From Wikitravel

Richmond [1] is a riverine city to the south of Vancouver in the Lower Mainland. Comprising several islands, the city is protected by a system of dikes from the Fraser River's occasional flooding. Richmond has the country's largest Asian-Canadian population by percentage.

Richmond is mainly composed of four main islands: Lulu Island (Richmond proper), Sea Island (Vancouver International Airport (YVR)), Mitchell Island (industrial) and Iona Island (parks and city maintenance).

Steveston, historically a fishing village and now a tourist and shopping district, is located at the southwestern tip.

The character of Richmond has changed dramatically over the last 25 years. It was previously primarily a farming community with a large fishing village. It has become a center of new immigrants, mostly from Asia. There are now a number of residential high rise towers and Hong Kong style shopping malls.

[edit] Get in

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is located within Richmond city limits, and from the airport it's a short ride by taxi or public transit to Richmond Centre (the closest thing Richmond has to a 'downtown').

If travelling by transit, take the #424 bus from the airport to the Airport Station, and from there get on board the 98 B-Line bus which will take you directly south to Richmond Centre. In 2009, the new Skytrain line will open, and will connect Downtown Vancouver with the Airport and Richmond Centre, making it even easier to get into Richmond.

[edit][add listing] See

• International Buddhist Temple [2] - the first and largest authentic Chinese Buddhist temple, and traditional palatial Chinese architecture, in North America. It is Richmond's "Point of Pride", and is home to a wealth of traditional Chinese art pieces, such as paintings, calligraphy, and statues. In particular, the temple houses the largest Buddha statue in North America, and the largest Buddhist mural in the world, which took over two years to complete. The temple is a rich source of Chinese and Buddhist culture as well. The temple makes contributions in areas such as charity and education, and the teaching of Buddhist philosophy. The four grand halls are built with great attention to detail, as shown in the golden ceramic roof tiles and flaring red eaves. The classical Chinese garden is serene and beautiful, with its gazebos, Wisdom Fountain, lotus ponds, dragon fountains, and stone bridge. The scholar's courtyards are surrounded by evergreens, and the entrance to the temple is bordered by trees, flowers, and deer. The temple welcomes everyone, and admission is free. There are special events on Buddhist or Chinese holidays, as well as community celebrations on Senior's Day. Guided tours can be held for groups of 15 or more people. The cafeteria serves Chinese vegetarian lunches, and the gift shop offers a variety of Buddhist items.

• No.5 Road Religious Shrines; this is a Road in Richmond in which a portion of it has religious shrines of all sorts of religions. Given Vancouver's multicultural nature, this was a great way to express it. Here you will find the International Buddhist Temple, Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, Vedic Hindu Society, Jama Masjid, and s Jewish temple. This is also a great way to learn of other religions and cultures while you visit Richmond.

• Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site [3] located in Steveston

• Steveston is located is the southwest corner of Richmond. It was originally a fishing village although it has become a great deal more touristy in recent years. There are a number of good fish and chip restaurants in Steveston, and on sunny days, you can sit out by the water and eat. A number of movies and television series have been filmed here.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Blossom Winery, 5491 Minoru Blvd, ☎ +1-604.232.9839 (info@blossomwinery.com, fax: +1-604-232-9836), [4]. Mon-Sat 10-18h, Sun 11-17h, holidays: call for info. Produces ice wine (from frozen grapes harvested in December instead of September, with more sugar and less acidity). Also fruit wine. Wine tasting and retails sales at the winery. edit

• Sanduz Estate Wines tasting, 12791 Blundell Road, ☎ +1-(604) 214-0444 (info@sanduzwines.com, fax: +1-(604) 273-5646), [5]. 11-18h. A variety of grape and other fruit wines, for tasting and purchase. Free.  edit

