Vancouver Hotels

A busy, active city, Vancouver is a place where you can ski and golf, all on the same day. A moderate coastal climate ensures that even in January, inhabitants are exempt from Canada's notoriously harsh winters.

Attractions

Vancouver offers the promise of a total experience to visitors. While the hot economy and population growth has made the city the most expensive real estate market in Canada, there has never been a better time to be a tourist in Vancouver. With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games the city has become even more attractive for vacation purposes.

Stanley Park is one of the best open spaces in urban North America. With over 1,000 acres of land, the area is the primary playground for Vancouver residents. As a place to have a picnic, engage in a wide variety of sports, take a walk or bike ride, Stanley Park is tops. The park contains a slew of city monuments, gardens, native totem poles and the Vancouver Aquarium.

The Vancouver Library Square is more than just a place to borrow books. For architectural reasons alone, the space deserves a visit. The avant-garde design by Moshe Safdie is a city favourite.

A stroll around the downtown core of the city reveals a network of impressive early 20th century British Empire structures, from the Marine Building to the Sun Tower.

The Vancouver Art Gallery is one of the best on the West Coast, with a collection that features works by British Columbia native Emily Carr.

A large Chinatown and cozy Little Ginza district are two notable ethnic enclaves that make Vancouver one of the most cosmopolitan urban areas in North America.

Events

A 125 km drive north of Vancouver, the Coast Mountains ski and golf resort town of Whistler is world class. The area will host a good portion of the 2010 Winter Games and has a full slate of events year round.

In Vancouver proper, the NHL's Canucks are the main city team. Regular season games take place between October and April at GM Place.

The Vancouver Fringe Festival is one of the most diverse, with a full line-up of shows in the month of September.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Ballet BC and Vancouver Opera perform on a regular basis throughout the city.

Where the city shines however, is in the alternative music scene. The downtown area has a cluster of superb venues, with a slate of performances from month to month.

Climate

Vancouver has a temperate oceanic climate. Considerable shelter from the mountains of Vancouver Island shelters the city from cold air fronts. A reputation as a rainy city is largely overblown. In truth, Montreal regularly receives more precipitation than Vancouver.

• Winter (November to February) 0.5-9°C

• Spring (March to May) 3-17°C

• Summer (June to August) 11-22°C

• Fall (September to October) 7-19°C