Vancouver is often voted the most livable city in the world, and after your first trip you’ll find out why. In addition to being very scenic, it’s clean, well organized, friendly, and with plenty to do.
The city is one of the finest restaurant towns in North America, and fortunately the competition helps keep bargains available, even in some of the more exotic fare. Drink specials are not hard to find around happy hour, so those who plan ahead can keep costs low while having a great time.
| Population | 600,000 |
| Area | 2,200,000 |
| Timezone | UTC-8 |
| Currency | Canadian dollar |
| Airports | Vancouver International Airport (YVR) |
Vancouver is a fairly expensive city for Canada, but there are many independent restaurants and bars in almost all neighborhoods, so finding good value is usually not too difficult.
| Budget breakfast | There are small cafes all over, plus decent fast-food choices open all day. | $6.25 - $9.56 |
| Budget lunch | Vancouver is a budget foodie's dream, with great sandwich shops and ethnic restaurants at good prices. | $7.35 - $11.03 |
| Budget dinner | Even proper sit-down meals are often fabulous value in Vancouver, with cuisine from around the world. | $9.93 - $14.71 |
| Beer (pint) | The big national lagers will be cheaper than the local craft brews, of course. | $5.51 - $8.09 |
| Month | High F | Low F | PRECIP (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43 | 33 | 6.0 |
| February | 46 | 35 | 4.8 |
| March | 50 | 38 | 4.5 |
| April | 56 | 42 | 3.3 |
| May | 62 | 47 | 2.7 |
| June | 67 | 52 | 2.2 |
| July | 71 | 56 | 1.6 |
| August | 71 | 56 | 1.5 |
| September | 66 | 51 | 2.1 |
| October | 56 | 44 | 4.4 |
| November | 48 | 38 | 7.1 |
| December | 43 | 33 | 6.9 |
Vancouver, along with the rest of the Pacific Northwest, has famously wonderful summers, but is more known for its rainfall. From May through September things are usually dry and heavenly, but from October through April you can expect frequent gray skies and endless drizzle. Fortunately it rarely comes down hard enough to warrant an umbrella, but still it can be annoying.
| 21 Mar | 7:13am | 7:27pm |
| 21 Jun | 5:07am | 9:21pm |
| 21 Sep | 6:58am | 7:12pm |
| 21 Dec | 8:05am | 4:16pm |
From a visitor’s perspective Vancouver can be on the pricey side, at least as long as the Canadian dollar is in the same neighborhood as the US dollar. Hotels and hostels, especially those with good locations, are not exactly cheap. There are plenty of free things to do, but many of the main attractions are surprisingly expensive, so choose wisely.
Vancouver hotels generally have their high season running from May through September, right along with the pleasant weather. It’s sometimes possible to get good deals on weekends during this period, but generally you’ll need to come from January through March to find the lowest rates.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 30.88 - 51.47 |
| 45.59 - 125.00 |
| 62.50 - 101.47 |
| 107.35 - 234.56 |
| 165.44 - 274.26 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 19.12 - 31.62 |