Museum of Vancouver
Museum of Vancouver
4
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) connects Vancouverites to each other and connects the city to the world. An enthusiastic civic advocate, MOV is dedicated to encouraging a deeper understanding of Vancouver through stories, objects and shared experiences.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Neighborhood: Kits Point
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
323 reviews
Excellent
89
Very good
129
Average
76
Poor
19
Terrible
10
Michael C
5 contributions
Jul 2022
Went with my friend visiting in from Norway hoping it would showcase the intimate history of Vancouver.
Instead, we were met with endless aboriginal skateboards (forgettable and quite ugly) and very little actual history of the city of Vancouver that is of interest beyond what you would typically read on Wikipedia.
My Norwegian friend decided around 35 minutes in that he would rather just use the museum's washroom and go to Kitsilano beach (which was nearby).
Instead, we were met with endless aboriginal skateboards (forgettable and quite ugly) and very little actual history of the city of Vancouver that is of interest beyond what you would typically read on Wikipedia.
My Norwegian friend decided around 35 minutes in that he would rather just use the museum's washroom and go to Kitsilano beach (which was nearby).
Written August 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
William S
Liverpool, UK608 contributions
Feb 2022
This was our second visit after a break of several years. We enjoyed it more this time with a highlight being the excellent special exhibit of the history of the immigrants from China. The difficulties the early groups endured and the appalling discrimination by the citizens and government were depressing - but the resilience of those who endured this was remarkable. The other exhibits were all very interesting and enlightening and time flew by as we toured the rooms. We left after 2 hours and still had much more to see. The only improvement could be to make several of the labels and descriptions easier to read - several were in very small script or placed too low such that you had to bend to an awkward angle to read them (especially the label near the ground by the large cross-cut log). Overall this is an excellent museum which should not be missed.
Written February 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
P3988FLmaryr
Auckland Central, New Zealand34 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
It was great to see some of the history of Vancouver at this museum but the visit, for me, was tainted by the lack of interest (by the staff at the entrance) in the visitors to the museum.
They just took our money and vaguely pointed to the start of the museum. We did not get a map, or any information about the place.
When I asked where the closest cafe was they were equally uninterested in telling me where the best place was.
Literally the staff on “duty” just talked to each other the whole time.
They just took our money and vaguely pointed to the start of the museum. We did not get a map, or any information about the place.
When I asked where the closest cafe was they were equally uninterested in telling me where the best place was.
Literally the staff on “duty” just talked to each other the whole time.
Written October 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hamish T
Kinross, UK77 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
If I lived in Vancouver and the “Museum of Vancouver” was meant to be representative of how well Vancouver was doing as a city, then I wouldn’t be happy. This is supposed to be a flagship installation such as the fabulous museum in Auckland and many other cities and it falls short on nearly every aspect.
The crab waterfall outside is pretty good but you then enter into what is a dim and dark and pretty miserable reception area with little flair and desks which should themselves be in a museum. First impressions matter - “flagship” remember!
The current “Seat at the Table” exhibition which is “an opportunity to consider the contributions that Chinese migrants and their descendants have made to British Columbia” didn’t do anything for me at all I’m afraid and certainly wasn’t much of a celebratory experience!
The rest of the museum is pretty much what you find in any one of a number of small US towns with neon signs on display and the ubiquitous “What we did in the 1950’s” stuff and, once again, not representative of a vibrant city such as Vancouver.
The crab waterfall outside is pretty good but you then enter into what is a dim and dark and pretty miserable reception area with little flair and desks which should themselves be in a museum. First impressions matter - “flagship” remember!
The current “Seat at the Table” exhibition which is “an opportunity to consider the contributions that Chinese migrants and their descendants have made to British Columbia” didn’t do anything for me at all I’m afraid and certainly wasn’t much of a celebratory experience!
The rest of the museum is pretty much what you find in any one of a number of small US towns with neon signs on display and the ubiquitous “What we did in the 1950’s” stuff and, once again, not representative of a vibrant city such as Vancouver.
Written May 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
julijoyeux
Orleans, France152 contributions
Sep 2022
A LOT of information spanning the major events in Vancouver history. The exhibits are well presented and I was especially pleased with the information about the First Nation peoples and what the Museum is doing to recognize their rights and history. There were also a couple temporary exhibits available. The cost seemed reasonable for the experience.
Written September 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Samuel B
Norwich, UK109 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
Enjoyed my time at the Museum of Van. yesterday. The first couple exhibits I wandered around weren’t really of interest, but the history of the city and it’s people and the exhibition around Asylum were incredibly interesting to me. I’d recommend checking this out on a rainy day.
Written October 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Judith K
Vancouver, Canada82 contributions
May 2019
Three in one equals, you have the Museum of Vancouver, the Planitrum, the Observatory. Vanier Park holds the Children's Festival (or use to) and Bard on the Beach festival. Short walk there is another historic site and really worth while going to too.
Written March 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jon Nuxoll
Eugene, OR44 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
Opens with displays about First Nations. The extensive texts written in indigenous language will be helpful to the dozen or so people who can read it. Rest of the museum is mostly predictable and static displays about how Vancouver was impacted by timber, world wars, Great Depression, hippies. Not much past the 1970s, except a quick reference to gay rights. NOTHING on the coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Granville Island, Expo 86 (though Montreal’s Expo 67 gets a mention), immigration from Hong Kong, 2010 Olympics. Ticket agents seem unaware of and not very interested in the museum.
Written August 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
VogtR
Munich, Germany102 contributions
Aug 2022
Based on some of the reviews we were expecting a "small" museum, but were amazed by the broad range of exhibitits covering the First Nations, Chinese influence, the boom of the 1950s, Hippie culutre and much, much more. We could have easily spent an extra hour in this museum. Really enjoyed the interactive and engaging presentation and can recommend it especially to families. E.g. if you want to show your kids what a Jukebox looks like or a tube TV.
Written August 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jadeebgood@charter.net
Knoxville, TN2 contributions
Feb 2023 • Friends
This is a beautiful museum but the exhibits featured from Jin-Me Yoon and Carmen Papalia were terribly. They were beyond strange! My friend’s and I were extremely disappointed! We have all traveled the world and agreed it was hard to call any of it art. Save your money!!
Written February 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is photography allowed inside the museum?
Written September 26, 2018
Hi,
Photography is allowed in the museum we just ask that you do not use flash.
Thanks!
Museum of Vancouver
Written September 27, 2018
Hi everybody! I'd appreciate getting opinions from someone who has gone to Vancouver Museum and to the Vancouver Science Museum. Which would you consider better to visit with a group of Jr. High School students from Mexico City? We wouldn't have time to visit both, so we'd have to choose one of these two.
Which one would be more interesting for kids 12 to 15?
Thank you!!
Written September 8, 2016
Make sure it's Science World though, not Science Museum! Have fun!
Written September 9, 2016
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