Neighbourhood guide

Riley Park

The lookout at Queen Elizabeth Park

Vancouver6 spots

The vibe

Riley Park is the top of Vancouver: Queen Elizabeth Park and its gardens, laid out in old quarries, offer a 360° view of the city and the mountains. Further down, Main Street rolls out neighbourhood restaurants, antique shops and unpretentious bars.

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Where to eat

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Drink & nightlife

Good to know

Head down into the Quarry Garden instead of staying at the lookout: it's the most photogenic spot in the park, and the most sheltered from the wind.

When to go

Spring, when the quarry gardens are in bloom. Sunset at the top of the park, facing downtown and the mountains.

Getting there

Canada Line to King Edward station, then a few minutes on foot to the park; bus 3 on Main Street and 33 on 33rd Avenue.

The story

How the neighbourhood came to be

The hill once known as Little Mountain was first a quarry: the rock that paved Vancouver's first roads came from here. The pits left behind became, from the 1930s and 40s, the sunken gardens of Queen Elizabeth Park. The Bloedel Conservatory dome was added in 1969, and in 2010 the neighbourhood hosted the curling events of the Winter Olympics.

Did you know?

1Queen Elizabeth Park is the highest point in Vancouver, at about 150 m above sea level.
2The sunken gardens fill old basalt quarries that supplied stone for the city's first roads.
3The Bloedel Conservatory, at the top of the park, has housed hundreds of birds and tropical plants under a geodesic dome since 1969.

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See on the map Plan a day

Riley Park

Good to know

How the neighbourhood came to be

Did you know?

Where to eat

Anh and Chi

Published on Main

Sun Sui Wah

Drink & nightlife

Good Thief

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