Vancouver

Vancouver is one of the most dramatically situated cities in the world, lying between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, on a sheltered inlet. Known as "Hollywood North" for the large numbers of movies and TV series filmed there, Vancouver is always among the front-runners in surveys of the best places to live in the world. As well as a base for exploring the Rocky Mountains, and the western terminus of the trans-Canada railway line, Vancouver is a fascinating city in its own right. Edwardian buildings there were once the tallest in the British Empire, while more modern structures include Canada Place, reminiscent of Sydney Opera House. Vancouver's Chinatown is the second largest in the Americas after San Francisco, while the old docker's quarter of Gastown is now a well-preserved area of historical buildings and trendy boutiques.