The full story
Downtown occupies a peninsula framed by Burrard Inlet and False Creek. That geography keeps many headline sights close: Stanley Park and the West End fill the western side; Coal Harbour and Canada Place face north; Yaletown faces False Creek; Gastown and Chinatown sit toward the eastern edge. Outside downtown, think in corridors rather than one continuous centre. West-side destinations such as Kitsilano, UBC and Queen Elizabeth Park require deliberate transit or cycling connections. East Vancouver is more residential, with commercial life concentrated along streets such as Commercial Drive and Main Street. Granville Island sits beneath the Granville Bridge and is reached most pleasantly by small ferry or transit. The North Shore is a separate excursion across Burrard Inlet for Capilano, Grouse and mountain scenery. Group places by shoreline or corridor, and Vancouver becomes much easier to navigate than its regional map first suggests.