Visions of Vancouver

Canada’s quintessential west coast city sits at the confluence of majestic mountain peaks and temperate ocean – a picture-perfect urban escape by the sea where emerald waters lap evergreen shores.

It’s the ideal place to start, or finish, a Vancouver to Alaska cruise with a few relaxing days photographing the culture- and nature-filled sites and attractions ashore. Capture everything from internationally renowned outdoor art shows and acclaimed collections of First Nation’s artifacts, to historic city photowalks and breathtaking natural scenery.

Vancouver Biennale
Snap one-of-a-kind photos of innovative public art pieces at the internationally renowned Vancouver Biennale. Starting in the spring of 2014, and running for 18 months, this unique event transforms the already photogenic city into an outdoor art museum showcasing artists from more than 25 countries, including a new sculpture crafted by Ai Weiwei, China’s most famous dissident. Not only does the Biennale offer the chance to photograph an incredible display of international art throughout the city’s public spaces, but you can also document the creation of new pieces that enhance the neighborhoods where they’re displayed. Literally take a seat on the work from artist Hugo Franco, who came from his home country of Brazil to craft original pieces for his “Public Furniture | Urban Trees” project. Franco artfully carves on location fallen and salvaged urban trees into public benches. The newly installed Bird Wrap – a seven-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a kneeling birdman by Canadian artist Ivan Eyre – resides in Thornton Park. And in the summer of 2014, add photos to your portfolio of the massive installation in progress as the street art duo Os Gêmeos – Brazilian brothers Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo – paint a 70-foot-tall mural around the four walls of a Granville Island building.

First Nations Art Museums
Find photo-worthy scenes inside and out at the UBC Museum of Anthropology, which houses one of the world’s finest displays of Northwest Coast First Nations Art from a spectacular vantage point overlooking Howe Sound. Also beginning in the summer of 2014, the new exhibit “Claiming Space: Voices of Urban Aboriginal Youth” goes on display, showcasing the modern work of aboriginal youth from Canada, the U.S. and beyond. Long-standing exhibits include intricate 19th-century totem poles and carved figures in the Great Hall, and stop at the Bill Reid gallery to see “The Raven and the First Men,” which took two years to complete. And don’t finish at the museum’s unique exhibits – the building itself also stands as a work of native-inspired art. In 1976, architect and UBC alumnus Arthur Erickson modeled his design after the post-and-beam architecture of Northwest Coast First Nations people.

City Photowalks
Capture stunning photographs during your stay in Vancouver. Join Vancouver Photowalks on an intimate walking tour of the city’s most picturesque locations, and enjoy a personalized photography lesson along the way. Whether you want to capture iconic backdrops like Canada Place and the Olympic Village, or you prefer to delve into vibrant, colorful neighborhoods like Granville Island and Chinatown, you finish the day with a wealth of praise-worthy images and new skills to last a lifetime. For photographically inclined visitors who have already mastered the basics, take a night tour of Gastown, when intermediate-level tips are shared on topics such as long exposures, light painting and bokeh against a cobblestone street backdrop that includes the world’s first steam-powered clock and the city’s most historic buildings.

Striking Landscapes
A veritable outdoor playground for novice and experienced nature photographers alike, Vancouver inhabits an enviable location with the striking Coast Mountains on one side, the islands and fjords of the Inside Passage on the other. Its urban center barely holding back the temperate rainforests that ensconce it like an evergreen shawl. Experience incredible overhead views of the Capilano River gorge on the newly expanded Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. The eponymous suspension bridge swings high above the river, while the new Cliffwalk clings to the side of a sheer granite wall, and the Treetops Adventure canopy tour offers a walk in the woods 100 feet off the ground. Paddle a kayak through pristine Indian Arm, a protected fjord with calm conditions and idyllic views of local wildlife like harbor seals, eagles and black bears. And for aerial shots of the city itself, hop the Grouse Mountain Skyride – North America’s largest aerial tram rises high above the trees on a mile long climb to the Peak of Vancouver.

Extend your cruise vacation with more time in Vancouver, offering a world of wonders to explore. And Vancouver also serves as a gateway of discovery to explorers looking to see the neighboring city of Victoria, play in Whistler or enjoy the wine country of British Columbia. Let us arrange a luxury train journey where you can enjoy a relaxed pace as you take in the dramatic vistas of British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies.

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