Spectator Sports

You can get schedules for all major events at Tourism Vancouver's Touristinfo Centre, 200 Burrard St. (tel. 604/683-2000; www.tourismvancouver.com). Purchase tickets from Ticketmaster at the Vancouver Ticket Centre, 1304 Hornby St. (tel. 604/280-4444; www.ticketmaster.ca), or from 40 outlets in the Greater Vancouver area. Popular events such as Canucks games sell out weeks or months in advance, so be sure to book ahead.

Football

The Canadian Football League's B.C. Lions (tel. 604/589-7627; www.bclions.com) play their home and Grey Cup championship games (in good seasons) in the 60,000-seat B.C. Place Stadium, 777 Pacific Blvd. S. (at Beatty and Robson sts.). Canadian football differs from its American cousin: It's a three-down offense game on a field that's 10 yards longer and wider. Some of the plays you see will have American fans leaping out of their seats in surprise. Tickets for individual games are available from Ticketmaster (tel. 604/280-4639; www.ticketmaster.ca); prices run C$28 to C$75 (£14-£37).

Hockey

The National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks play at General Motors Place (otherwise known as GM Place, or the Garage), 800 Griffith's Way (tel. 604/899-4600; event hotline 604/899-7444; www.canucks.com). Tickets are C$50 to C$89 (£25-£45) and while difficult to obtain because the season tends to sell out in advance, some individual seats are made available for every home game.

Horse Racing

Thoroughbreds run at Hastings Park Racecourse, Exhibition Park, East Hastings and Cassiar streets (tel. 604/254-1631; www.hastingspark.com), from mid-April to October. Call ahead or check the website for the latest schedule. The racecourse has a decent restaurant, so you can make a full afternoon or evening of dining and racing.

Running

The Vancouver Sun Run in April and the Vancouver International Marathon (Canada's largest) in May attract thousands of runners from around the world and even more spectators. Contact the Vancouver International Marathon Society (tel. 604/872-2928; www.vanmarathon.bc.ca), or the Vancouver Sun Run, 655 Burrard St. (tel. 604/689-9441; www.sunrun.com), for information.

Soccer

The American Professional Soccer League's Vancouver Whitecaps (tel. 604/899-9283) play at Swangard Stadium (tel. 604/435-7121; www.whitecapssoccer.com) in Burnaby. Admission is typically C$21 to C$42 (£10-£21).