Vancouver

Getting there

US passport required, no visa, no eTA. Americans walk across the border like they own the place and Canadians mostly tolerate it. The passport is non-negotiable. Expired Global Entry card does not count. Bring the book.

Flying in: DFW to YVR is about 4.5 hours on American or Air Canada, usually direct. YVR is the best airport in North America according to basically anyone who has used it. The Canada Line (SkyTrain) runs from the terminal to downtown in 25 minutes for $9.55 CAD during peak hours. Uber and rideshare work, but the train is faster and a quarter of the cost.

Driving from Seattle: Two and a half hours north on I-5, then the Peace Arch border crossing. On a weekend with World Cup matches happening? Budget three to five. Use the NEXUS lane if you have it; if you don't, the official CBP wait-time tool is surprisingly accurate, and anything labeled "red" means sit down with a podcast.

Phone: T-Mobile and Verizon standard plans include Canada. AT&T needs a separate pass. An Airalo eSIM is about $15 for the week if you don't want to think about it.

Money: CAD. $1 USD ≈ $1.38 CAD. Tap to pay everywhere, ATMs on every block. You'll barely touch cash except maybe at a food truck.

To BC Place: SkyTrain. On a normal day Stadium-Chinatown station is a three-minute walk across the street, but for World Cup match days TransLink is managing stadium crowds through a "Last Mile" pedestrian route anchored at Main Street–Science World station instead — follow the signed path and the staff. Either way it's the rare case of a major stadium genuinely integrated into a downtown transit grid, and it spoils you forever. Don't rent a car for match days. Don't drive. Just don't.

The fan zone

Here's the plot twist: the main FIFA Fan Festival isn't downtown. It's at the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) at Hastings Park, about 8km east of downtown. The centerpiece is a brand-new 10,000-seat covered amphitheatre called the Freedom Mobile Arch — built specifically for this tournament and meant to stick around as a permanent venue afterward. Runs June 11 to July 19. Free. Every match broadcast, plus concerts, cultural programming, food.

TransLink is running a dedicated shuttle from Renfrew station (Millennium Line) and 29th Avenue station (Expo Line) directly to the gates. Takes about 10 minutes. On match days for Canada games and anything with a big traveling support, plan on the return shuttle being slammed — give yourself an hour.

Where to watch without tickets

Vancouver is not a soccer bar town the way New York or London is. The scene exists, it's just quieter and more spread out. Here's the working list.

• Library Square Public House (Downtown, 300 W Georgia St) — Right next to the Vancouver Public Library's iconic colosseum building. Big space, lots of screens, mixed crowd, easy to get a seat if you show up 30 minutes before kickoff. The default downtown option.
• The Charles Bar (Downtown Eastside / Crosstown, 136 W Cordova St) — Smaller, neighborhood feel, takes its football seriously without being precious about it.
• The Portside Pub (Gastown, 7 Alexander St) — Harborside patio, brick-walled interior, big screens. Warm afternoon match, cold beer, boats in the water. The vibe.
• The Blind Sparrow (Kitsilano, 3404 W 4th Ave) — Kits-side pub, draws the neighborhood crowd, easy place to sit in for a full 90 minutes without feeling like you're at a rugby scrum.
• Doolin's Irish Pub (Downtown, 654 Nelson St) — Big, loud, reliably showing every match. The "I just want to watch the game and drink a pint" answer.
• Mahony & Sons (Stamps Landing or Burrard Landing) — Waterfront patios on False Creek or Coal Harbour. If it's sunny, you watch soccer with mountains and ocean in your sightline. That's Vancouver.

Eat & drink

This is the reason to come. Vancouver has the best Asian food in North America — not a hot take, just the reality of being the most Asian-populated major city on the continent. Richmond (the suburb south of the city, 20 minutes by Canada Line) is straight-up the best Chinese food region in North America. The debate isn't even close in most quarters.

Chinese: Dinesty Dumpling House (Robson downtown or Richmond) for xiao long bao. Kirin (multiple locations) for dim sum. HK BBQ Master in Richmond, literally attached to a gas station, does the best roast duck in the country. If you take one trip out of downtown, take the Canada Line to Richmond and spend three hours eating.

Japanese: Tojo's (South Granville) invented the California Roll, which is embarrassing for California and good for Tojo. Omakase is the move. Sushi Hil (Kitsilano) is the more approachable, equally serious option.

Vietnamese: Anh and Chi (Main Street) is family-run, modern, excellent — the tasting menu is a bargain for what you get. Phnom Penh does Cambodian food, not Vietnamese, but the chicken wings are a Vancouver landmark.

Indian: Vij's (Cambie) is one of the best Indian restaurants in North America. No reservations for the main dining room — show up, put your name in, drink in the bar. Rangoli next door is the walk-in-friendly sibling.

Filipino: Kulinarya in Richmond for serious kamayan (hands-on) meals. Lechon, pancit, sisig.

Seafood + West Coast: The Fish Counter on Main Street is a fishmonger with a counter — you pick the fish, they fry it, you eat it. Pacific salmon the way it should be. Joe Fortes downtown if you want the white-tablecloth version.

Brunch: Medina Cafe (Richards St) for the lavender lattes and Belgian waffles; line out the door, worth it. Yolk's if you need a breakfast sandwich in a hurry.

Drinking: BC craft beer is serious. Brassneck in Mount Pleasant, Powell Brewery in Strathcona, 33 Acres across from Brassneck. Canadian wine gets overlooked; BC's Okanagan Valley whites hold up against anyone.

Things to do

Stanley Park. You rent a bike at Spokes (Georgia & Denman), you ride the seawall, you do not stop for two hours. Thousand-acre urban park with views of downtown one way and North Shore mountains the other. It's the best thing in Vancouver.

Grouse Mountain. The gondola up from the North Shore. Views of the whole city, lumberjack shows at the top, grizzly bears in a sanctuary. Touristy. Worth it.

Capilano Suspension Bridge. Next to Grouse. A long walking bridge over a deep canyon. Do both in one day.

Granville Island. Public market, food stalls, boutique shops, craft distilleries. Ferry across False Creek from Yaletown — the two-minute ride is half the fun.

Whistler. Two hours north on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, one of the most scenic drives on the continent. Off-season in June means no skiing, but mountain biking, hiking, and zip-lining are all running. Do it as a day trip if you've got a free afternoon.

Kitsilano / Wreck Beach. Kits is the beachy, yoga-pants Vancouver stereotype and it's delightful. Wreck Beach (below UBC) is clothing-optional, hippie, and the sunset there is one of the city's genuine secrets.

The BC Place advantage

The venue itself is the pitch. BC Place sits downtown, has the largest retractable roof in Canada (critical in a city where June can mean 75°F sun or 55°F drizzle), and the SkyTrain drops you at the door. Of the 16 tournament venues, it's the most scenic and the easiest to reach. On a clear day you walk out after a match, see the North Shore mountains lit up behind the stadium, and understand why people move here and don't leave.

Vancouver in June: Unpredictable. Could be 75°F and perfect. Could be 55°F, gray, and drizzly — the classic "Juneuary" Vancouverites complain about. Pack layers and a rain shell no matter what the forecast says. If it's raining, go to dim sum and pretend this was always the plan.