Canada Travel Guide

Whether you’re a hardcore adrenaline junkie, a wildlife enthusiast or a city slicker looking for cutting-edge culture, Canada ticks all the boxes. The world’s second largest country racks up an astonishing diversity of landscapes; vast prairies rise abruptly to glacier-topped mountains; rugged, unspoiled coastlines give way to immense forests and emerald lakes; and Arctic waters lap upon frozen tundra. Incredibly, this wilderness is also home to cosmopolitan cities, quirky towns and remote indigenous settlements.

Canada’s people are as varied as the landscapes; from the Arctic Inuit and the Francophone Quebeckers to the British expatriates and burgeoning Asian community, this is a multicultural land where around 20% of the population are foreign-born.

Canadian cities are progressive, vibrant and regularly feature on lists of “best places to live." Toronto, a veritable patchwork of charming neighbourhoods, has an idyllic beachside location on the shore of Lake Ontario, while Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, contains a clutch of fantastic museums and the pretty Rideau Canal for ice skating in winter. Montreal’s skyscrapers belie its French heritage, but look closer and you can stumble upon historic, cobbled streets and centuries-old customs.

A stone’s throw from the Canadian Rockies, booming Calgary flashes its oil wealth and flaunts its cowboy traditions during the annual boot-stomping Stampede. Chilled-out Vancouver, meanwhile, seems to have it all: mountains, beaches, an incredible downtown park and a cosmopolitan dining scene. And across the Georgia Strait, Vancouver Island is just the tonic if the city life gets too tough. Not that it ever does here.

For something wilder, ski steep chutes in British Columbia, kayak secluded bays with whales in Nova Scotia or learn to lasso at an Albertan ranch. Capture grizzlies on camera in the Yukon, watch mammoth icebergs drift past the Newfoundland coast, or soar over Niagara Falls by helicopter. Tour vineyards, dig for clams or feel giddy gazing at the Northern Lights. In Canada, it seems, the options are endless.

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Where can you go to get a great view of Vancouver?

Where can you go to get a great view of Vancouver, BC?

There are many places around and near Vancouver that boast the best Vancouver viewpoints: spots where you can see all of the city as well as the gorgeous scenery that surrounds Vancouver. These viewpoints are perfect spots to enjoy a glass of wine, hold hands with your partner, show off Vancouver to visiting friends and family, or just take in the majesty of Vancouver's skyline and geography.

The Lookout at Harbour Centre, Vancouver. Image Courtesy of Tourism Vancouver

1.  The Lookout at the Harbour Centre - Downtown Vancouver

There are two Vancouver viewpoints in downtown Vancouver that give visitors 360° views of the city: The Lookout at the Harbour Centre and Cloud 9, the revolving restaurant atop the Empire Landmark Hotel (see below).

Located at the Harbour Centre, The Lookout is a 553.16 ft-high (168.60 m) panoramic observation deck. Visitors can take a guided tour, or just walk around The Lookout on their own. If you get hungry on your trip, you can head down a level to the Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant (also in the Harbour Centre) for lunch or dinner. (Personally, I prefer Cloud 9 in the Vancouver revolving restaurants competition.)

The Lookout at the Harbour Centre

555 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC

Cloud 9 Revolving Restaurant, Vancouver. Image Courtesy of Tourism Vancouver

2.  Cloud 9 Revolving Restaurant at Empire Landmark Hotel - Downtown Vancouver

One of best Vancouver viewpoints and one of the Top 5 Vancouver Restaurants with a View, Cloud 9 is a personal favourite of mine; it's where I take visitors to show off Vancouver's urban beauty. It beats Top of Vancouver (at the Harbour Centre, see above) as the best Vancouver revolving restaurant by being hipper, sleeker, and more fun--it has a fabulous piano-bar vibe that makes it a great nightspot. Plus you can enjoy drinks and dessert only (rather than a whole meal) at a window-side table.

Cloud 9 is on the 42nd floor of the Empire Landmark Hotel; it's within walking distance of Robson Street Shopping.

1400 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC

English Bay Beach, Vancouver. Image Courtesy of Tourism Vancouver

3.  English Bay Beach - Downtown Vancouver

One of Vancouver's Top 5 Beaches, English Bay Beach is another personal favourite for Vancouver viewpoints. It's hard to beat the joy of sitting on the beach or a nearby park bench and taking in the extreme beauty of Vancouver's southwestern coastline. On clear days, the views from English Bay Beach extend past English Bay to Kits Beach, the mountains of West Vancouver, and beyond.

English Bay Beach is located at the junction of Beach Avenue and Denman Street in the West End, just east of Stanley Park.

bigger seasons in the park. Sequoia Company of Restaurants

4.  Queen Elizabeth Park - Vancouver

The top of Queen Elizabeth Park is one of the best Vancouver viewpoints; it's also the highest point in the city of Vancouver.

Queen Elizabeth Park is ideal for sunny days--when you can combine the view with a trip through the Park's Quarry Gardens. Enjoy free views of the city at the Park's top plaza (next to the Bloedel Conservatory and dancing fountains) or at Seasons in the Park Restaurant (pictured), another Top 5 Vancouver Restaurants with a View.

Bridges Restaurant's patio at Granville Island. Image Courtesy of Tourism Vancouver

5.  Granville Island - Vancouver

No other Vancouver viewpoints offer the immediacy of Granville Island: on Granville Island, the views of downtown Vancouver areright there. Located just south of Downtown, it's one of the best spots to see the shiny, shiny buildings of the downtown core.

Enjoy exploring Granville Island--and the famous Granville Island Public Market, where you can grab a picnic lunch to munch on the pier while taking in the views--or walk east along the Seaside Bicycle Route for more amazing, intimate views of Vancouver's downtown skyline.

Grouse Mountain. Image Courtesy of Tourism Vancouver

6.  Grouse Mountain - North Vancouver

One of the Top 10 Vancouver Attractions, Grouse Mountain is a year-round resort that offers skiing and snowboarding in winter, hiking in spring and summer, and entertainment, outdoor activities and unparalleled views in every season.

Grouse Mountain is located in North Vancouver, about 15 minutes (by car) north of downtown Vancouver. Its most popular viewpoints include the Eye of the Wind wind turbine, Grouse Mountain Skyride, Peak Chairlift Ride, The Observatory Restaurant and Altitudes Bistro.

Grouse Mountain 

6400 Nancy Greene Way, North Vancouver

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