North Van's former Presentation House Gallery renamed itself and relocated to this dramatic, sawtooth-roofed waterfront landmark in 2017, providing greatly increased wall space for the multiple exhibitions staged here throughout the year. Photoconceptualism remains a focus but expect thought-provoking contemporary art installations and evocative Aboriginal exhibits as well. There are free 45-minute tours every Saturday at 2pm. On our visit, a new North Vancouver Museum was also under construction across the street.

Check out the panoramic second-floor views over the water and save time to visit the bookstore and lobby-level gift shop, complete with Polaroid cameras, artisan jewelry and papaya-themed jigsaws shaped like – you guessed it – papayas.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Nine O'Clock Gun

1.87 MILES

An old British canon that was installed in Stanley Park to help locals keep time over a century ago, this near-legendary gun is still fired off at…

2. FlyOver Canada

1.94 MILES

A breathtaking movie-screen simulator ride that makes you feel as if you're swooping across the entire country, waggling your legs over grand landscapes…

3. Totem Poles

1.98 MILES

This handsome collection of totem poles clustered at Brockton Point is one of Stanley Park's busiest visitor lures. Arrive early or late on summer days to…

4. Canada Place

2.07 MILES

Vancouver's version of the Sydney Opera House – judging by the number of postcards it appears on – this iconic landmark is shaped like sails jutting into…

5. Vancouver Police Museum & Archives

2.12 MILES

Illuminating Vancouver's crime-and-vice-addled history, this quirky museum has had a recent makeover, uncovering the former coroner's courtroom (spot the…

6. Maple Tree Square

2.15 MILES

The intersection where Vancouver began was the site of John 'Gassy Jack' Deighton's first pub, and the spot where the inaugural city-council meeting was…

7. Cricket Pavilion

2.16 MILES

Brockton Oval's historic cricket pavilion ensures this pocket of Stanley Park will forever feel like an English country village.

8. HMCS Discovery

2.17 MILES

The historic naval station located on Stanley Park's Deadman's Island (actually a peninsula) has a long history as both a First Nations' burial ground and…