VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver's most beautiful botanical garden

Founded in 1975, it was the result of an agreement between the provincial government of British Columbia and the city of Vancouver to rehabilitate the city's golf course. Since then, the favourite haunt of golfers has been transformed into the immense VanDusen Botanical Gardens, home to ponds, waterfalls, intimate garden areas, flowering paths, sculptures and other works of art. In 2011, the garden will inaugurate its visitor centre. The new structure includes a gift shop, botanical library, café and restaurant.

In this park of over 20 hectares, you'll discover a huge variety of birds, hundreds of varieties of plants from all over the world, classic gardens, miniature forests, century-old trees, various pavilions and even a hedge maze. Among all these plants is a large collection of endemic British Columbia native plants that are unfortunately threatened. As a result, the garden is taking part in a programme to raise awareness of the need to reintroduce these plants to Vancouver's regional parks.

Children can also be found at Vandusen! Weather permitting, it's not uncommon to see youngsters having fun with the water features that dot the landscape. Totem poles like those in Stanley Park are sure to attract the curiosity of little ones. Other sculptures coexist with the first ones. The most amusing is the labyrinth next to the VanDusen vegetable garden. Carved entirely out of tall hedges, it will give the little ones a run for their money, although it is a little simple for adults.

Although the garden is at its best in spring, when everything is in bloom and the weather is ideal, it doesn't fall short in winter during the Festival of Lights. The festival begins on 25 November, when the garden is transformed into a fairytale. Millions of illuminated decorations cover 6 hectares. There's something magical about strolling along the lake and through the rose garden, and the festival takes you straight into the festive spirit until 2 January. Between these two dates, you'll have to pay $21 to admire the illuminations between 4pm and 9pm, with reduced rates available for seniors and children.