Richmond city guide

Richmond at a glance

Richmond sits almost entirely on islands in the mouth of the Fraser River, just south of Vancouver. Most of the city covers Lulu Island, while Sea Island to the north holds Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The land is flat and low, averaging about a metre above sea level, so the whole city is ringed by dykes. Those dykes double as some of the best walking and cycling routes in the region.

The city has two very different faces. The City Centre, along No. 3 Road and around the Canada Line, is a fast-growing district of towers, shopping malls and some of the most celebrated Asian food in North America. Head south and west and you reach Steveston, a former cannery village on the river that still has working fishing boats, heritage boardwalks and a slower pace. In between and to the east are quiet residential streets, blueberry and cranberry farms, and protected agricultural land.

Around 210,000 people lived in Richmond at the 2021 Census, making it one of the larger cities in Metro Vancouver. It is a city of families, long-time farming and fishing households, and a large community with roots in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, the Philippines and South Asia. For visitors, it suits food lovers, cyclists, anyone flying in or out of YVR, and families looking for flat, easy outings by the water.

A short history

Long before the islands had an English name, the Fraser delta was a rich fishing and gathering ground for Coast Salish peoples. The Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) used these lands most intensively, with village and seasonal camp sites on Sea Island, at Steveston, at Terra Nova and at Canoe Pass, among others. Tsawwassen and Kwantlen families also held rights in the area, and families from Vancouver Island travelled here for the summer salmon runs. The name of the Terra Nova site, sp̓ələk̓ʷəqs, is still remembered today.

European settlers began farming the delta in the 19th century, building dykes to hold back the river and tides. The Township of Richmond was incorporated on 10 November 1879. Steveston grew into a busy fishing and canning town by the end of the century, with canneries lining the river and a large Japanese Canadian community working the boats. That community was uprooted in 1942, when Japanese Canadians were forcibly removed from the coast and their homes, boats and property were sold off. Two national historic sites in Steveston, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery and Britannia Shipyards, now tell much of this story.

The second half of the 20th century turned Richmond from a farming township into a city. The airport on Sea Island grew into YVR, bridges and the George Massey Tunnel tied Richmond to the rest of the region, and immigration from Asia from the 1980s onward reshaped the City Centre. The Canada Line opened in August 2009, linking Richmond and the airport to downtown Vancouver, and the Richmond Olympic Oval hosted long-track speed skating at the 2010 Winter Games. Capstan Station, the newest stop on the line, opened in December 2024.

Top things to do in Richmond

Steveston Village and the waterfront

Steveston is where most visitors start, and it deserves a full afternoon. Walk the boardwalk along Fisherman’s Wharf, where commercial boats often sell fresh catch straight from the dock, then visit the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site to see how salmon and herring were processed a century ago. A short stroll east along the river brings you to Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site, a collection of restored boat sheds, homes and bunkhouses that once housed Japanese, Chinese, First Nations and European workers.

At the western tip of Steveston, Garry Point Park is a broad, breezy grass field on the river mouth. It is a favourite for kite flying, picnics and sunset views over the Strait of Georgia, and it is home to the Fishermen’s Memorial and a Japanese-style garden. From here the dyke trail heads north for kilometres along the west edge of the island.

Parks, dykes and nature

• West Dyke Trail: a flat gravel path running north from Garry Point with big views of the Gulf Islands, marsh birds and, in winter, snow geese.
• Terra Nova Rural Park: restored farmland, community gardens, heritage buildings and an adventure play area at the northwest corner of Lulu Island.
• Richmond Nature Park: boardwalks through a raised peat bog, with a nature house that is popular with young children.
• Iona Beach Regional Park: on Sea Island, with a sandy beach and a jetty that runs about four kilometres into the strait, ideal for a long walk or bike ride while planes take off overhead.
• Minoru Park: the City Centre’s main green space, with ponds, a chapel, sports fields and the Minoru Centre for Active Living.

Culture and landmarks

The Richmond Olympic Oval, built for the 2010 Winter Games, is now a community sports and fitness centre on the Middle Arm of the Fraser, with a riverfront walkway outside. The International Buddhist Temple on Steveston Highway is a striking Chinese-style temple complex that welcomes respectful visitors to its courtyards and gardens. Smaller heritage sites, including the Steveston Museum and London Heritage Farm, add detail to the city’s fishing and farming past.

Shopping

The City Centre is packed with malls. The area along No. 3 Road between Capstan and Alderbridge, often called the Golden Village, is lined with Asian-focused shopping centres such as Aberdeen Centre, where you can browse Hong Kong and Japanese goods, bakeries and food courts in one trip. CF Richmond Centre near Richmond–Brighouse Station has mainstream brands, and McArthurGlen Designer Outlet sits beside Templeton Station on Sea Island, a convenient stop before or after a flight.

Family fun

Families do well in Richmond because almost everything is flat and stroller-friendly. Combine Garry Point kites with a walk around the wharf, spend a morning at Terra Nova’s play area, or ride the Canada Line out to Iona Beach by bike. In late summer, the Richmond Maritime Festival at Britannia Shipyards is especially good for kids.