• River Rock Casino Resort [6]
• River Rock Casino Guide [7]
• TBC Indoor Cart Racing, 2100 Viceroy Place, ☎ +1-604-232-9196 (fax: +1-604-232-9197), [8]. Sun-Thu 11am-11pm; Fri-Sat 11am-12mid. Drive small but fun go-karts around a twisty indoor course. A typical race is 10-12 laps in 7-8 minutes. Helmets supplied. Wear closed-toe shoes. Kids OK with parents signature. Just watch out that you don't continue your racing moves on the road home! $20/race (discounts to $10).  edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Richmond Centre Mall [9] - the largest Mall in Richmond, with over 240 Stores
• Asian Shopping Mall - there is a large number of Asian shopping malls in Richmond. These usually have many small shops with a huge variety of things for sale. These include Aberdeen Centre [10], Parker Place Shopping Centre, [11], Union Square, and Yaohan Centre.
• Richmond Night Market [12]
• Steveston Village - a wide variety of small shops in this tourist area.
• Lansdowne Mall - which has a Best Buy, Futureshop, Zellers, and other stores, along with a decent food-court.

[edit][add listing] Eat

There are a number of fine dining places and a variety of Asian cuisines in Richmond. A Seattle newspaper columnist credited Richmond with having the best reasonably-priced Chinese food in the Northwest.

[edit] Budget

• Fukuroku, 4260 No. 3 Road, (604) 273-0622, [13]. Japanese cuisine. serves sushi, udon, etc. Main restaurant located in downtown Richmond as well as an Express Bar nearby. Enjoy authentic meals at a reasonable price

• #9 Restaurant, 5300 No 3 Road - Unit 816, (604)278-7700, [14]. Casual Hong Kong style Chinese food (noodles, congee, rice, bbq, etc.). Located in Lansdowne Mall next to Kinko's. 24 hour restaurant 7 days a week, all year round (including holidays).

• Aberdeen Center, 4151 Hazelbridge Way. [15]. A Food Court including Papa's Beard Cafe.[16]

• Pajos, Bayview and Third Av., 604-272-1588, [17]. Famous for Fish & Chips. 4 different locations, several awards. Sit on The Wharf and enjoy some fish and chips with flying seagulls.

• Parker Place, 4380 No.3 Road. [18].The food-court’s 19 stores offer tasty, convenient authentic cooking from Hong Kong style cafes, noodle houses, snacks, specialty drinks, to cuisines from various Asian regions like Japanese, Vietnamese, and Singaporean.

• Richmond Public Market. 8260 Westminster Hwy. Asian food court where people will find one of the cheapest and most delicious fast food in Richmond.

• Yaohan Center, 2600-3700 No. 3 Road. [19].

[edit] Mid-range

• Papi's Ristorante Italiano, 12251 No. 1 Rd., 604-275-8355. As the name suggests, this is an Italian restaurant. It's located a block away from the water in Steveston. The owners also run Mercato Nel Vicolo, the deli next door that stocks Italian groceries (hams, pasta, etc.) and pre-made dishes.

• Steveston Pizza Co., 100-3400 Moncton St, 604-204-0797, [20] is an award-winning pizza joint in Steveston.

• Tapenade Bistro , 3711 Bayview, 604-275-5188, [21] is a stone's throw from the wharf. Good food, warm surroundings.

• Thai House Richmond,129-4940 No.3 Rd., 604-278-7373, [22]. Open 7 days a week from 11am to 10:30pm nightly. Established since 1986 enjoy authentic Thai cuisine with a wide array of mild to spicy dishes. Other locations include:Downtown Robson, Kitsilano, North Van, Yaletown and English Bay.

• Sun Sui Wah Chinese seafood restaurant.[23]. Dim sum on weekends.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Pioneer's Pub, No. 3 Road and Williams. Probably has the best price for beer in Richmond.

• Flying Beaver, near the south terminal of Vancouver International Airport, [24]. Has a great patio, and you can watch the seaplanes take off and land on the Fraser River.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

There are a number of hotels and motels that serve the airport, including the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, which is actually at the airport.

• Hampton Inn by Vancouver Airport, 8811 Bridgeport Road, Richmond, BC, ☎ (604) 232-5505, [25]. Check in: 12PST; Check out: 3PM. $100-$300.  edit

[edit] Splurge

• Fairmont Vancouver Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, ☎ 604-207-5200, [26]. Located inside the International Terminal, this newish hotel (it was built in 1999) is highly rated. edit

[edit] Contact

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