Unlike most North American cities, Vancouver, the heart of Greater Vancouver, is a people place. The downtown’s West End has one of Canada’s highest population densities. The best way to take in the sights and sounds of downtown is by walking, biking, or tours by bus or trolley. Vancouver’s downtown is surrounded by water on three sides and you can walk along the water around almost the whole of downtown.

Downtown.
Known for its distinctive architecture, the downtown core combines sleek, glass-sheathed towers that mirror the mountains beyond. Its heritage architecture includes the original Law Courts, now home to the Vancouver Art Gallery, Marine Building, the Orpheum Theatre, and more recent extravagant designs such as the Vancouver Public Library which echoes the stylings of the Roman Coliseum. Within walking distance are two sports and concert venues (General Motors Place and BC Place), theatres, upscale department stores, specialty boutiques and an underground shopping mall. 

Ride to the top of the Vancouver Lookout for a 360 degree view of the city and surrounding area.  For another big picture experience, check out the five-story high screen at the Imax Theatre at Canada Place, an enormous public pier that stretches out into the harbour like the prow of a ship.  Canada Place is the spot to watch the comings and goings of sea planes, sea shuttles and tankers.  It is also home to the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, restaurants, shops and the cruise ship terminal where approximately 1,000,000 passengers a year board luxury cruise ships heading for Alaska.

Robson Street
In downtown central, Robson Street is Vancouver's "Rodeo Drive', where label conscious fashionistas can shop 'til they drop at any number of top-name designer boutiques and specialty stores. Restaurants and coffee shops proliferate, and and at night,s street musicians and mime artists busk their wares.

Stanley Park 
Situated west of Denman Street within a ;short walk from downtown Vancouver, Stanley park is one of North America's largest city parks at 405 hectares (1,000 acres) of natural forest, gardens and family attractions.  In summer, open-air musicals are staged at the "Theatre under the Stars". 

A must-see stop is the world-acclaimed Vancouver Aquarium, home to more than 60,000 creatures in superbly-themed habitats such as the Arctic, the Amazon, the Tropics and Canada's West Coast. Discover beluga whales, acrobatic dolphins, seals, sea lions and sea otters. 

The jewel of Stanley Park is its 10.5km (6.5m) Seawall probably one of the city's most picturesque walking trails which circumnavigates the park and gives cyclists, walkers and roller-bladers and insider's perspective of what makes Vancouver one of North America's most livable cities. A wonderful way to see Stanley Park and learn about the park's history and flora and fauna is by taking a tour on a horsedrawn carriage or trolley. 

Chinatown.
North America’s third largest after San Francisco and New York, this bustling commercial area just east of downtown offers divine dim sum, ancient herbal remedies, exotic fish and fowl, and spices and teas. Tranquillity reigns at The Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Garden, the first authentic classical Chinese garden built outside China. Contemplate darting goldfish in this walled oasis where every plant and pebble has been carefully placed to create an atmosphere of perfect harmony. The Chinese Cultural Centre provides guided walking tours, visits to their Chinese museum and groups may participate in hands-on cultural workshops.

Gastown. Just north of Chinatown, the area’s cobblestone streets, brick facades and an antique steam clock echo Vancouver’s early days. Named for its colourful founder, Gassy Jack Deighton, Gastown features fine dining, crafts and souvenirs, high fashion, and clubs for music, comedy and cabaret.

Yaletown. Just south and west of downtown, the young, well-heeled and hip have transformed rows of former warehouses into a digital district with stylish brick and beam offices, lofts, boutiques, trendy eateries, clubs and a microbrewery pub.

Granville Island. Buskers and street performers abound in this former industrial area on False Creek. It has become an eclectic mix of boatyards and bookstores, studios and toy stores, restaurants and galleries, cafes and crafts stores ­ and one of Vancouver’s liveliest places. There is also live theatre, an art school and a celebrated public market. It’s just a short hop by mini-ferry from the south end of downtown.

False Creek. At the other end of False Creek from Granville Island, Science World, housed in a dazzling silver geodesic dome, gives kids a hands-on experience of physics, chemistry, biology and zoology ­ and a whole lot of fun. The Alcan Omnimax Theatre features one of the world’s largest dome screens and shows breathtaking science and nature films.

Vanier Park
Located along the shores of False Creek, Vanier Park is home to a small collection of unique attractions. At the highly interactive HR MacMillan Space Centre, visitors can enjoy multimedia shows and demonstrations that explore the universe.  At the Vancouver Museum and Archives, and the Vancouver Maritime Museum, permanent and rotating exhibits explore Vancouver's heritage including the fully restored St. Roch, the first vessel to traverse the Arctic from coast to coast.  In May, Vanier Park comes alive with red and white striped tents, first as the site for the International Children's festival, then as the venue for Vancouver's annual summer Shakespeare festival, "Bard on the Beach".

University of British Columbia (UBC)
The Museum of Anthropology housed at UBC has one of the world’s outstanding collections of Pacific Northwest aboriginal artifacts. Also on the sprawling West Side campus is the Nitobe classical Japanese garden and one of Canada’s oldest botanical gardens, started in 1912. 

VanDusen Botanical Garden.
An elegant garden celebrated for its year round exhibition of international flora and fauna, VanDusen Botanical Garden is as diverse as it is beautiful. Specialty areas include a Meditation Garden, a rhododendron walk, Laburnums and an Elizabethan hedge maze as well as rolling lawns and wheelchair accessible walkways are a legacy from its former incarnation as one of Vancouver's most prestigious golf courses.

_{Photos:  (clockwise from top left)  First Nations totem pole, Lighthouse Park (West Vancouver), Vancouver Aquarium, False Creek, Tulips}