Is it Worth Visiting the Vancouver Lookout?
Is it Worth Visiting the Vancouver Lookout?
Is it worth visiting the Vancouver Lookout? That question is a common question asked by tourists visiting the beautiful city of Vancouver. The Vancouver Lookout is located on the 40th floor of the Harbour Centre and offers the best views of Vancouver. In my opinion, the Observation Deck of the Harbour Centre is worth visiting. I highly recommend visiting the Vancouver Lookout, where you will enjoy beautiful views of the Port of Vancouver, Stanley Park, Canada Place, BC Place, The Sun Tower, Gastown, the Canadian Pacific Railroad, the Centerm Container Terminal, and more.
There are many reasons why I believe the Vancouver Lookout is worth visiting. First off, the Vancouver Lookout is inexpensive, with tickets costing C$18.75. In addition to the low cost, the Vancouver lookout is rarely crowded. Even during prime viewing time, there are rarely more than 20 people visiting the observation deck. Finally, a trip to the observation deck of the Harbour Centre (Vancouver Lookout) is quick, with the elevator ride only lasting around 45 seconds.
I highly recommend visiting the Vancouver Lookout, which is located at the observation deck of the Harbour Centre. You won’t be disappointed with the great views of the greater Vancouver area.
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What is the Best Time of Day to Visit the Vancouver Lookout?
I’ve visited the Vancouver Lookout multiple times and have always tried to figure out when is the best time to visit the Vancouver Lookout. In my opinion, the best time is about an hour before sunset. The reason I feel this way is that an hour before sunset, the sun is low enough that it doesn’t cause a glare on any of the windows of Vancouver’s Harbour Centre. Also, the sun is still bright enough to illuminate the greater Vancouver area, allowing you to capture beautiful photos. If you visit the Vancouver lookout just before sunset, the Vancouver lookout is definitely worth visiting.
Another thing to consider when deciding what time of day to visit the Vancouver Lookout is what you want to photograph. If you want to photograph places to the east, avoid going in the morning, as the sun will cause a glare. The same thing goes with places facing west, as the evening sun will create a glare as well. The lack of glare caused by the sun is why I prefer to go right before sunset when the sun is unlikely to cause a glare.
How to Purchase Tickets for the Vancouver Lookout - (Observation Deck of the Harbour Centre)
One of the questions I had was how to purchase tickets for the Vancouver Lookout. It turns out that there is no one selling tickets inside the Harbour Centre and that Vancouver Lookout tickets must be purchased online or using the iPad provided at the ticket counter. When I arrived, I was hoping to pay cash, but tickets were credit card only. I used my iPhone and was able to purchase a ticket from the Vancouver Lookout’s website instead of using the provided iPad. If you have issues purchasing a ticket, there is one agent there who scans the tickets and runs the elevators. That person can help you if you are having trouble purchasing your ticket to the Vancouver Lookout.
Views from the Vancouver Lookout - The Observation Deck of Vancouver's Harbour Centre
The observation deck of the Harbour Centre, also known as the Vancouver Lookout, features 360 degrees of views of the greater Vancouver area. During my visit, the windows to the Vancouver lookout were clean, and there wasn’t much of a glare due to what appeared to be a polarized tint on the windows.
The Vancouver Lookout has informational signs near every window panel. These signs tell visitors what sights they can see while also providing information about those sights.
Once I exited the elevator, I turned left and began walking around the observation deck of the Vancouver Lookout in a counterclockwise direction. I stopped at each window and took multiple photos. One of the first photos I took was of the Holy Rosary Cathedral.
At the next window, I was able to get a nice photo of BC Place. One of the best views of BC place is from the Vancouver Lookout.
Next to BC place is Rogers Arena, home to the Vancouver Canucks. The next window at the Vancouver Lookout provided a great view of Rogers Arena and BC Place.
I continued walking around the Vancouver Lookout in a counterclockwise manner. The next window offered a great view of the Sun Tower.
Vancouver is very densely populated and lacks green space due to its over-urbanization. Some buildings have tried to add additional green space by putting gardens and trees on the roof. The photograph below is a good example of what Vancouver has done to combat a lack of green space.
The next photo I took from the observation area of the Vancouver Lookout was of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
The Canadian Pacific Railway is located next to the Centerm Container Terminal.
As I continued around the observation deck of the Vancouver Lookout, I was able to watch the containers from a giant container ship be unloaded and transferred onto railcars.
One of the best views from the Vancouver Lookout is of the Port of Vancouver. I spent a few minutes just watching the boat traffic travel around the port.
One of the most recognizable structures in Vancouver in Canada Place. The Vancouver Lookout provides a great view of Canada Place.
During my visit to Vancouver, a man had barricaded himself in the water under Canada Place. Some very patient Vancouver Police officers had spent hours trying to coax him out. I had watched them from Canada Place, and later that day, when I visited the observation deck of the Harbour Centre, the police were still trying to get him to come out from under Canada Place. Below is a photograph from the Vancouver Lookout.
As I continued walking counterclockwise around the Vancouver Lookout, Stanley Park came into view.
Behind Stanley Park, the famous Lions Gate Bridge is visible. I highly recommend visiting the Vancouver Lookout to get a great view of the Lions Gate Bridge.
Below is a zoomed-in photo of Stanley Park and the Vancouver Seawall. The day before, I had walked around the Vancouver Seawall. To read about walking the Vancouver Seawall, click HERE.
I was now back to my starting point. To show the height of the Vancouver Lookout, I took a photo looking straight down. While the Vancouver Lookout is not close to the world’s tallest building, it still does provide a great view of the greater Vancouver area. I believe the Vancouver Lookout is definitely worth visiting.
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