Downtown
Downtown is where most of the city’s office space is found, along with the Canada Place convention center and plenty of shopping options. Downtown is on the north half of the northern peninsula of the city, and extends to Coal Harbour.

West End
The West End is west of Downtown, and is one of Vancouver’s priciest neighborhoods.  In addition to luxury housing, the West End has some of the top restaurants and trendiest shops as well.  Robson Street is the focal point for activity here.

Robson Street
Robson Street is a trendy area with eclectic shops and a decent nightclub scene.  Stop in for an afternoon of shopping and stopping at little cafes and coffee shops, and then stick around for the party at night.

Gastown
Gastown is the original settlement of Vancouver, and retains a funky, independent feel.  It’s just east of Downtown along the water, and is a focal point for nightlife in the city.  Pubs and restaurants line the cobblestone streets and are perfect for revelers, during the daytime many up and coming artists and designers call the area home.

Chinatown
Chinatown is just south of Gastown, and is one of the biggest Chinatowns on the continent.  Chinatown has plenty of authentic shops and restaurants, and is a great place to spend an afternoon.  Thousands of Cantonese-speaking Chinese still call the area home.

Yaletown
A little south of Chinatown is Yaletown, a funky urban neighborhood that used to a meat packing a warehouse district.  Now, it’s home to lofts and trendy cafes that are full of local hipsters, along with some terrific high end design shops.

Granville Island
Granville Island is an odd combination of artsy shops and industrial plants, but, judging by the crowds that come to the farmer’s market, that duality isn’t keeping anyone away.  On the south side of the Granville Bridge across False Creek is where you’ll find this neighborhood.

Kitsilano
Kitsilano is just west of Granville Island along False Creek, and is packed full of restaurants and shops.  It was originally a hippy hangout in the 1960s, but now it’s been completely turned into a yuppie haven, so if you’re looking for a $5 coffee, this is your place.

Shaughnessy
Shaughnessy is a little south of Granville St and is the neighborhood surrounding Shaughnessy Park.  It’s another of Vancouver’s wealthy neighborhoods, and getting into it can be tricky, because traffic flow has been carefully diverted around it.  It doesn’t have much in the way of shops or restaurants, but if you want to see some of Vancouver’s priciest real estate, it’s worth looking around for.

Commercial Drive
A little mile or two east of Granville Island is Commercial Drive, and between 1^st Ave and Venables St, you’ll find as eclectic a mishmash of cultures as anywhere else.  Originally, this was Vancouver’s Little Italy, but since influxes of Latin American immigrants and New Age artists have made this a schizophrenic neighborhood like no other.

Punjabi Market
About 2 miles southwest of Commercial Drive is Punjabi Market, near Main and 48^th.  This is Vancouver’s Indian area, where shop owners set up stalls during the day and sell all types of Indian foot and products.  This is a great area to buy discount textiles.

Richmond
Richmond is a city just south of Vancouver near the Vancouver International Airport.  It has a few great malls, and is now home to Vancouver’s successful Asian population.  Aside from the malls, it’s mainly subdivisions.

Steveston
Steveston is the area right around Steveston Park and Island in the southwest corner of Richmond.  It has one of the biggest fishing fleets in western Canada, along with a sizable Japanese population.  It’s a fun place to visit to feel like you’re back in a historical fishing village.