Richmond has a satisfying mix of urban, suburban, rural and natural settings. You can explore all four using the city's extensive walking/cycling trail network. Highlights of the route include Steveston (a historic fishing village), Garry Point Park, Iona Beach Regional Park and the Terra Nova observation deck, from which you can view migratory birds in the river estuary and watch planes taking off and landing at Vancouver International Airport. Vancouver Helicopter Tours Buckle up: these helijets will take you to new heights. Your adventure begins from either the harbour or Grouse Mountain helipads. Whatever your point of departure Buckle up: these helijets will take you to new heights. Your adventure begins from either the harbour or Grouse Mountain helipads. Whatever your point of departure, the tour is an exhilarating ride. You'll fly over Vancouver and past the coastline, or whiz through the North Shore and its mountains. Fly, dine and drive and heli-picnic tours are also available. Prices range from CAD109 to CAD179.

Richmond has one of the city's most popular attractions, Steveston Village, was once a major North American fishing and canning centre. Today its boardwalk is lined with quaint shops and restaurants. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery, a National Historic Site, was built in 1894 and now serves as a fishing museum. Nearby, the Britannia Heritage Shipyard another National Historic Site.

Richmond Nature Park provides recreation and education for all ages. Winding trails with a total length of approximately 5km provide visitors with the opportunity to encounter plants and animals in bog, forest and pond habitats. The shortest trail, which surrounds a pond, is an elevated boardwalk accessible to wheelchairs. Other trails are soft-surfaced with wood chips. All trails are well-marked, and a free trail guide is available in the Nature House. For more information about parks please see this link

Guided fishing boats can be chartered at Steveston Village, as can open or covered vessels for whale watching excursions (April through October) and wildlife viewing excursions in search of Steller and California sea lions (April through May). While bird watching boat tours to local estuaries and sanctuaries are available year-round, you'll see the greatest number of birds during the spring and fall migration periods. If you enjoy swimming head for Watermania, which is well equipped for family fun with a wave pool, competitive pool, waterslides, diving boards, aquasize classes, whirlpools, sauna and steam room.

Richmond is just over one hour from three ski hills: Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour. These mountains enjoy generous snowfalls and spectacular views of Greater Vancouver, the Pacific Ocean and Vancouver Island. Ski or snowboard by day and enjoy diverse dining and entertainment options by night. You can also explore Richmond attractions in the daylight hours and do your skiing under the stars. These hills also offer snowshoeing, snow tubing and cross-country skiing. a little further away, but well worth the 2.5-hour car trip (air and bus services are also available), is the resort community of Whistler. With 3,306 ha (8,171 ac) of terrain and more than 200 marked runs, Whistler/Blackcomb is North America's largest ski area. It's also consistently ranked one of the best. Its wide range of winter activities include heli-skiing, cross-country skiing, dogsledding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing.