Mountains, ocean, Stanley Park, and a diversity of culture that makes it extraordinary for exposing children to the world — Granville Island Market is a particular highlight.
Parent tip: The SeaBus ferry from downtown to North Vancouver is free for children under 13.
Read our Vancouver family guide: areas, where to stay and tips
A hands-on science centre in the geodesic dome built for Expo 86 at the end of False Creek, with galleries of experiments to touch and try, live science shows, a large-screen theatre and an outdoor science park.
An aquarium inside Stanley Park with sea otters, Steller sea lions and harbour seals, a touch pool of British Columbia sea creatures, jellyfish, tropical reef sharks and an Amazon rainforest gallery with sloths and caimans. Staff give animal talks through the day.
A 400-hectare forest park on the edge of downtown, ringed by the seawall path for walking and cycling, with beaches, the totem poles at Brockton Point and the Vancouver Aquarium inside it.
The University of British Columbia's museum of world arts and cultures, on Musqueam land, best known for its Great Hall of towering Northwest Coast totem poles and carvings by First Nations artists, including Bill Reid's cedar sculpture The Raven and the First Men.
A private park in the North Shore rainforest where a 140 m suspension bridge sways 70 m above the Capilano River. Beyond it, Treetops Adventure links footbridges between giant Douglas firs, and the Cliffwalk clings to the granite canyon wall.
A North Shore mountain reached by the Red Skyride aerial tram, with a wildlife refuge for orphaned grizzly bears, mountain zipline tours and summit views over the city. In winter it becomes a ski hill with lessons for children from age 3.
TransLink's passenger ferry across Burrard Inlet between Waterfront Station and Lonsdale Quay. The 12-minute crossing gives harbour and mountain views on the way to the North Shore.
Forest paths and river viewpoints offer a calm North Shore walk.
A market island with a children's market, a water park in summer and mini ferries.
A free forest park in North Vancouver, open since 1912, with a suspension bridge high over Lynn Creek, rainforest trails including part of the Baden Powell Trail, and river pools.