Food and drink

Richmond is one of the best places outside Asia to eat Chinese food, and it is the main reason many Metro Vancouver residents cross the bridges. Cantonese seafood and dim sum are the backbone, but you will also find Sichuan, Hunan, Shanghainese, Taiwanese, northern Chinese noodles and dumplings, Hong Kong-style cafés, and a deep bench of Japanese, Korean and Malaysian cooking.

Most of it clusters in the City Centre. Alexandra Road, a short block lined with restaurants and sometimes called Food Street, is a good first stop. The Golden Village malls along No. 3 Road have food courts where you can sample several regional cuisines in one sitting, and many of the plazas off Westminster Highway, Cambie Road and Garden City Road hide excellent small kitchens. Dim sum is a weekend ritual here, so go early or expect a wait.

Steveston has a different personality: fish and chips, seafood, cafés and casual patios along Moncton Street and Bayview Street, all a short walk from the water. Fresh seafood straight off the boats at Fisherman’s Wharf is a local habit when the season is right. Bubble tea shops and dessert cafés are everywhere in the City Centre and stay busy late into the evening.

Where to stay

Richmond has more hotel rooms than most Metro Vancouver suburbs, largely because of the airport. Two areas suit most visitors.

• City Centre and Bridgeport: hotels along No. 3 Road and near Bridgeport Station put you on the Canada Line, with downtown Vancouver about 25 minutes away and the airport a few stops in the other direction. You are also steps from the best dining in the city. The River Rock Casino Resort, next to Bridgeport Station on the Middle Arm, is the area’s best-known resort hotel.
• Sea Island and the airport: ideal for early flights or short layovers, with hotels connected to or near YVR and outlet shopping a station away.

Steveston has a small number of guest houses and short-term rentals for anyone who wants a quieter, village-style base, though you will want a car or be comfortable using buses to reach the rest of the region.

Getting around

The Canada Line SkyTrain is the backbone of Richmond transit. It splits at Bridgeport into two branches. The Richmond branch serves Bridgeport, Capstan, Aberdeen, Lansdowne and Richmond–Brighouse stations along No. 3 Road. The airport branch serves Templeton, Sea Island Centre and YVR–Airport. Trains run north to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver.

Buses fill in the rest. Several routes connect the Canada Line to Steveston, including the 401, 402 and 406 from Richmond–Brighouse and the 407 from Bridgeport; check TransLink’s trip planner before you go, as routings change from time to time. There is no RapidBus line in Richmond. Richmond is in fare Zone 2, and trips that start at the YVR stations carry an extra AddFare.

By car, Highway 99 runs north–south through the city, crossing into Vancouver via the Oak Street Bridge and south to Delta through the George Massey Tunnel. Highway 91 and the Knight Street Bridge link the east side of Richmond to Vancouver, Burnaby and Delta, and the Arthur Laing Bridge connects Sea Island to Vancouver. The BC Ferries terminal at Tsawwassen, in neighbouring Delta, is a short drive south. Expect congestion on the tunnel and bridges at rush hour.

Cycling is excellent. The terrain is flat, the dyke trails form a long loop around much of Lulu Island, and the Canada Line Bridge has a separate path for walking and cycling across the North Arm to Vancouver.

Seasons and events

Richmond shares Metro Vancouver’s mild, wet-winter climate, with dry, sunny summers. Being flat and open to the water, it can be breezy, which is great for kites at Garry Point but worth a layer on the dyke trails. Snow is uncommon and rarely lasts.

• Lunar New Year (January or February): malls across the City Centre mark the new year with lion dances, decorations and seasonal food.
• Richmond Cherry Blossom Festival (April): a free one-day celebration under the blossoms at Garry Point Park, held on 12 April in 2026.
• Steveston Salmon Festival (1 July): Richmond’s big Canada Day party in Steveston, with a parade, a traditional salmon bake and family activities. The 2026 edition was the 79th.
• Richmond Maritime Festival (August): a free weekend of wooden boats, music and hands-on activities at Britannia Shipyards. The 23rd festival ran 22–23 August 2026.

One change to note: the long-running Richmond Night Market closed permanently after its final night on 20 September 2026, when its lease on the Duck Island site ended. No replacement had been announced at the time of writing.

Living in Richmond

Housing in Richmond ranges widely. The City Centre is dominated by newer high-rise and mid-rise condos clustered around the Canada Line, which appeal to commuters, downsizers and newcomers who want to live without a car. Older neighbourhoods such as Broadmoor, Seafair and Terra Nova are mostly detached houses and townhouses on quiet streets, while Steveston mixes heritage homes with newer townhomes close to the river. East Richmond remains largely agricultural, with farmhouses and rural properties inside the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Public schools are run by the Richmond School District (SD38). Post-secondary options in the city include Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Richmond campus, BCIT’s Aerospace Technology Campus near the airport and a Trinity Western University campus. UBC and downtown Vancouver are both reachable by transit.

Richmond suits people who value great food, flat terrain for walking and cycling, quick airport access and a direct SkyTrain link to Vancouver. Practical points: the city sits on low ground protected by dykes, so it pays to understand flood protection and seismic considerations when buying; Mandarin and Cantonese are widely spoken alongside English; and travel south through the tunnel can be slow at peak hours. Many residents work at YVR, in logistics, or in Vancouver.