Pacific Northwest Vacations | Vancouver Travel Guide

Vancouver

Thanks to the progressive planning passed in the sixties, Vancouver has become a dense, cosmopolitan city while remaining clean and friendly with some of the highest quality of life in the world. Sweeping views of the Fraser River, Burrard Inlet and North Shore Mountains dominate the cityscape and are brought closer with the many parks and open community space. Linked with the largest number of trolley buses outside San Francisco, the expanding rapid-transit SkyTrain service and city wide network of bike paths, urban transportation is closer to the human scale. A retreat to Victoria, the wineries and forests of Vancouver Island are just a ferry across the water; the epic skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb waits just a couple hours away.

A thriving international community signifies the global importance of Vancouver's seaport and creates a diverse collection of cultural activities throughout neighborhoods such as Punjabi Market, Little Italy, Greektown, and (formerly) Japantown. The city has been endearingly coined the Hollywood of Canada due to the numerous film studios and red carpet events and "New Vansterdam" thanks to the popularity of its café culture. This is a young town attracted to the excellent education system, arts and culture, nightlife and outdoor recreation; exploring the streets and parks can tranYVRrm your view of what a city could be.