Lonely Planet Vancouver & Victoria

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN:
  9781788686761
• Print ISBN:
  9781787013612

Downtown & West End

Top Sights

Sights

Eating

Drinking & Nightlife

Entertainment

Shopping

Sports & Activities

Downtown & West End

DOWNTOWN | WEST END

Neighborhood Top Five

1Stanley Park Seawall Strolling or cycling the winding perimeter pathway for incredible views of the forest-fringed ocean.

2Marine Building Spotting the multiple ocean- and transport-themed motifs on the exterior of this art-deco skyscraper masterpiece, then ducking inside to peruse the grand marble lobby.

3Roedde House Museum Nosing around the antique-lined rooms of this handsome, middle-class heritage home, an evocative reminder of well-to-do yesteryear Vancouver.

4Vegan Pudding & Co Hunting down this tiny hole-in-the-wall counter and trying to choose between matcha, chocolate and black sesame varieties.

5Vancouver Public Library Hitting the 9th-floor elevator button and heading up to a lofty public garden, complete with cityscape views.

Explore Downtown & West End

Radiating from the intersection of Granville and Georgia Sts, the downtown core is easily walkable. But start your exploration a few blocks north at waterfront Canada Place, heading slightly uphill along Burrard or Granville Sts. You’ll pass plenty of stores and cafes before reaching Robson St, downtown’s main shopping drag. Browse the boutiques here before arriving at the Robson and Denman intersection. Check out the West End’s midrange restaurants, side-street heritage homes and friendly ‘gayborhood’ vibe. From either end of Denman, you can stroll into Stanley Park. Hitting the seawall here is highly recommended. It takes several hours to loop the park via this 8.8km pathway or you can just dip your toes in: walk the seawall from Georgia St to the totem poles and back or wander around Lost Lagoon where you’ll almost certainly see raccoons, herons and sunbathing turtles.

Local Life

ABookshops The intersection of Richards and W Pender Sts is home to several browse-tastic used bookstores, including old-school Macleod’s Books and nearby young pup, Paper Hound.

ARestaurants Join locals a...

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• Welcome to Vancouver & Victoria
• Vancouver’s Top 10
• What’s New
• Need to Know
• Top Itineraries
• If You Like…
• Month By Month
• With Kids
• Like a Local
• For Free
• Eating
• Drinking & Nightlife
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Sports & Activities
• LGBT+
• Neighborhoods at a Glance
• Downtown & West End
• Gastown & Chinatown
• Yaletown & Granville Island
• Commercial Drive
• Main Street
• Fairview & South Granville
• Kitsilano & University of British Columbia
• North Shore
• Day Trips from Vancouver
• Sleeping
• Victoria
• Understand Vancouver
• Vancouver Today
• History
• Green Vancouver
• Arts & Culture
• Transportation
• Directory A–Z
• Behind the Scenes
• Vancouver Maps
• Our Writers