Boardwalk and River Market in New West

Two free kilometres of Coal Harbour glamour: the Olympic Cauldron, a LEGO-look orca, floatplanes, and zero spent.

Fourteen three-metre bronze men frozen in full hysterical laughter, open 24/7, and required by inscription to bring you joy.

Level 9 of the Central Library has a free rooftop garden with downtown skyline views. Most Vancouverites have no idea it exists.

A free Fraser River stroll past the wave-roofed Olympic Oval, with interactive bobsled simulators waiting on the first Thursday.

60 stalls, a lake, a coffee truck, and an official 'no plan' plan every Saturday morning in John Hendry Park.

One of the world's only steam clocks, cobblestones, gas lamps, and Vancouver's full origin story for the cost of absolutely nothing.

'Beer Island' is a one-acre tidal wildlife refuge off the False Creek seawall that you reach via stepping stones and costs nothing.

West Vancouver's front lawn on Burrard Inlet: 24 hectares of beach pointing straight at Lions Gate Bridge, free, and inexplicably better at golden hour.

Ride the SeaBus across Burrard Inlet, browse 80-plus stalls at Lonsdale Quay Market, and watch downtown light up from North Vancouver.

300-plus murals mapped free on the VMF app around Main Street. A treasure hunt with very large prizes.

A gentle 8 km out-and-back along the Fraser River from Fort Langley village to the original 1827 fort site.

Burnaby's Italian high street: four blocks of delis, a sixty year old bakery, murals, and the North Shore mountains at the end of every cross street.

Two five-metre house sparrows stand in Olympic Village square, free to visit, and exactly as uncanny as that sounds.

West Coast seafood and a marina-view patio at the toe of Horseshoe Bay, two minutes from the ferry ramp.