This lovely modern city lies between snowcapped mountains and the Pacific. The old city, the heart of Vancouver, juts into Burrard Inlet and culminates in Stanley Park, a 988-acre rain forest and one of the largest urban green spaces in North America, also home to the first-rate Vancouver Aquarium. Gastown, the city’s oldest neighborhood, has been reincarnated as a fashionable enclave, where cobbled streets now wind past thriving restaurants and nightspots. Robson Square is a trendy shopping and business district. Granville Island’s large Public Market makes for a pleasant morning’s meandering. Just two hours away, Whistler is a world-renowned snow sports destination.

Join Andrew Harper today to continue reading our exclusive content.