University of British Columbia, more than just a university campus

Located in Point Grey, just west of the city, the University of British Columbia is much more than just a university campus. There are plenty of things to see and do on site just waiting for you. For starters, there's the UBC Botanical Gardens and the Nitobe Memorial Garden. These two gardens are less famous than the VanDusen Botanical Garden, but are well worth a visit.

The Nitobe Garden is an aesthetically pleasing Japanese-inspired haven of peace, while the Botanical Garden offers a delightful tree walk called the Greenheart TreeWalk. There are various ticket options, depending on what you want to do. However, the Rose Garden, Pacific Spirit Park and Wreck Beach are free. Wreck Beach is part of Pacific Spirit Park. Covering almost 90 hectares, the park offers around 75 km of trails to explore on foot or by bike. Note: clothing is optional on Wreck Beach.

In terms of cultural attractions, the Museum of Anthropology is not the only place to visit on campus - far from it! The Beaty Biodiversity Museum and its famous whale, for example, can be combined with the MoA to save a few dollars. As a bonus, visit the Pacific Museum of Earth for free.

Art lovers can enjoy exhibitions at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre or in the open-access galleries on campus, such as the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, or the AHVA Gallery. Numerous exhibitions are held throughout the year, and on certain days artists can be found performing in the building itself.

UBC also makes its sports facilities available, such as the Aquatic Centre and the Golf Club. Depending on the period of your stay, you can attend university sports matches, a real plunge into the North American universe that greatly enhances these events. You should also keep an eye on the events calendar on the UBC website, as many concerts and shows are regularly organised, particularly in the magnificent Chan Center for the Performing Arts, which hosts a variety of performances in a building with exceptional acoustics.

Guided tours of the campus are offered free of charge by students if you would like to find out more about UBC. However, these tours are only available during the summer months. Off-season visitors will have to find their own way around. Fortunately, the campus provides a guide to help you find your way around. Following the instructions, the tour of the campus takes around 60 minutes over a distance of 3 kilometres. The tour covers all the sites mentioned above.

We recommend that you stay in the centre during your stay, but if you want to stay overnight, the campus has several good accommodation options.