Vancouver
Glass towers between the mountains and the sea, with a forest park in the middle.
Vancouver lies on an inlet of the Pacific with snow-topped mountains rising straight behind its towers, a rainforest park on the peninsula beside downtown and beaches along its western shore. Whistler's ski runs are two hours north; Vancouver Island and its rainforest coast are a ferry away.
Why go
For a city where the outdoors starts at the kerb: the Seawall around Stanley Park by bicycle, kayaks on False Creek, the Grouse Grind up the mountain before work, and skiing with the city lights below.
And for the food and the neighbourhoods: Granville Island's market, the Asian kitchens of Richmond and Chinatown, sushi on every block, and the craft breweries of Mount Pleasant.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01Stanley Park and the Seawall
The forested peninsula next to downtown, with totem poles, beaches and the Seawall path around it, walked or cycled with the harbour, the bridge and the mountains in view.
02Granville Island
The covered market of produce and prepared food, the artisan studios and the theatre under the bridge, reached by a tiny ferry across False Creek.
03The North Shore mountains
Grouse Mountain's gondola or the Grind trail, the Capilano suspension bridge over its canyon, and Lynn Canyon's free bridge and pools, across the harbour.
04Gastown and Chinatown
The old brick quarter with its steam clock, restaurants and shops, and Chinatown's classical garden and Sunday dim sum beside it.
05Kitsilano and the beaches
Kits Beach and its saltwater pool, the Museum of Anthropology's Northwest Coast art at the university and Wreck Beach below it, along the western shore.
06Whistler
The Sea to Sky highway past Howe Sound and Shannon Falls to the ski village, with the peak-to-peak gondola, mountain biking in summer and skiing in winter.
07Vancouver Island and the whales
Whale-watching boats from the harbour or Steveston, and the ferry to Victoria's harbour, Tofino's surf and the old-growth forest of the island.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Downtown and Coal Harbour
Towers on the water with Stanley Park a walk away. Central and connected.
Yaletown and False Creek
Converted warehouses, the seawall, the ferries and the market across the water.
Kitsilano
Beach, cafés and a neighbourhood feel across the bridge from downtown.
Gastown and Mount Pleasant
Heritage streets and the brewery district, with the city's independent restaurants.
When to go: Vancouver
- SummerJune – September
- Dry, warm and long-lit, with the beaches, the fireworks over English Bay and the mountains open for hiking. The high season.
- WinterDecember – March
- Mild and rainy in the city, snow on the mountains: skiing on the North Shore and at Whistler, with the city's restaurants and museums for the wet days.
- Shoulder monthsApril, May, October and November
- Cherry blossom in spring, colour in autumn, showers in both and the crowds gone.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Vancouver. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- YVRVancouver International
Distance from
- JFKNew York3,920 km
- LHRLondon7,570 km
- CDGParis7,910 km
- DXBDubai11,730 km
- BOMMumbai12,250 km
- SYDSydney12,510 km
- SINSingapore12,810 km
- JNBJohannesburg16,460 km
Getting around: Vancouver
The SkyTrain runs from the airport to downtown in under half an hour; buses and the SeaBus to the North Shore cover the rest, with a tap-in card for all of them.
Downtown and the Seawall are for walking and cycling; the small ferries cross False Creek. A car is worth it for Whistler and the island ferries.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Canada
- Currency
- CAD · Canadian Dollar
- Languages
- English and French
- Time zone
- Pacific Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +1
The atlas
Vancouver in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Vancouver, month by month
- Jan6°
- Feb7°
- Mar9°
- Apr12°
- May16°
- Jun18°
- Jul22°
- Aug22°
- Sept18°
- Oct13°
- Nov9°
- Dec6°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: June to September.
Mean highs run from 6°C in December to 22°C in July, with about 1,285 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for VancouverModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBVancouver
11,730 km
14 hrs 35 mins · Estimate
From AUHVancouver
11,810 km
14 hrs 40 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Vancouver
Plan this trip: Vancouver
Open the trip builder with Vancouver already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
