Guest, Sign inJoin
Stanley Park
Attractions in Vancouver

Stanley Park tops the list in Vancouver

Of the 133 places to visit in and around Vancouver, 95 are museums or galleries. We list 93 places to visit inside Vancouver’s city limits and 40 within 5 km of its edge. Visits to Science World run to about 650K a year. Allow a day for Cypress Mountain Ski Area, 17 km off.

Photo: Stanley Park, squeakymarmot (CC BY 2.0)
In Vancouver
93
inside the city limits
Within 5 km
40
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
95
in or near town
Forts & historic sites
10
in or near town
Best known

Start with these in Vancouver

GardenStanley Parkin townArt galleryArt galleryVancouver Art Galleryin townBig drawMuseumScience Worldin town · 650K visitors a yearMuseumMuseum of Vancouverin town · 78K visitors a yearCathedralCathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, Vancouverin townGardenQueen Elizabeth Parkin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

On the map

Out at 12 km is Museum of Anthropology at UBC, the farthest.

1234567891011121314151617181920

The dashed line is Vancouver’s city limits; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · Statistics Canada 2021 outline

By kind

A breakdown by kind

95 museums or galleries and 10 forts or historic sites top the count.

Museums & galleries 50 museums · 45 art galleries66 in town · 29 nearby
Forts & historic sites 5 historic sites · 3 cathedrals · 1 historic house · 1 historic ship9 in town · 1 nearby
Gardens & estates 8 gardens4 in town · 4 nearby
Nature & national parks 1 viewpoint1 in town
Zoos, theme parks & days out 3 theme parks · 2 heritage railways · 1 aquarium · 1 zoo · 1 pier · 1 water park6 in town · 3 nearby
Other attractions 10 attractions7 in town · 3 nearby

Green: inside Vancouver. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

Every place

Every place to visit

Attraction

The Relief

Attraction · 100 m outside town, to the north

The 93 inside Vancouver come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Provincial and city parks are on the Outdoors page instead.

Historic places in Vancouver → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Vancouver →

Big names nearby

Bigger names, a drive away

Ski hillSki hillCypress Mountain Ski Area17 km northSki hillGrouse Mountain15 km northeastSki hillMount Seymour19 km northeastCathedralCathedralHoly Eucharist Cathedral14 km southeastCathedralHoly Trinity Cathedral15 km southeastMuseumMuseumCanadian Museum of Flight39 km southeast
MuseumBritannia Shipyard16 km southwest
MuseumGulf of Georgia Cannery16 km southwestNational historic site · Parks CanadaStorehouse40 km southeastLighthousePoint Atkinson Lighthouse14 km northwestMuseumFort Langley40 km southeast

Places well known beyond Vancouver (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a Parks Canada property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Practical questions about Vancouver

What are the main attractions in Vancouver?

Top of the list inside Vancouver’s city limits: Vancouver Art Gallery, Museum of Vancouver and Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, Vancouver.

Does Vancouver have a museum?

In or within 5 km of Vancouver: Vancouver Maritime Museum, Hastings Mill and British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame.

Is there a Parks Canada property near Vancouver?

None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Storehouse (Parks Canada), 40 km southeast.

What are the best-known days out near Vancouver?

Worth the drive, within 40 km: Grouse Mountain (15 km), Mount Seymour (19 km), Holy Eucharist Cathedral (14 km), Holy Trinity Cathedral (15 km).

How is this list made?

A single list is built from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, ODCAF and the heritage registers, each site counted once. To appear, a historic building must show it takes visitors (hours, a fee, a website, a heritage operator, a Wikipedia article), and hotels, restaurants and tour operators are left out. Places in the town’s 2021 outline, or within 5 km of its edge, are the ones shown.

Places to visit: Canada publishes no open tourism list, so this one is assembled from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0), Statistics Canada’s ODCAF museums and galleries (2020, Open Government Licence – Canada), the federal and Québec heritage registers and CPCAD’s national parks, and it reflects what mappers and editors have recorded. Forts, houses, lighthouses and churches count only with a sign that visitors are welcome. Places sit in each town’s 2021 census outline; visitor counts are Wikidata’s latest, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (37)

Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).