Skip to main content Skip to log on Skip to search Accessibility at CommBank

Brighter / Home and lifestyle / Unique ways to connect with Vancouver

Experience meaningful connection with Vancouver’s unique side

For travellers looking to make their holiday count, Vancouver offers a mix of local culture and nature-based adventure.

Sponsored by Destination Canada

Vancouver rowing through lake
  • Discover locally-loved things to do in Vancouver like tasting fresh local seafood at Granville Island Public Market and exploring multicultural dining on guided culinary tours.
  • Hear Indigenous perspectives on Talaysay Tours’ Talking Trees walk in Stanley Park and sensory forest therapy in Pacific Spirit Regional Park.
  • Experience the vibrancy of downtown Vancouver by staying at the boutique Wedgewood Hotel & Spa, flying with carbon-neutral Harbour Air and paddling ancestral waters with Takaya Tours.
Local food market in Vancouver

Meet the people who nourish the city

Vancouver wears its geography well: skyscrapers rise between the sea and mountains, while forested Stanley Park pushes into the harbour at the edge of Downtown. Yet some of the city’s richest expressions of place are found on the plate.

For Michelle Ng, founder of Vancouver Foodie Tours, food is one of the top ways to understand the city. “Talking to locals, tasting food and hearing the stories behind dishes brings visitors closer to the people and cultures that have shaped Vancouver.”

What makes the city’s food particularly distinctive is the way global influences meet BC’s abundance. Vancouver’s waves of immigration have created an extraordinarily diverse dining culture, while its coastal setting means there is no shortage of quality seafood.

Ng says visitors are often struck by “the quality of the ingredients” – from just-caught fish to seasonal produce – and by how that freshness comes through in what they eat.

At the Granville Island Public Market, stalls spill over with berries and vegetables, wheels of British Columbia cheese and seafood pulled from nearby waters. On Ng’s guided market tour, travellers meet the artisans behind it all.

Vancouver city birdseye view

Discover the traditions that shape Vancouver

Vancouver’s restaurants also tell the stories of the people who have made the city home. Ng points to Kirin, which she describes as Vancouver’s first Chinese fine-dining restaurant, whose Hong Kong-born owner has spent almost four decades serving traditional dim sum. His story, she says, reflects that of many immigrant families whose food, traditions and businesses have become part of Vancouver itself.

“It’s really about how we make people feel welcomed, included, inspired and excited to appreciate Vancouver, the food and the people here.”

Traditional experiences at Stanley Park

Walk through a living landscape

In Stanley Park, an urban park with a vast coastal rainforest right next to downtown, Talaysay Tours’ Talking Trees walking tour transforms a stroll through the trees into an introduction to Coast Salish and Squamish knowledge. Led by First Nations cultural ambassadors, visitors learn how local plants and trees are traditionally used. Through this lens, travellers can see a landscape that may otherwise be admired simply for its beauty as something with a rich culture.

The Indigenous-owned company, which was founded by Candace Campo with husband Larry and is now co-owned with daughter Talaysay, allows visitors to experience a meaningful connection to the destination.

The team also leads forest therapy experiences in Pacific Spirit Regional Park. Through mindful movement and sensory experiences, the tour encourages you to notice the forest – the scent of damp earth, the texture of bark and the sounds beneath the canopy – rather than just pass through it.

Wedgewood hotel and spa

Stay somewhere with a story

For a stay that pairs luxury and warmth, check in to the Wedgewood Hotel and Spa, an independent, family- and female-owned boutique Relais & Châteaux hotel just steps from the Vancouver Art Gallery, plus bustling theatres, restaurants and shopping in the heart of the city.

The hotel was founded in 1984 by Eleni Skalbania, who came to Canada from Greece and brought her own vision of European-style hospitality to Vancouver, establishing Canada’s first female-owned boutique hotel. Her family story still shapes the experience today, with daughters Elpie Marinakis and Marousa Dumaresq continuing the legacy.

With just 83 rooms and suites, the Wedgewood makes everything feel personal: staff are known for attentive service and offering thoughtful local recommendations, while Eleni’s collection of antiques, paintings and sculptures still fills the hotel, giving it the character of a much-loved home.

Then there are indulgences: dinner at Michelin-recommended Bacchus Restaurant and Lounge, spa treatments, a eucalyptus steam room and complimentary bikes to borrow so you can explore the surrounding area. 

Seaplane ride over Vancouver

What to do in Vancouver city, off the beaten path

Take to the skies
Experience Vancouver’s mix of city and nature on a seaplane with Harbour Air – North America’s first carbon-neutral airline. Enjoy views of English Bay, the North Shore Mountains and beyond from far above.

Paddle ancestral waters
Paddle replica ocean-going canoes through Burrard Inlet with Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s Takaya Tours as experienced First Nations guides share ancestral songs and legends.

Experience local art
Join Indigenous student guides at the Museum of Anthropology to discover Northwest Coast First Nations art – from carved masks to contemporary works – through guided tours, open studios and artist demonstrations.

Start planning your journey in nature at destinationvancouver.com. To book, search Travel Booking in the CommBank app.

Related articles

 

Published: 28 September 2026

Things you should know

Travel Booking is provided by Hopper Inc (Hopper). T&Cs apply.

This article provides general information of an educational nature only. It does not have regard to the financial situation or needs of any reader and must not be relied upon as personal financial product advice. The views expressed by contributors are their own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of CBA. As the information has been provided without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on this information, consider what is appropriate for your circumstances, and where appropriate, consider the relevant Target Market Determination, Product Disclosure Statement and Terms and Conditions available on our website. You should also consider whether seeking independent professional legal, tax and financial advice is necessary. Every effort has been taken to ensure the information was correct as at the time of printing but it may be subject to change. No part of the editorial contents may be reproduced or copied in any form without the prior permission and acknowledgement of CBA.