From slow strolls to bungee jumping
Vancouver is noted as the place in Canada where the winters are relatively mild — so mild it does not snow in the city and the port is open year round. It also boasts rain forests, a comely harbor and shoreline, all with mountains as a backdrop, in other words, a beautiful natural setting.
These variations in terrain and forgiving weather, combined with access to the world’s largest ocean, add up to a place where visitors have many choices, ranging from hikes, theater and the like to vigorous activities on land, at sea or in the local mountains.

About Vancouver
The city is relatively young, founded only in 1865 as a loggers’ town. Today, it is one of the world’s most popular cities as rated in Best Trip Choices surveys. For three years running (2004, 2005, 2006), Vancouver also was voted the Best City in the Americas by Conde Nast Traveler magazine, based on its ambience, culture and sites, friendliness, lodging, restaurants and shopping. Visitors comment at length about what a lovely city Vancouver is. They talk about the harbor and the nearby mountains, but the flattery isn’t just about beauty.

They find the city safe and clean. One also could say it is Canada’s San Francisco, set prettily on North America’s West Coast and warmed by Pacific currents. Very importantly, because of these factors — ocean, harbor, mountains, mild weather — there are simply lots of things to do, enough to meet the needs of each personality type and many special interests. All personality types give the city high marks, but the more venturous are more enthusiastic. The water invites them out on kayaks, rafts and zodiacs or even into scuba gear despite the fact the ocean is cold. And the mountains invite visitors to climb the rocks — or to take a plunge, on skis.

At the other end of the spectrum, authentics find many pleasures, whether on a paddle wheeler, in a casino, on the golf course and more. And, for all visitors, the city’s Gastown, the original center of Vancouver with its old brick buildings and cobblestone streets, lets them connect with the city’s earliest days. Today, the area has antique shops and art galleries.

Except when winter sports are a consideration, visitors tend to come in summer. The city also is the embarkation port for many Alaska cruises May through October. It rains fairly frequently in Vancouver (hence, the rain forests), but less often in summer.

Sign on for a sea safari by zodiac for viewing sea birds and harbor seals, and for taking in the beautiful natural setting.

Don a helmet (required by law), and sightsee by bike. Take an overnight bike trip around the Gulf Islands. Or, choose the Coast Range rain forest where mountain bike trails have been cut into Grouse Mountain.

Rollerblade in Stanley Park, or for a more adventurous choice, go to North Vancouver’s Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve for blading.

Stay up to all hours at dance clubs and other late-night venues.

Experience cold-water scuba diving to see brilliant red coral, plus marine species like the wolf eel and octopus.

Take to the sea in a kayak; head to the placid False Creek or explore Indian Arm, a fjord that extends well into the Coast Range mountains.

Go whitewater rafting on any of these rivers: Chilliwack, Elaho, Nahatlatch, Squamish or the Thompson.

Windsurf on the Squamish (this river benefits, in summer, from strong winds that blow down the river valley). Or, take windsurfing lessons at the English Bay or Jericho beaches.

Try bungee jumping. Or, go rock climbing in the local mountains.

Cross the Capilano Suspension Bridge (450 feet above the Capilano River), then walk from one Douglas fir to another using a series of seven additional suspension bridges.

Experience a virtual voyage aboard a 30-seat spacecraft, at the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre. Tip: Do this before lunch.

Go skiing (downhill or cross-country), snowboarding or snowshoeing on the local Cypress, Grouse or Mount Seymour mountains. You can ski at night, too, on Grouse Mountain.

Try this West Coast special: Ski in the morning, play golf in the afternoon.

Charter a boat for a half or full day of salmon fishing.

Go camping in the Greater Vancouver area, where choices vary widely from isolated wilderness to RV parks with every creature comfort.

Attend the summertime Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.

Go whale watching on a 62-foot cruiser. Or, look for the world’s largest mammals from a perch in a zodiac-style boat.

Run in the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon, which amounts to sightseeing on the run. The net downhill course takes runners along the shores of the Pacific.

Take a sightseeing trip to Vancouver Island. Time the trip right, and you can attend a wildlife festival there, celebrating either salmon or the whale.

Have your photo taken reaching for both sides of the Sam Kee Building in Chinatown. It is six feet wide on the outside, four feet 11 inches on the inside.

Visit the city as an add-on to your Alaska cruise.

Take the kids tubing or tobogganing at Mount Seymour in North Vancouver.

Devote an evening to entertainment, dining and gaming at one of the city’s casinos.

Take a narrated tour of the inner harbor on an authentic paddle wheeler.

Get a few kicks at the Giggle Dam Dinner Theater. The ticket price includes a four-course dinner plus music and humor described as outrageous.

Play at the University Golf Club, which accommodates players at all levels.

Take an audio walking tour of Vancouver narrated by the “wacky” local guides retained by Wired Wox Tours.

Take a tour of the city’s North Shore, taking in mountains, rain forest and the sea, while traveling in a van powered on vegetable oil recycled from local restaurants.

For more information, consult Tourism Vancouver at www.tourismvancouver.com
and Tourism British Columbia at www.hellobc.com

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