin

Located in the center of trendy Robson Street, up a windy stone stairway, CinCin is part of Vancouver’s upscale Top Table Restaurant Group. The Italian eatery offers a complete fine dining experience providing guests options to dine in the warm interior main room or al fresco on the intimate patio. The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients prepared in the wood-burning grill and rotisserie oven. Standout dishes include the crispy fried Humboldt flying squid with hummus and fennel salad; twice cooked parmesan souffle; Bolognese tagliatelle with pancetta; spaghetti carbonara; risotto with summer truffles and wild mushrooms; veal osso bucco and saffron risotto and sablefish with roasted mushrooms. Dishes from the wood fired grill include a whole branzino, scallops in brown butter, lamb two ways, and a variety of grilled steaks.
Desserts include baked strawberries with lemon shortbread and vanilla gelato; brown butter cake with blueberry sorbet; and a hazelnut mousse with a raspberry gel. The stylish bar offers a variety of artisan cocktails, specialty beers and wines, and an extensive grappa collection. Located at 1154 Robson Street, reservations at 604.688.7338. 

Blue Water Café

This fine dining seafood restaurant located in the heart of trendy Yaletown in a converted warehouse is big both on size and flavors. Wine lovers will enjoy the huge wine selection of more than 14,000 bottles. Diners can choose from the pretty patio or inside warm dining room.

Standout dishes include the smoked Sockeye salmon terrine with horseradish whipped ricotta; seafood tasting for two with crab, shrimps, tuna tartare and scallop ceviche; lobster with vegetables and potatoes; scallops with broccolini and snap peas in orange sauce; Kobe short ribs with coffee ancho chili demi-glace and baked polenta with black truffle miso. Desserts include a Greek yogurt mascarpone cheesecake, lime panna cotta and tiramisu chocolate bar. Located at 1095 Hamilton Street, reservations at 604.688.8078.  

EXPLORE

Stanley Park

Steps from the Fairmont Waterfront lies Stanley Park, the largest and oldest of more than 250 parks in Vancouver. It houses a fabulous aquarium, miniature railway, waterpark, 1,000 acres of beaches and forests, huge totem poles and miles of bike paths and walkways. Take the famous seawall, via bike or foot, to enjoy spectacular scenic views of mountains, water and foliage and fauna featuring approximately 500,000 cedar, fir and hemlock trees.  Located on a peninsula at the northwestern edge of downtown Vancouver.

Gastown

Also walking distance from the Fairmont Waterfront is the historic downtown Gastown neighborhood with its whistling Steam Clock, brick buildings, beautiful Victorian stye architecture, great souvenir shops, Indian art, galleries, restaurants and bars. Waterfront Station, Vancouver’s main transportation terminus is located here, and you can also catch the SkyTrain to anywhere in the city. Photographers will need to stop at the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre for breathtaking 360-degree views. For those with a dark side, take a nightly Lost Souls of Gastown Tour (https://forbiddenvancouver.ca) to learn about the neighborhood’s gruesome history.

Granville Island

Home to the famous Granville Island Public Market, visitors can reach Granville Island by taking a mini-tugboat ferry across False Creek. Head to the Public Market, where there are dozens of stalls featuring fresh produce, seafood, baked goods and gourmet food. Outside of the market lies a bevy of unique art galleries, shops and restaurants. One of the most unique shops is the Granville Island Broom Co (1406 Old Bridge Street) featuring floor brooms, fireplace brooms, brooms for wedding ceremonies and decorative brooms. Located across False Creek from downtown Vancouver under the Granville Street bridge. 

Richmond Night Market

Located just outside of Vancouver, The Richmond Night Market is the largest night market in North America. The market features more than 100 vendors selling Asian street food, drinks, desserts and souvenirs. There is also live entertainment, midway games and interesting food options including squid, Yakisoba, pork buns, fish balls, dumplings and mango sticky rice.  The market runs from May to October, located at 8351 River Road, a block from Bridgeport Station. 

VanDusen Botanical Gardens

This year is Canada’s Year of the Garden and VanDusen is the garden to visit in Vancouver. This huge 55-acre garden in the heart of Vancouver features more than 7,500 plants from around the world, several ponds and lakes, a fun maze, and the pretty Laburnum Walk under yellow blooms from Laburnum branches. Located at 5151 Oak Street, tickets at https://vandusengarden.org.   

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

This park features the 230-foot high Capilano Suspension Bridge offering gorgeous rainforest views while walking across the 450-foot-long famous bridge. There is also a Treetops Adventure with a series of seven bridges reaching up to 100 feet. Their Cliffwalk attraction is a series of narrow walkways including some with see through glass floors amidst a granite cliff. The Story Centre provides historic information, photos and artifacts. For those who want a birds-eye view of Vancouver’s beautiful forests and spectacular views this is the place to visit. Located at 3735 Capilano Road, tickets at 604.985.7474. 

Written by Shaena Engle