Canada is a country that has taken the very best of the United States and Europe and absorbed it into its DNA. An open, tolerant, and modern place and Vancouver is a city with great responsibility in this idyllic and positive vision in the rest of the world. Lookout Pro has been for a visit and also checked out the neighbouring town of Whistler, a natural paradise for snow lovers.
Vancouver is located in the southwest of British Columbia and is the third largest metropolitan area in the country after Toronto and Montreal.
With a population of fewer than 610,000, Vancouver is consistently named as one of the best cities for livability and quality of life in the world.
The city was named after the military man and explorer George Vancouver and is recognised as one of the safest cities on the planet with surprisingly low crime rates. And yet the possession of weapons is legal for most of the population just like its neighbour to the south, the United States.
The city’s landscapes bathed by the Pacific are spectacular. We especially recommend a walk around English Bay, the city’s most popular beach and also checking out the Canada Place.
The city is full of charms and delights but missing out on a photo opportunity at the famous steam clock in the Gastown area would be almost considered a crime. The area’s most famous landmark has been signalling the time since 1977.
One of Vancouver’s big attractions is the beautiful nature of the surrounding area. One of these is the canyon pierced by the Capilano River, which is home to the longest suspension bridge in the world, an extraordinary 140m long and hanging 70m above the river.
This area is also popular with visitors in search of the remains and imaginary left behind by the Native American Indians and their animist culture.
A visit to Vancouver should be accompanied by a trip north of the city to the spectacular Whistler Mountains. It’s the largest ski resort in all of North America and also the largest alpine resort on the continent, both in terms of facilities and size.
The Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are linked in the middle by a pedestrianised village. Between the two mountains, the complex boasts more than 200 ski slopes of various difficulties totalling 3300 accessible hectares with an average of 10 metres of snow per year. The resort has 38 cable cars in total, allowing you to reach heights of 1609m above sea level, and given the huge number of cable cars, the Whistler station can accommodate and move an impressive 62,000 skiers around its slopes each hour.
There are very few places in the world that can rival this excellent spot for winter sports, and it comes as no surprise that it was the host venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The success of the event and how well it was organised still lingers in the memory of those who love the Olympic Games.
