FROM speakeasy-style bars to ski slopes just a short distance away, Vancouver is one of the most surprising cities in the world…
Regularly high in the “most liveable cities”, Vancouver has plenty to offer visitors too.
An urban metropolis surrounded by sea and stunning mountains, this is a destination that really does have it all.
Having visited the Canadian city for just 48 hours, I have already thought about moving there.
Its beauty is striking. We arrived at the Fairmont Waterfront, overlooking the harbour, after two days of tiring ourselves out on the mountains at Whistler – a popular skiing area.
Whistler is just a two-hour drive away from Vancouver, making it easy to combine slopes and city.
However, there is enough to see and do in the “Hollywood of the North” to make it a place worth visiting all on its own.
The North Shore Mountains are clearly visible in the distance behind clean and neat but bustling streets.
Those that love skiing and snowboarding will be excited by the fact that they can get from the centre of the city to the slopes of Grouse and Cypress Mountain or Mount Seymour in less than 30 minutes.
Many workers in Vancouver spend their afternoons on the slopes after a busy day in the office – no wonder everyone wants to live here.
The nightlife is good enough to satisfy any partygoer from the UK. We started our night out in Gastown.
This is where Vancouver was born, and the city’s most historic neighbourhood takes its name from local bar owner John “Gassy Jack” Deighton.
Now a quirky and trendy hang-out spot, Gastown’s feel is similar to Shoreditch in London and the Northern Quarter in Manchester.
Our first stop was the Salt Tasting Room, known for its vast selection of wine and cheese.
Picking your own mix of wine, cheese and meats from a chalkboard, it’s a great place to kick off an evening out.
Then it was around the corner to the Clough Club where we were greeted by a hand in a jar.
This is the modelled hand of John Clough – the 19th century local booze-hound and inspiration for the bar’s name.
The cocktails on offer would please Mr Clough himself, with an extensive menu to complement the South American-style tapas.
Suitably sated, we joined an interactive walking tour to discover the secrets of Vancouver’s dark past.
Will – our eccentric and likeable British tour guide – met us for a journey into the prohibition, prostitution and gangsters that used to dominate the city.
It’s a really different way to get to know the area.
There are other, more traditional ways to end your night though, with L’Abattoir and the Pourhouse just a few of the highly-rated watering holes in Gastown.
But you may just want to bank as much sleep as possible before each activity-packed day.
A visit to Granville Island’s Public Market is a must.
Start your morning with a classic Candian breakfast at Edible Canada in the market centre, before browsing the quirky shops.
You can buy almost anything here, with stores dedicated to tea, umbrellas, cards, maple syrup and even dog treats.
Vancouver is also great for fitness freaks.
A bike is a great way to get to know any city, but especially one with a sea-wall cycle path leading to an untouched nature park, just over the water from Granville Island.
Stanley Park is hugely popular with Vancouverites, who are renowned for being ultra-fit.
Runners and cyclists are plentiful in this urban park, named after Lord Stanley.
It’s fine for a gentle stroll too, with native totem poles just one of the interesting things to see.
Nature has been left almost entirely untouched in Stanley Park, and it’s great to be so close to wildlife in a city.
As we cycled down the park’s sea-wall, passing several beaches, we stumbled across an otter enjoying his lunch.
He posed for our cameras as he chomped into his fish supper.
Inside the park, our guide Josh told us about the “war” raging between the wardens and the beaver population.
In the centre of Stanley Park is a lake governed by beavers, who try to block up the sides of the water with shrubbery every night to form a dam.
In hours of sunlight the wardens have to pull out the dam blockers so the lake doesn’t flood – a cycle repeated every day.
After working up a sweat cycling, running or even shopping, it’s lucky Vancouver is known as a foodie haven.
Try the sushi at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.
The hotel is split between two separate areas for fine dining, with sushi on one side and Italian the other.
The sushi is easily the best I have ever tried. Sustainably farmed, the quality and variety is eye-opening.
Those Vancouverites really know how to enjoy themselves.
They also like their thrills, as we witnessed first-hand on the city’s latest blockbuster attraction FlyOver Canada.
Just recently opened and situated on Vancouver’s scenic waterfront, the virtual ride allows you to soar coast-to-coast across the country.
It is a breathtaking experience that sees you strapped in and put in front of a giant screen, as the floor retracts away from your feet so you feel like you are flying.
Mist and water shoot out to add to the experience, an eight-minute thriller.
Those who prefer to keep their feet firmly on the ground will enjoy pottering around the Vancouver Art Gallery, which houses a large collection from Canadian icon Emily Carr, who has an art college in her name back on Granville Island.
Another area worth visiting is Yaletown, in Downtown Vancouver, home to popular spots the Homer Street Cafe and the Red Card Sports Bar.
There is so much to pack in on a visit to Vancouver, all you can do is take in as much as you can.
Or just move there…
GETTING THERE
Canadian Affair offers a Vancouver City Break from £639pp. The return trip includes direct economy class flights from Gatwick, Manchester or Glasgow and seven nights’ accommodation at The Sandman, Vancouver. For more information or to book call 020 7616 9933 or visit canadianaffair.com.
For more information on British Columbia see BritishColumbia.travel.
This article was first published by Express.co.uk in April 2014
