Road map Vancouver city area surrounding area (BC, Canada)

The busiest seaport in North America, Vancouver grew from a  small shantytown to become a multicultural metropolis and a dynamic West  Coast paradise. Vancouver's magnificent natural setting of islands,  beaches, and peninsulas set against a backdrop of forested, ice-capped  mountains is legendary. The city's unique architecture has a distinctly  creative West Coast spirit: Canada Place resembles ships with sails; a  life-size jade canoe of the Haida Gwaii First Nation greets travelers at  Vancouver's Airport. Stanley Park, with its manicured lawns, secluded  lakes, totem poles, and miniature steam railways, is but one of  Vancouver's many gardens and parks. Yes, you can sail or golf in the  morning and ski in the afternoon, then dine downtown in one of over  4,000 restaurants representing more than 25 countries as you watch the  sun sink into the Pacific.

Abbotsford [E7] The "Raspberry Capital of Canada" is a  picturesque gem set amidst rolling pastures and berry fields. Popular  events here include the Abbotsford International Air Show in August and  the Bradner Flower Show in April.

Burnaby [C2-C3] The Burnaby Village Museum lovingly recalls  life at the turn of the century, with a printing shop, schoolhouse,  Victorian pharmacy, and the log cabin of Burnaby's first settler,  William Holmes. Hugging the heights of Mount Burnaby, Simon Fraser  University has a 1 cm =2.5 km fine Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.  The striking campus architecture, by architects Arthur Erickson and  Geoffrey Massey, is reminiscent of classical Greece.

Langley [D4] The Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation  at Langley Airport collects over 50 airplanes dating from the 1920s.  Fort Langley National Historic Site preserves the first European  establishment in the Fraser Valley, a fur-trading post built by the  Hudson's Bay Company in 1827. Visitors can relive the fur-trade days by  watching artisans, barrel makers, and blacksmiths, or doing a bit of  gold panning.

Mission [D7] An Oblate missionary established in 1861 made this  town a popular way station for trappers, homesteaders, and other river  travelers. A major landmark worth seeing is Westminster Abbey, a  Benedictine monastery built between 1953 and 1984 and famous for its  glass dome and 64 tall stained-glass windows. The impressive 51-m-high  Pfitzer Tower overlooks the grounds. Bin nearby Hatzic, archaeologists  have uncovered evidence of human habitation dating back some 9,000  years. Hatzic Rock National Historic Site and Interpretive Centre  enshrines Hatzic Rock, an immense triangular rock held sacred by the  Sto:lo First Nations people.

New Westminster [C3]

Former colonial capital and Gold Rush boom-town, New  Westminster is the province's oldest incorporated city. The scenic  waterfront offers riverside charm to spare. A good day's excursion from  Vancouver is to take the SkyTrain to the New Westminster Quay Public  Market and then a cruise up the Fraser to Fort Langley in The Native, a  replica of an old-time paddle wheeler.

Richmond [C1-D1]

Situated on a silt-formed island between the north and south  arms of the Fraser River, Richmond was once known for farms and fishing  as a visit to Steveston Heritage Fishing Village and the Gulf of Georgia  Cannery National Historic Site will show. Richmond is now home to a  prosperous Asian population, and has many Asian-style shopping malls,  farmers' markets, and exotic restaurants.

CITY GUIDE

VANCOUVER

ATTRACTIONS

Stanley Park Granville Island Harbour Centre Tower B.C. Place Canada Place Library Square

Gastown Robsonstrasse Chinatown

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden Old Hastings Mill Store Museum Queen Elizabeth Park

Grouse Mountain Capilano Suspension Bridge Science World  British Columbia Vancouver Aquarium Vancouver Maritime Museum Simon  Fraser University University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology  George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary

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