West Vancouver

Take a ferry from downtown Vancouver to this district where you can see fine artwork and majestic architecture or stroll beside the sea against a backdrop of snowy mountains.

Lose yourself in a labyrinth of enthralling galleries and delightful cafés in West Vancouver. Sit by the ocean on the beautiful city-side beach or leave the noise behind you and head up the hill into tranquil forestland.

Step away from the skyscrapers and crowded streets of the inner city and take your time exploring the more peaceful western side. Start at the district’s southeast corner at the Ferry Building Gallery where constantly changing exhibitions ensure there is always a superb range of artwork that spans centuries and all genres.

Stop for a coffee or bite to eat nearby before you head to the West Vancouver Museum, a 10-minute walk northwest. Temporary displays here investigate the relationship between art and lifestyle while there are also works by celebrated local artists such as Gordon Smith, B.C. Binning and Emily Carr.

After a morning spent indoors get out into the sun and view some of the larger-than-life sculptures around town. The Centennial Seawalk goes past several of these glorious creations as it winds along the front of West Bay. Sit in peaceful Dundarave Park or continue further to leafy Ambleside Park and the adjoining beach.

If you are looking for more of an adventure, slip away into the lower woodland slopes of the North Shore Mountains. Try the signposted 3-mile (5-kilometre) Brothers Creek Trail or take the longer Baden Powell Trail to secluded Horseshoe Bay.

West Vancouver is separated from the southern district of the city by the spectacular Lions Gate Bridge. West Vancouver has a range of restaurants to suit all budgets however, being a predominantly residential area there is a wider range of accommodation elsewhere in the city.

See the best that this spellbinding city has to offer at West Vancouver.