Vancouver’s best places for photography include VanDusen Garden, the Bloedel Conservatory and all the city’s various parks and neighbourhoods.

From skylines to nature, mountains, buildings and people, learn where in Vancouver to take photos and why Vancouver is a photographer’s paradise and playground.

Best Places for Photography

Directly below is a list of some of the top places from which to take amazing shots, plus scroll to the bottom of the page for examples.

North Shore Scenic Spots

• Ambleside (the beach and park in West Vancouver has views of Lions Gate Bridge, Stanley Park and the waters of English Bay).
• Cleveland Dam (for stunning views of Capilano Lake with the snow-capped  Lions peaks in the background).
• Cypress Mountain (from the top of the ski hill, or from the lookout three-quarters of the way up the road).
• Deep Cove (both from the shore and from a boat in the water, either rented or your own).
• Dundarave (for views of the coastline from the beach and the seawall, including scenes with a palm tree).
• Grouse Mountain (from the SkyTram, the ski slopes, the chairlifts, the ziplines and most spectacular of all – from the observation deck in the giant “Eye of the Wind” turbine).
• Lighthouse Park (it has exceptional views of the North Shore and Vancouver in the distance – so bring a zoom lens.  If you’re lucky, you might even get snow-capped Mount Baker in the background to the city).
• Lonsdale Quay (great views of the tugboats and Vancouver across the water, both from the ground and up in the observation tower with the giant “Q” on top, not to mention from the SeaBus too while crossing the inlet).
• Mt. Seymour (spectacular views of area mountains, Vancouver and the entire Lower Mainland from the top of the ski hill on a sunny day).

Top Photo Spots in the City of Vancouver

• Bloedel Conservatory (both inside and outside the glass-domed building at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park).
• Coal Harbour (anywhere along the seawall, from Stanley Park to Canada Place, or even from out in the water, like from one of the Harbour Cruise boats during a tour).
• English Bay (at the beach, or from there along the water in either direction).
• False Creek (anywhere along the seawall, including from both the Burrard and Granville Street Bridges, the Olympic Village close to Science World, along the water near Yaletown, or near the entrance to English Bay).
• Granville Island (at the public market inside, and everywhere in the region outside that’s close to the water.)
• Kitsilano (from its beach, or Jericho, Spanish Banks or any of the other beaches along those shores too).
• Queen Elizabeth Park (any time of year, but especially when there are spring and early summer flowers, or in October with the autumn leaves).
• Stanley Park (from virtually anywhere, but in particular near Siwash Rock, locations facing south toward Vancouver’s downtown skyline, and multiple angles toward the Lions Gate Bridge).
• Sun Yat-Sen Garden (especially from May to September).
• Vancouver Lookout (for the most amazing 360 degree views of the city, but it needs to be on a sunny clear day).
• VanDusen Garden (year-round, including in the winter with their night time Christmas lights).
• Yaletown (along the False Creek waterfront).

Other Great Places for Photography

• Sea to Sky Region (any one of dozens of places along the highway).
• Whistler (both in the village and all over the ski hill, especially from the peaks).

The above are some of the absolute best places for taking photos and admiring the view, but there are more.

To learn about other parts of BC to enjoy photogenic scenery, see the websites WhatToDoInWhistler.ca and VictoriasBestPlaces.com.

Click any of the following pictures to learn more about the location and its attractions.