Vancouver is Canada's fastest-growing metropolis, and a city of magical contradictions - from rough-and-tumble Hastings Street, where timeworn brickwork still exudes a wild, beer-for-a-dime, seaport-town atmosphere, to trendy Robson Street, with its futuristic Japanese noodle houses and haute couture. Vancouver has long touted itself as Canada's gateway to the Pacific Rim, and for decades, waves of immigrants have broken on its shore.

Vancouver, its residents are fond of saying, is one of the few cities in the world where you can go skiing and sailing on the same day. How remarkable, then, that it should also be one of the few where, sitting outside a Neapolitan cafe, you can eavesdrop on an impassioned argument in Hungarian and see graffiti in Khmer. Most major cities have a mixed heritage, yet few can claim to have attracted a more diverse cross section of humanity than Vancouver. The city seems living proof that a benign environment will produce an easygoing disposition.

Urbanites can eat at world-class restaurants, attend the symphony, shop at exclusive boutiques along Robsonstrasse and never cast so much as glance at the surrounding sea and sky scape, and the incredible outdoor recreation available. Those with an appreciation for the outdoors can windsurf at dawn, get in a round of golf after lunch, and take in the city lights at night while skiing atop a North Shore mountain. Vancouver is clean, colourful and friendly, with the open cosmopolitan flair that West Coast cities are known for.

Travelling to other areas, via the B.C. Ferries facilities at Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen, or the International Airport south of Vancouver, is easily done. And visitors departing from Vancouver to explore the rest of B.C. have as many means of travel as they do destinations. Whether travelling by plane, train, ferry, helicopter, car or bus, Vancouver is a perfect place to begin your exploration of our beautiful British Columbia.

The Inside Passage provides a natural sheltered sea route extending for more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Seattle northwest to Skagway in Alaska. It comprises channels and straits between the mainland and islands including Vancouver Island and the Alexander Archipelago that protect it from Pacific storms.

It must have been astonishing - and frustrating - for James Cook and George Vancouver and other 18th Century explorers who first encountered the bewildering maze of islands and channels that make up what is today called the Inside Passage. Imagine being confronted with a myriad of mysterious channels leading who knew where - all posing the promise of being the magical Northwest Passage. Following each fjord to the interior, the intrepid navigators would encounter massive mountain ranges, towering cliffs, tumbling waterfalls, virginal forests of two-hundred foot tall spruce, while whales, bears, seals, salmon, eagles and other wildlife appeared in such variety and profusion as to be uncountable! But always, in the end, they were stopped by an inevitable face of ice - glaciers pushing ever downward to meet the sea.

What must have been a mapmaker's nightmare is today cherished as the continent's last great untouched wilderness, harboring the world's largest temperate rain forest. An Eden of the North that captivates every modern-day explorer. The string of islands that form the Inside Passage creates a protective barrier that offers a supremely serene cruising environment in some of the most dramatic surroundings on earth.

All it takes to get the inside story of Alaska's beauty is a trip through the Inside Passage, Alaska's "water highway", where majestic fjords compete for your attention with mountain masterpieces carved by the glaciers. Breathtaking panoramas are dotted by small fishing villages along the coast, and the protected waters are perfect for spotting wildlife.

Ketchikan is the ancestral home of Alaska's Tlingit Indians. The largest collection of totem poles in the world is on display here. Nature buffs will appreciate the lush rain forests and the Misty Fjords National Monument.

Ketchikan has a population of 14,500 and is built along a steep hillside, with sections of the town built right over the water on pilings. An outstanding collection of totem poles make a visit to Ketchikan essential for anyone interested in Native art. Ketchikan's name supposedly comes from the native term "Katch Kanna", which roughly translates: "spread wings of a thundering eagle" and rightly named, for you only need to look along the water line and you're likely to see many bald eagles on waterside perches.

A few blocks from Ketchikan's downtown cruise ship dock is Creek Street -- famous (or infamous) as a former red-light district whose houses, some restored, follow a curving plank road built over Ketchikan Creek. During the mining heyday this was home to residents like Frenchie, Dolly, Black Mary and Blind Polly. The most renowned of these establishments has been converted into Dolly's Historic Museum. Her house has been fully restored complete with a satin-covered four-poster brass bed and elegant tapestried walls.

Ketchikan is also the jumping-off point for Misty Fjords National Monument, a magnificent wilderness of glaciers, waterfalls, lakes and sheer granite cliffs that rise thousands of feet above narrow waterways carved during the ice ages centuries ago. Tours over this magnificent area are available by floatplane.

Get a taste of both cosmopolitan and frontier styles when you tour the capital of Alaska. Nature walks, sport fishing and scenic bike rides await you in this stunning city. Meander through original shops or marvel at Mendenhall Glacier, just outside of town.

At the base of grand mountain peaks and at the pristine waterfront of the Gastineau Channel is Juneau, Alaska's Peak Experience.

Alaska's capital city, Juneau is located in Southeast Alaska. The Tongass Rainforest climate provides Juneau with lush terrain and vibrant wildflowers. Early settlers included miners during Alaska's gold rush and Russian fur traders. The Tlingit and Haida Indians were the first settlers to this area. Native Alaska influence is prominent today in Juneau.

Juneau offers unparalleled glacier viewing from Tracy Arm Fjord, Mendenhall Glacier, the Juneau Icefield and Glacier Bay National Park. Outdoor enthusiasts will love Juneau's extraordinary kayaking, dogsledding, rafting, biking, hiking and glacier hiking. Winter enthusiasts will enjoy snowboarding and downhill, cross-country and heli-skiing.

