01Verdict
When to go, in short
Vancouver is mild all year and wet for half of it. From October to March it rains on most days, rarely hard, with the mountains above the city getting snow and the ski season running from late November to April. Summer, from June to September, is dry, sunny and comfortable, with the seawall, beaches and mountain trails at their best and the cruise ships to Alaska filling downtown hotels. July and August are peak season and priced accordingly.
May and September offer most of the sunshine with fewer crowds, and winter is cheap if you accept the grey. Wildfire smoke from the interior can haze the city in July and August in a bad year. The SkyTrain connects the airport to downtown in 25 minutes, and the SeaBus to North Vancouver is the cheapest harbour crossing. Grouse Mountain and Capilano are twenty minutes from downtown by bus. For dry weather at sensible prices, take the second half of May or the first half of September.
02Weather
Vancouver weather by month
04Compare
Month by month
| Month | High | Low | Rain days | Sun h | Daylight | Crowds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver in January | 8 °C / 46 °F | 3 °C | 16 | – | 8.7 h | quiet | Mixed |
| Vancouver in February | 7 °C / 45 °F | 3 °C | 16 | – | 10.2 h | quiet | Mixed |
| Vancouver in March | 10 °C / 51 °F | 5 °C | 16 | – | 11.9 h | quiet | Mixed |
| Vancouver in April | 14 °C / 57 °F | 7 °C | 13 | – | 13.7 h | moderate | Good |
| Vancouver in May | 18 °C / 65 °F | 10 °C | 9 | – | 15.3 h | busy | Excellent |
| Vancouver in June | 21 °C / 69 °F | 13 °C | 8 | – | 16.2 h | busy | Excellent |
| Vancouver in July | 24 °C / 75 °F | 15 °C | 4 | – | 15.8 h | very busy | Good |
| Vancouver in August | 24 °C / 75 °F | 16 °C | 4 | – | 14.4 h | very busy | Good |
| Vancouver in September | 20 °C / 67 °F | 13 °C | 9 | – | 12.6 h | busy | Excellent |
| Vancouver in October | 14 °C / 57 °F | 8 °C | 13 | – | 10.8 h | moderate | Good |
| Vancouver in November | 10 °C / 50 °F | 6 °C | 18 | – | 9.1 h | quiet | Mixed |
| Vancouver in December | 7 °C / 45 °F | 3 °C | 17 | – | 8.2 h | moderate | Mixed |
08Pick a month