Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DOWNTOWN
Vancouver Lookout:
For immediate orientation from downtown, catch the high-
speed, stomach-sinking glass elevator up the outside of 40-story
Harbour Centre
(555 W. Hastings St., 604/689-0421, 8:30am-10:30pm daily in summer, 9am-9pm
daily the rest of the year, adult $16, senior $13, student $11, child $7.75). The ride
takes less than a minute and ends at the Observation Deck, an enclosed room 130
meters (426 feet) above street level, where views extend as far away as Mount
Baker, 140 kilometers (87 miles) to the south. Walk around the circular room for
360-degree views. Keep your receipt and you can return anytime during the same
day (the top of the tower is a great place to watch the sun setting over the Strait of
Georgia).
Down on the Waterfront:
From Vancouver Visitor Centre, continue down Bur-
rard Street to
Canada Place
and wander around the west side promenade for neck-
straining views of the city close up, as well as North Vancouver and the rugged
mountains beyond. For a look at the skyline and sparkling Canada Place from sea
level, take the SeaBus from the adjacent Waterfront Station across Burrard Inlet to
Lonsdale Quay.
Stanley Park:
Drive, walk, or cycle Stanley Park's 10-kilometer (6.2-mile)
Seawall Promenade
toappreciatetheskylinetotheeast,thebusyshippinglanesof
First Narrows to the north, and the sandy beaches of English Bay to the west. Sun-
sets from English Bay Beach, in the West End, are delightful.
NORTH SHORE
The best views from the north side of Burrard Inlet are gained by taking the
Grouse Mountain Skyride
(Nancy Greene Way, 604/980-9311, adult $40, senior
$36, youth $24, child $14, includes on-mountain activities) up the slopes of Grouse
Mountain. The panorama extends back across the inlet to downtown and beyond to
Mount Baker, in Washington State, and west to Vancouver Island. In summer, the
gondola departs from the base station every 10 minutes 9am-10pm.
Head west along Highway 1 from the Grouse Mountain turnoff to Cypress
Bowl Road. At the second switchback there's a particularly good city skyline view.
Continue west to Horseshoe Bay; then return to the city along Marine Drive, which
parallels Burrard Inlet, providing many glimpses of the city skyline. At
Lighthouse