Abundant salmon and halibut fishing is also available minutes from downtown. Wilderness cabins and fishing lodges cater to anglers seeking the remote Alaska fishing experience.

The Lynn Canal is a natural inlet in southeastern Alaska on the most northern stretch of the Inside Passage. It originates in Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage and extends north from Juneau to Skagway. The Lynn Canal is 145 km (90 mi) long and is navigable for the entire distance. Lynn Canal is the longest and narrowest fjord in North America and connects Skagway and Juneau.

Wildlife abounds in Lynn Canal and you’re sure to see bald eagles, harbor seals, porpoise and humpback or killer whales.

The town of Skagway sits at the top of the Inside Passage, framed by the deep waters of Taiya Inlet and the rugged Coast Mountains. Its distinctive name comes from the Tlingit word skagua, which is said to mean "home of the north wind."

This historic port of call beckons travelers to revisit the turn of the century, when the Klondike Gold Rush transformed Skagway into a boomtown. You can relive the boomtown's past in lively saloons and rousing dance hall revues. Feast on Yukon stew and sourdough rolls in a local eatery, then ride through town in a vintage streetcar before shopping for hand-crafted jewelry.

The downtown area comprises a seven-block-long historic district known as the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, where turn-of-the- century shops and saloons are still open for business. The best way to explore Skagway is on foot. Most visitors find there's plenty of fun and excitement to be had just by strolling down Broadway. The town's false-fronted buildings provide a festive atmosphere for some of Alaska's best shopping.

One look at lovely Sitka and you'll know why Alexander Baranof, governor of the Russian American Company, decided to build his "castle" here. With views of island-studded waters and stately spruce forests reaching to the water's edge, Sitka is considered Alaska's most beautiful seaside town. Sitka's past is a unique blend of Tlingit culture and Russian history.

This historic and scenic community is situated on Baranof Island, nestled between forested mountains and the great Pacific Ocean, on the outer waters of Alaska's Inside Passage. Sitka offers a combination of Native culture, Russian history, and Alaskan wilderness which will provide a diverse and unequaled experience.

Wildlife adds to Sitka's natural beauty. The mild climate, rich habitat and relatively low human population make Sitka one of the best places to view wildlife. Nearby waters are a popular feeding ground for humpback whales in the late fall and early spring. Summertime provides a wonderful opportunity to view tufted puffins and other sea birds at St. Lazaria National Wildlife Refuge. While out on the ocean, you may also spot sea otters, sea lions and other marine wildlife.

In the year 1898, an expedition made its way up the long narrow reach of a fjord located on the northern shore of Prince William Sound, about 20 miles east of what is now the tiny port of Whittier and 30 miles west of Valdez. The expedition was searching for a 'all-American' way to the Klondike gold fields, which could only be reached via an arduous passage over Chilkoot or White Pass to Canada's Yukon Territory.

The expedition didn't find a way to the gold fields. Instead, they found an enormous ice field, the mother lode of more that 16 tidewater glaciers. In a flight of fancy, the expedition leader decided to name the glaciers after well-known American colleges, such as Yale, Williams and Vassar. Of course, the most prominent of them all is Harvard Glacier, an enormous wall of ice located right at the head of the fjord. Harvard and nearby Columbia Glaciers used to battle for leadership of the Ivy League of Ice - but 400-square mile Columbia Glacier is receding so rapidly it may soon be out of the running.

Although this odd bit of history might explain how the glacial alumni of College Fjord were named, it can't convey what it is like to be in the presence of these truly awe-inspiring tidewater giants and behold the vistas which unfold before your eyes.

Located on the southcentral coast of Alaska, Prince William Sound contains some 3,000 miles of shoreline backdropped by enormous glaciers, dense forests, and the snow-topped Chugach Mountains.

Within Prince William Sound are a multitude of islands of varying sizes, largest being 50-mile-long Montague Island. These islands act as natural breakwaters from storms in the Gulf of Alaska. Protected waters and the many small inlets provide excellent opportunities for exploration in sea kayaks and small boats.

Prince William Sound gained notoriety during the devastating 1989 spill of oil from the Exxon Valdez. The impacts from that spill are still being felt in parts of the region, but visitors are not likely to see any direct evidence of the damage. This is still a very beautiful place.

Whittier, at the head of the Passage Canal, originally was part of the portage route for the Chugach Indians of Prince William Sound traveling to fish the Turnagain Arm:later the Russians and Americans exploring the region also used this portage. It was used extensively by prospecting miners during the gold rush as it was the quickest passage from the Sound to the Cook Inlet and Interior regions.

The city itself is a historical landmark, established by the U.S. Army during World War II. The Whittier railroad to Portage was completed in 1943 and became the primary debarkation point for cargo, troops, and dependents of the Alaska Command. In 1948 the military began construction of the first of two buildings for their military personnel as the Port of Whittier was then recognized as an ice-free, deep water port strategically located to Anchorage and Interior Alaska. This remained active until 1960 at which time the total population was 1,200. The city of Whittier, incorporated in 1969, purchased the town site from the federal government in 1973. Today, less than 300 people reside in the town supporting the Alaska State Ferry, the Alaska Railroad, the Alaska Hydra Train, the military tank farm for aviation fuel, the Small Boat Harbor and tourism in general.

You can see Birds, Sea Otter, Seal, Whale, Sea Lion, Porpoise, Glaciers, Waterfalls, (watch Horse Tail Falls flow up!) Goat, Deer, Bear and more in Whittier!

Hike the Portage Pass Trail or to the Salmon Runs, beachcomb, bird watch and pick berries. Water sports include boating, sailing, kayaking, and scuba diving.