For a city surrounded by water on three sides, bridges are key landmarks of Vancouver. Three bridges that connect residential Vancouver with the peninsula of downtown are worth a second look.

The Granville Street bridge, spanning False Creek, is one of the major thoroughfares. The bridge offers fantastic views of downtown, the inlet and other bridges. For another great view of the bridge and hidden street art, see the bridge from Granville Island below.

The Burrard bridge, at the mouth of English Bay, is a steel truss structure connecting the downtown core to the Kitsilano neighbourhood on the West Side. Built in the Art Deco style, with distinctive piers and galleries, the bridge is used by more than a million cyclists each year as it has North America’s busiest designated bike lane.

Connecting downtown Vancouver with the North Shore, the Lions Gate bridge, officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is recognized as a National Historic Site suspension bridge at the entrance to the Port of Vancouver on the Burrard Inlet. Gifted by the Guinness family, the bridge, with two Art Deco exposed lion sculptures at the south entrance, is an iconic Vancouver landmark.