9 of the Best Museums in Vancouver and How To Visit

From buzzy special exhibits to free summer movie nights to hosting the downtown Christmas tree, the Vancouver Art Gallery is one of the must-see art galleries in Vancouver. Although plans are underway to move the VAG to an expansive new facility (currently, the museum can only display a fraction of its collection), this elegant former courthouse is still an excellent spot to enjoy famous Canadian artists, such as Emily Carr and Bill Reid. Typically, you’ll find exhibits highlighting East Asian, British Columbian, and Indigenous artists, as well as plenty of traveling exhibitions.

Don’t miss: Check out the gallery’s website for its calendar of events—they often host workshops, discussions with artists, and evening tours.

With its imposing red brick exterior, the Vancouver Police Museum maintains much of its former atmosphere from when it housed the morgue and Coroner’s Court. Today, the museum invites visitors to explore the dark parts of Vancouver’s history and the colorful figures who lived in them, from corrupt police chiefs to brilliant forensic scientists. Alongside the exhibits, the museum frequently runs events, such as movie nights in the morgue and walking tours through Chinatown that focus on the city’s more criminal past.

Don’t miss: Try your hand at solving a crime with one of the interactive museum experiences, such as the forensics challenge. The experience also includes a mini-tour of the exhibits.

Located in the historic Bank of Montreal building, the Chinatown Storytelling Centre is the perfect place to learn about the people who built a community in the neighborhood, as well as those who continue to expand on that legacy today. The Centre focuses on oral history and the small stories that accompany historical objects, making each exhibit feel profoundly human and personal. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about the long-standing Chinese community in Vancouver and the challenges posed by Canada’s discriminatory policies against the newcomers, while the Centre’s existence celebrates the community’s continuing resiliency. Afterward, keep the experience going with a food tour through Chinatown.

Don’t miss: Check out Foo Hung Curios—the shop is attached to the museum and highlights locally made items as well as Chinese-Canadian designers.

Conveniently located right off of Kitsilano, aka Kits Beach, the Vancouver Maritime Museum is one of the top historical museums in Vancouver. Along with displaying the iconic St. Roch (the first boat to sail west to east through the Northwest Passage) and the retro wooden boats found floating at the museum’s marina, the museum dives into the history of seafaring on the coast prior to colonization, with an exhibition on Indigenous canoe culture. Climb aboard some of the restored vessels and imagine setting sail.

Don’t miss: Keep the nautical theme going and hop on a False Creek Ferry—there’s a terminal for these tiny, charming ferries attached to the museum’s heritage harbor, and it’s a great way to tool around the bay.

While the Vancouver art scene continues to explode, artists have been creating on the land since time immemorial. The Bill Reid Gallery, one of the top-rated Vancouver museum attractions, was founded in remembrance of the legendary Haida artist, Bill Reid. From famous monumental sculptures to more contemporary takes on traditional masks, jewelry, and weaving, this museum in Vancouver offers an introduction to the Pacific Coast and its many distinct Nations.

Don’t miss: The gift shop sells everything from carved silver earrings to small prints to remind you of your time in Vancouver.

Picturesque and walkable, Whistler is a popular day trip from Vancouver. It’s also home to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, where wide windows let in plenty of natural light and offer views of the surrounding cedar trees. Guided tours feature welcome songs, storytelling, and cultural knowledge of the traditional lands of the Skwxwu7mesh (Squamish) and Lil’wat Nations, while traditions are shared through workshops, such as making your own medicine bag or decorating a paddle necklace.

Don’t miss: Make sure to check their events page ahead of time—the museum often hosts live events such as carving and traditional feasts.

Located on the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia, the Museum of Anthropology collaborates with Indigenous peoples and explores different knowledge systems. The airy concrete and glass building feels almost like being outside—the Great Hall is one of the top Vancouver museum highlights with its towering totem poles. The museum’s collection transports you around the world with belongings from dozens of countries and cultures, with a particular focus on Pacific Northwest Indigenous cultures. Visitors are invited to reflect on their status as guests on the land.

Don’t miss: Live out your Night at the Museum dreams with an evening visit—thanks to its location on a university campus, the museum hosts hip events like Night Sounds (mini-raves held in a traditional Haida house), Night Shift (a monthly cabaret series), and artist talkbacks.

The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is also located on the Vancouver UBC campus, so it’s a great option to visit along with the Museum of Anthropology. Kids will love the giant blue whale skeleton that hangs in the entrance hall, and will be entranced by the dinosaur track prints that have been found across the province. Other exhibitions dive into the history of food and future security, and how First Nations are connected to the land.

Don’t miss: The museum has multiple screenings per day of the documentary Raising Big Blue—a fascinating story about the decades-long process of bringing the blue whale skeleton to the public.

The quirky Museum of Vancouver is located just off of Vancouver’s Seawall in Stanley Park, with excellent views of the city skyline. It’s guarded by an imposing silver statue of a crab snapping its claws, but don’t be put off by the prickly welcome—this museum is all about bringing city dwellers and visitors together to learn about Vancouver’s civic history and pre-colonial stories of the land. Exhibits draw comparisons between current housing anxieties and astronomical pre–World War I costs, and dive into the hippie counterculture of the 1970s.

Don’t miss: Make sure you check out the outdoor Unity Indigenous Plant Garden, termed a “living exhibition,” created through a collaboration with the Musqueam, Skwxwu7mesh (Squamish), and Tsleil-Waututh Nations to share traditional knowledge.