Vancouver is our first city experience in Canada and it’s a very welcoming place.

The city is surrounded by mountains and water, with the gulf islands shouldering it from the North Pacific ocean.

With a city population of under 700,000 and a metro population of less than 3 million it’s Canada’s 3rd largest and also it’s most expensive city.

However, it is still regarded as one of the best places to live in the world.

The area has been inhabited for over 10,000 years, originally by indigenous tribes, and in the 19th Century by European settlers.

We spent our days in the city itself having separate trips planned for Vancouver Island and Whistler.

There is plenty to see in the city to keep you busy.

We went to visit Granville Island, a short hop on one of the numerous water taxi’s that service the city.

It’s a funky foody paradise, a most welcome stop 😉

The inside market offers fresh food products along with numerous pop up stands offering a wide selection of cuisines, it took me nearly 10mins to choose what to have!

There are some great craft shops too, the one below specialises in brooms for witches it seems!

We took a water taxi across the river and headed to Stanley Park, walking along the sea wall.

The walk is lovely here, passing the Inunnguaq statue on the shore and then a collection of Yue Minjun (Chinese artist) statues.

There are also a number of small beaches along the walk.

When we finally reached Stanley Park, we hired a couple of bikes to take us around, the park is actually very big.

There is a cycle path around and through the park although, unknown to us at the time, it’s a one way system. We were reminded of this on various points along our wrong way round route!

Near to Prospect Point there is a great view across Lions Gate Bridge.

On the way along the sea wall there are great views of the harbour side of the City.

The totem poles in Stanley Park below.

Below is the Steam Clock in Gastown, located where the city was rebuilt after the great fire in the late nineteenth century.

It’s actually electrically powered with some steam pipes on top for show!

Above is a great shot my wife took of the Science museum with sunset approaching.

Above is a statue of Terry Fox outside BC stadium. Terry lost his leg to cancer at 18 years old but went on to run across Canada raising awareness and money for cancer charities.

Vancouver is a great city to visit, with a wonderful setting, surrounded by water and mountains. There is so much to do in the city and nearby attractions too.

Next we pick up a hire car and head up into the mountains…