Things to Do in British Columbia

The Squamish and Lil’wat people invite you to learn about the cultures of BC First Nations at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler, ‘where rivers, mountains and people meet’.

Celebrating nature’s bounty and beauty in this stunning part of the world, a visit to this fascinating cultural center reveals the history, stories and crafts of the region’s inhabitants.

Take a guided or self-guided tour of the exhibits on display in the museum, experience a song and dance session, hear stories from over the eons, and learn about the important cultural role of wool and cedar weaving.

British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley is a popular Canadian holiday destination, famous for its warm dry summers, lakeside beaches, vineyards and mountains.

One of the highlights on a visit to bucolic Stanley Park, as well as Vancouver itself, is a walk or bike ride along the famous Seawall Promenade. The 9km/5.5mi stone wall hugs the waterside edge, following the entire perimeter of Stanley Park and beyond, offering cyclists, pedestrians, joggers, and inline skaters scenic vistas of forest, sea, and sky.

Starting from Coal Harbour, it winds eastward toward Brockton Point, then curves northwest along the Burrard Inlet, with views of the North Shore mountains across the water. Spaced at regular intervals along the walk are information panels that go into various aspects of Vancouver’s past. It’s education, exercise and eye-candy at the same time. After you pass Lions Gate Bridge, snake down the west side of the park, a perfect spot to watch the sun sink into the Pacific.

After circling the park, the Seawall Promenade continues along Sunset Beach, on the southeast side of downtown, around False Creek, past the Burrard Street Bridge, through Vanier Park, and finishing off at Kitsilano Beach Park.

Even if you normally give museums a miss, you won’t want to leave Victoria without dropping into the highly acclaimed Royal British Columbia Museum.

From big-screen IMAX movies to the re-created First Peoples village, this imaginative and creatively curated museum will have you thinking and engaging with the past.

The First Peoples Gallery provides insights into life before the arrival of Europeans, while the Modern History Gallery vividly re-creates colonial life. In the Natural History Gallery, seals, grizzly bears and seabirds fill dioramas re-creating the region’s ecosystems.

Big-screen films are screened in the on-site IMAX cinema.

Found within the current bounds of Vancouver's Stanley Park, Prospect Point is not only the highest point in the park and a great viewpoint of the harbor, but a place of significant history. In the late 1800s, boats traveling into Burrard Inlet were forced to pass extremely close to Prospect Point, as uninhibited water from the Capilano River plowed into the harbor, carrying with it silt and rock. The mineral-heavy flow further out caused the waters to be less buoyant, but crossing so close to the cliffs of Prospect Point wasn't without its risks either. In 1888, a ship called the S.S. Beaver ran aground on the rocks. It was then that the decision was made to put a warning light on the point to help guide ships through the passage. Some 25 years later, a signal station was built on the point to relay information to ships entering the inlet and, in 1948, the current Prospect Point Lighthouse was erected.

Since the arrival of the Cleveland Dam, the inlet has become safer for ship passage, and Prospect Point has shifted from a functional location to one of leisure. Today, people flock to Prospect Point for the famous café and some of the best views in the city.