Surrounded by snow-capped peaks and sparkling ocean, Vancouver’s beauty puts other cities to shame. Canada’s most magnificent metropolis is a vast collection of explorable neighborhoods best discovered on foot – even better if you have a Vancouverite by your side! Maybe you’ll explore vibrant Davie Village and its rainbow crosswalk – the personification of the city’s liberal identity – or perhaps, in a city known for its nature, you’ll seek out sprawling green spaces like beloved Nelson Park, where the West End Farmers Market sets up shop in the summer months. You might discover the true extent of Vancouver’s cultural (and culinary) diversity in Chinatown before chilling out in Kitsilano, a laid-back beachfront area with stunning views.

In central Vancouver, you’ll be well-positioned to find a little bit of everything that makes Canada’s cultural capital so iconic. You could learn about the city’s history and heritage in Gastown, where cobbled streets, Victorian architecture and an antique-style steam clock harken back to Vancouver’s former years of steamboats and saloons, or perhaps the neon-lit nightlife scene and contemporary cafés of Downtown Vancouver half a mile west are calling your name instead. You might decide to head further west to the modern marina and waterside eateries of Coal Harbour, but you could also move two miles deeper inland and cross False Creek onto Granville Island, a major shopping district with funky shops and an excellent live music scene.