Queen Elizabeth Park

You can visit Queen Elizabeth Park independently or as part of a guided tour. Many sightseeing tours make stops at the park’s highest point, which affords panoramic city views. Thanks to its immaculate floral displays, the park is often included on garden tours, which typically incorporate visits to the VanDusen Botanical Garden and Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden too. The park is also home to the Bloedel Floral Conservatory, which is full of tropical plants, trees, and free-flying birds.

• Queen Elizabeth Park is a must for families and flora enthusiasts.

• Book tickets for the Bloedel Conservatory in advance to avoid waiting in line.

• The park is wheelchair and stroller accessible, with paved pathways leading through the quarry garden and to the Bloedel Conservatory.

Queen Elizabeth Park is less than 15 minutes’ by car from downtown Vancouver. Take the SkyTrain (Canada Line) to King Edward or Oakridge-41st Avenue station, and walk from there.

The best time to visit the park is in spring and summer when many of the flowers are in full bloom and when Painters’ Corner, an open-air art gallery, is in full swing. This is also when the weather is usually warmest, so you’ll be able to wander around in comfort.

While you’re roaming the park, be on the lookout for several noteworthy sights: the Dancing Waters, near the Bloedel Conservatory, a fountain with 70 jets that shoot water high into the air. In spring and summer, stroll by Painters’ Corner, an open-air space where artists display their works. The park also contains several sculptures of note, including Photo Session by J. Seward Johnson Junior, which depicts a man photographing three subjects, and Knife Edge-Two Piece by Henry Moore, an abstract bronze.

Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park is free to enter, but the Bloedel Conservatory–an indoor tropical garden–costs C$7.40 for adults, C$5.20 for over 65s and youth aged between 13 and 18, C$3.70 for kids aged between 5 and 12, and is free for under-5s. An extra booking fee is added to online ticket purchases.

Yes, Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park is an ideal place for walking as it’s pretty compact. A short 0.26-mile (0.41-kilometer) trail leads up to a viewpoint above the city, while other trails stick to the lower gardens. It’s pretty easy to navigate, but having a map (available online) is helpful, as the curved trails can be confusing.

There is no free parking at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park, but there are paid parking lots at various places throughout the park. If you’re looking for free parking, you can park on-street at West 29th Avenue, Cambie Street, and Midlothian Avenue at the park's northern end.

Between 2–3 hours is an ideal amount of time to spend in Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park, although you could spend the whole day here if you wanted to take your time. There are many things to enjoy here, including the Bloedel Conservatory, the Arboretum, the Quarry Gardens, walking trails, and more.

Despite what you might assume, Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park isn’t named after Britain’s most recent queen, Elizabeth II. It was named in 1940, long before Elizabeth II took the throne, and was named after Elizabeth II’s mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Consort, wife of King George VI. The royal couple had visited Vancouver in 1939 when the park was being built.

Yes, Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park is worth visiting. The well-maintained park has beautiful plants and flowers, a conservatory with tropical birds, and many other attractions and facilities. It also offers one of the best views of Vancouver and the surrounding North Shore mountains, as it’s located at the highest point in the city.