Is Downtown & Coal Harbour a good place to stay in Vancouver?

Downtown is the most convenient place to stay in Vancouver for a first visit, a cruise or a conference. Canada Place and the convention centre are on the harbour, Gastown is a short walk east, Robson Street runs through the middle, and the seawall leads to Stanley Park. The Canada Line brings you from the airport to Waterfront Station in under half an hour.

The views are the star. Glass towers look across Burrard Inlet to the North Shore mountains, seaplanes land in Coal Harbour, and the SeaBus crosses to Lonsdale Quay every 15 minutes. Gastown's Victorian buildings hold cocktail bars and restaurants, and Granville Street is the city's nightlife strip.

The downside is the cost and the Downtown Eastside. Hotels near the water are expensive, parking is pricey, and a few blocks east of Gastown, around Hastings Street, visible homelessness and drug use can be upsetting. Granville Street gets loud and messy late at night.

What makes downtown special is how nature meets the city. You can walk the seawall to Stanley Park in the morning, eat in Gastown at night and wake up to mountains across the water. For a first trip, it's the obvious base.