Vanier Park is one of Vancouver’s most beloved public parks. Located in the Vancouver neighborhood of Kitsilano (southwest of downtown Vancouver), Vanier Park is home to museums and a BMX bike park, hosts cultural events, and boasts stunning views of False Creek, English Bay, and downtown Vancouver. It is located a short distance from Kitsilano Beach and is one of the best places to see the annual summer celebration fireworks.
Top 5 things to do in Vanier Park
- Visit the Museum of Vancouver, the largest civic museum in Canada and the ideal place to learn about the history of Vancouver.
- Visit the HR MacMillan Space Center, a children’s science and space museum that includes a planetarium and observatory. (Both museums share the same iconic domed building you see on most Vanier Park postcards.)
- Ride through Vancouver’s first BMX bike park, featuring dirt ramps, jumps, and gaps.
- Enjoy incredible views of False Creek and the downtown Vancouver skyline.
- Go in the summer (June – early September) and see a play at the acclaimed Shakespeare festival Bard on the Beach. Performances of the main stage take place inside open-air marquees overlooking the beautiful views of Vanier Park.
Get to Vanier Park
Vanier Park is located at 1000 Chestnut Street. For drivers, there are paid parking lots near the museums. The park is also accessible via the False Creek ferry, as well as by bus.
Vanier Park Mapa
History of Vanier Park
Once a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) supply depot, the site was turned over to the Vancouver Park Board in 1966. Named after former Canadian Governor General George Vanier, the park officially opened on 30 December. May 1967. The HR MacMillan Space Center and Vancouver Museum complex opened in 1968, thanks to donations of $ 1.5 million from Lumber Baron MacMillan.
Make the most of your visit
Spending the day at Vanier Park is easy, as you can spend hours in the museums and in the park. Pairing an outing in the park with a tour of other iconic sites in Kitsilano and Vancouver is easy too, given Vanier Park’s fabulous location.
Enjoy a day with these five main mini trips:
- Walk west along the park trails to Hadden Park and explore the Vancouver Maritime Museum.
- Walk further west to visit Kitsilano Beach, its playground, tennis courts, sandy beach and the Kits pool.
- Hop in the car or on the bus and combine your trip to Vanier Park with shopping and dining on West 4th Avenue, one of the top 10 places to shop in Vancouver.
- Take a False Creek Ferry through English Bay (via the Aquatic Center) to Granville Island.
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