British Columbia Cities and Regions

Home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver is a city with its sights set firmly outdoors, but the city that loves to bike, blade, swim, hike, and climb also loves its fine galleries and museums. An exceptionally family-friendly city, Vancouver also offers a slew of excellent activities for those with tots and/or teens in tow. See our Vancouver Travel Guide

British Columbia's top winter resort boasts truly tremendous powder, which is why Whistler is hosting most of the ski events during 2010’s Winter Olympic Games. While skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling lure snow-hounds here in the winter, mountain bikers, runners, and spa aficionados take their place come summer. See our Whistler Travel Guide

Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, historic Victoria is British Columbia’s capital and a major port city. Royal British-colonial buildings and a myriad of mountain vistas characterize this stately city’s unique identity. Roam through the peaceful Inner Harbor area, observing towering, hand-carved totem poles and bucolic gardens.

Move over Napa and Sonoma: Oenophiles looking for a taste of the next best thing are taking their palates north, to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, which boasts a cool and dry summer climate ideal for traditional grape harvesting, and frosty winters that help perfect Canada’s famed ice wine. With landscapes dotted with verdant fields, cascading hillsides, and ample lakes, the area makes for a great wine-country getaway.

Wild horses still run unrestrained in the grasslands of this rugged, Wild West region of British Columbia. Explore weathered ghost towns from the last gold rush or practice fly-fishing in this area of unspoiled wilderness and craggy, pine-covered bluffs hugging the coastline.

Bordering Alberta, the secluded Kootenay Rockies are an escape from the bustle Vancouver and the crowds of major mountain tourist destinations like Whistler. The region prides itself on powdery ski slopes without long lift lines, unspoiled glacial lakes, cavernous hot springs, and pampering spas.