British Columbia, Canada

State guide with cities, regions, and key information.

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Introduction
British Columbia is Canada's Pacific province — a place where snow-capped mountains drop straight to the ocean, temperate rainforest meets surf beaches, and a relaxed, outdoorsy culture runs from the cosmopolitan city of Vancouver to the wild northern coast. For travellers it offers an unusual combination: a world-class city and ski resort within two hours of each other, an island of gardens, surf and rainforest just across the strait, and a sunny interior of vineyards and lakes — all bound together by some of the most dramatic coast and mountain scenery in North America.

Discover British Columbia

Vancouver is the rare big city wrapped in wilderness. The downtown peninsula is ringed by the Seawall, the world's longest uninterrupted waterfront path, much of it through Stanley Park — a thousand acres of temperate rainforest, totem poles, beaches and seawall views of the harbour and the North Shore mountains. Granville Island's public market, the historic brick streets of Gastown with its steam clock, and the lantern-lit Chinatown anchor the city's character, while Kitsilano and English Bay supply the beaches. The mountains are part of daily life: Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Suspension Bridge are a short trip across the harbour, and the ski runs of three local mountains light up the skyline in winter. Vancouver's food scene — especially its Asian cooking, reflecting deep Pacific Rim ties — is among the best in Canada.

Travel Types

City & Sea

Vancouver's seawall, Stanley Park and beaches, with the North Shore mountains rising behind the skyline.

Skiing & Mountains

Whistler Blackcomb's world-class slopes and bike park, and the Sea-to-Sky corridor's fjords and granite.

Island & Rainforest

Victoria and the Butchart Gardens, Tofino's surf and the old-growth rainforest of Vancouver Island's west coast.

Wine & Lakes

The Okanagan Valley's vineyards, orchards and warm summer beach lakes around Kelowna.

Wildlife & Wild Coast

Whale-watching, the Great Bear Rainforest's spirit bears and the Haida culture of remote Haida Gwaii.

Frequently asked questions

Yes — that south-west corner is the classic first-time BC itinerary. Whistler is a two-hour drive from Vancouver up the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and Vancouver Island (Victoria or Nanaimo) is a 90-minute ferry or a short floatplane hop. A week comfortably covers the city, a couple of nights in Whistler and two or three on the island; add the Okanagan only if you have more time, as it's a longer drive east.

Summer (July to September) is ideal for the coast, the islands and the Okanagan — warm, dry and long days, though it's the busiest. Late spring and September are quieter and lovely. Winter (December to March) is the season for Whistler and the interior ski resorts, and for storm-watching in Tofino, while Vancouver itself stays mild but wet. The west coast of the island is rainy outside high summer.

BC Ferries run frequently from the Vancouver area (Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay terminals) to Victoria and Nanaimo, carrying cars and foot passengers on a scenic 90-minute-plus crossing through the Gulf Islands. Floatplanes and a passenger ferry also link downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria in well under an hour. In summer, vehicle reservations on the ferries are strongly advised.

Cities in British Columbia

1 city with detailed travel information

Vancouver