Vancouver Shopping

The casual shopper will enjoy a stroll along Robson Street with its unique boutiques, coffeehouses and restaurants. Public Market, 1610 Street, offers fresh produce and seafood; specialty shops of all types occupy the multi-level complex and the food court serves ethnic cuisine and snacks.

Granville Island is one of Vancouver's shopping hotspots and the hub of epicurean delight. The Public Market overflows with fresh vegetables, fruits and exotic herbs and spices. Art and handcrafted items, custom-built kayaks, wooden musical instruments, blown glass, leather goods, and one-of-a-kind toys are a small sampling of items for sale.

The more serious shopper will appreciate the concentration of shops at Pacific Centre, located downtown Vancouver, boasting over 165 shops; or Lonsdale Quay Market & Shops in North Vancouver, the multi-level marketplace on the waterfront, with 90 shops, services and restaurants. Two special finds in Vancouver are Ice Wines, a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen and Cuban Cigars. Both are readily available for sale in most tourist areas.

Yaletown
Yaletown was a warehouse district as late as the 1980s, having been established in 1886 when Canadian Pacific Railway moved its maintenance yards from the town of Yale to Vancouver. The area has been re-developed, and the warehouses now serve as fashionable restaurants, boutiques, cafes, and apartments for the artsy types and young urban professionals who make the area their home.

Pacific Centre
With its Public Market, theatres and galleries, Granville Island is Vancouver's cultural hotspot. This hub of activity is located at the south end of False Creek under the Granville Street Bridge. Visitors to Granville Island should expect a wide scope of sights and sounds. This is a popular spot for all sorts of artists and is a place where you can enjoy many kinds of different food and fresh produce.

Metrotown Centre
Metrotown Centre is the commercial anchor of the Metrotown neighborhood of Burnaby. This large shopping mall, with dozens of shops, services, restaurants and movie screens, is less than a half-hours drive from Downtown Vancouver. You can also take the Skytrain from downtown Vancouver directly to Metrotown. The Skytrain is a subway-like commuter train -- only nicer.