Established in 1670 by the Royal Charter of King Charles II, the Hudson's Bay Company is one of the oldest continuing commercial enterprise in North America. Early in this century, it has turned its attention to retailing, which has since then become its most important activity. Now known as The Bay, it boasts several stores with colorful boutiques with leading designer apparel, as well as the Bay's own line of clothing.

The Bentall Shopping Centre is located under the four Bentall office skyscrapers and it offers fashion and interesting stores such as Knot Just Ties, Osterson's Framing, and Perks. Other highlights are Tower Courts, a popular downtown fitness facility and Jean Pierre's Restaurant. There are travel agencies, a florist, medical and dental centre, as well as dry cleaning services and hair salons. Sample a variety of ethnic cuisine in the Bentall Food Court.

Walk towards the Cathedral Place and browse through the Canadian Craft Museum as well as the Sri-Lankan Gem Museum. Here, you can also find other shops and services which include a jeweller, print shop, chocolatier, florist, travel agent, restaurant and a coffee bar.

What used to be the only Eatons Downtown has now been converted into the American outlet, Sears. Attempts were made to give the struggling Eaton company a face lift but ultimately met its demise due to the lack of public interest. The Canadian company finally closed its doors in 2002 and re-opened as the new Sears Downtown.

Harbour Centre is famous for its observation deck known as the Look Out! Tower. It does cost to go to the top but you will rewarded with a magnificent view of the city. The cost is free if you want to dine at the Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant which offers you a great selection of continental cuisine with fresh seafood. For something cheaper, the Harbour Centre food court has a great selection of food ranging from Ukrainian to Chinese. Also included within the centre is SFU Bookstore. The Simon Fraser University campus is just next door and is well worth a visit.

The Pacific Centre is open seven days a week so you can be sure you won't miss out on shopping in Canada. There are three levels containing almost 200 stores thus occupying three city blocks. There is a convenient underground parking with entrances on Howe and Robson Streets. The centre also links to the The Bay, Sears Downtown and the Vancouver Centre.

The Royal Centre features about fifty stores, ranging from Marte's Fine Leather to Giorgio's Mens Wear. Royal Centre is not only the place to shop but is home to a 10 theatre cinema, food court, walk-in medical centre and dental clinic. This place is also helpful to cater to traveller's needs as it provide a foreign exchange service.

Sinclair Centre is housed in four renovated heritage buildings. Services include a postal outlet, florist, shoe repair, travel agent, and food court. You can also find various governmental services upstairs which include a passport office and Canada Employment Centre. The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency can also be found here.

The Station has a departure terminal for the SeaBus, Sealink and Sky Train as well as several places for a quiet bite and hot coffee. You can also find the B.C. Business InfoCentre and the B.C. Trade Showcase.

The Vancouver Centre has 23 retail outlets and also features a two theatre cinema. What used to be Duthie Bookstore, is now London Drugs store which offers a wide range of pharmaceutical products to electronic gadgets.

Browse underground of one of the city's newest hotel (Pan Pacific Hotel) and eventually you will end up at the Waterfront Centre which hosts a collection of retail shops, fast food outlets and services including a travel agent, shoe repair, card shop and florist. Getting to the centre by public transport is easy. Simply catch the skytrain from any point and you will end up in the Waterfront Station which is directly under the centre itself.