University of British Columbia

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map. Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! Note: This 8.9 miles-long tour covers the essentials of Vancouver Downtown in 2 - 3 hours. Once downloaded, your tour begins next to Victory Square. From there, you’ll take in the Colosseum-like Vancouver Public Library. It has over 1.4 million books inside! Next, drive past the respected Vancouver Art Gallery, highlighting a diverse range of artists, including Vancouver natives and First Nation members. Then pass the Spirits in a Landscape statue, which features creatures like fish and owls and highlights the First Nations’ influence in Canada. You’ll also hear more about the First Nations. Navigate the majesty of Stanley Park, even larger than Central Park! Unearth how this land was once home to a Squamish community, which married among the Portuguese. In addition, you’ll see the prominent seawall. You’ll continue onto the Nine O’Clock Gun, a cannon which fires a shot at nine pm. The cannon was once actually kidnapped! The tour will then guide you past the memorable Girl in a Wetsuit statue, a modern twist on the Little Mermaid! Then proceed by the Prospect Point Lookout, which offers breathtaking ocean views. Continue by the popular Third Beach and hear a story about an anchor that may or may not have belonged to Captain George Vancouver’s ship, as well as his expeditions charting the British Columbian coast. Advance past Old English Bay Beach, and hear about Vancouver’s very first lifeguard. Also find out about Chief August Jack Khahtsaholano, a guide, logger, canoe builder, and medicine man, among other things! Then head into the trendy Kitsilano neighborhood, a playground for professionals and big names like Ryan Reynolds. As the journey continues, you’ll see the University of British Columbia, Vancouver’s largest university. If you recognize the campus, it’s been featured in many Hollywood movies and shows! You’ll subsequently pass the Nitobe Memorial Garden, whose namesake promoted understanding of Japanese culture in the West. As you drive along, you’ll discover the Mounties and their roots as a militia! Learning about the Winter Olympics and Canada’s great triumph over the US in 2010, you’ll then move along to Queen Elizabeth Park. Named after the late sovereign’s mother, it’s the highest point in the area! Then pay a visit to beloved Granville Island. Once a seasonal home to the Salish, it became a hotbed of industrial activity. Thousands kept cranking out fiber, rope, and chain in the midst of the Depression! Following that, you’ll enter Gastown, the original settlement and now the heart of Vancouver. Cruise past the famed clock which literally blows off steam every quarter hour! Head for Canada Place, which welcomes visitors. This is where the tour ends.

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map. Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! Note: This 9-mile-long tour covers the essentials of Vancouver Beach in 1-2 hours. Upon launching the app, your tour begins at Morton Park, at 1800 Morton Avenue. From there, you’ll meet Old English Joe, Vancouver’s first lifeguard! Learn about his efforts to keep kids safe and unearth why the city refused to recognize his bravery for so long! Next up, you’ll pass tranquil Sunset Beach with its calm waters, variety of concessions, and grassy field. As you keep driving, you’ll come to the historic Burrard Street Bridge, the oldest in Vancouver. Hear some of the secrets behind this structure, including a hidden stairwell and the thieves who plundered it during the Great Depression. Then you’ll arrive at Kitsilano Beach Park with its scenic views and heated outdoor saltwater pool. This is Canada’s longest, at 137 meters! Next on your journey, you’ll meet another important figure, Chief August Jack Khahtsaholano. Hear about his efforts to keep Squamish traditions alive, and the many roles he filled over the years, including guide, logger, canoe builder, and medicine man! Your journey next takes you to the swanky Kitsilano neighborhood, particularly popular among young professionals. Here you’ll learn about the big names who’ve lived here, like Ryan Reynolds. As you keep driving, you’ll also learn why Vancouver’s such a hot filming location and hear about some popular movies and shows shot in the city, such as Twilight and Final Destination. Then continue onto Jericho Beach Park. As you pass, keep your eye out for the famed “Jericho Beach Bunnies,” and learn how they came to be here! After that, you’ll proceed past Locarno Beach Park and Spanish Banks Beach Park. The latter is the most spacious in the area, stretching a mile. You’ll also discover how this beach is a kiteboarding hotspot and learn a little more about this daunting, but fun sport! Next, you’ll unearth how Vancouver became such a tech hub and find out which big names have left their mark on the city. Your drive will then take you past the University of British Columbia. As you keep moving, you’ll learn of the university’s relationship with the First Nations people and hear how hundreds of students and faculty fought for the British in World War I. The journey takes a more tranquil turn with a visit to the Nitobe Memorial Garden. Here, you’ll hear the story of its namesake. Learn how he sought to promote a better of understanding of Japanese culture in the West. Then swing past the Greenheart TreeWalk, where visitors navigate suspended walkways and canopies up to 20 meters high, while taking in views of the city’s majestic trees! The journey comes to an end at the University of British Columbia’s Botanical Gardens.