Coquitlam, and neighbouring Port Coquitlam, are suburbs of Vancouver. There aren't any must-see attractions for the traveller, but there are a number of nice parks for walking or relaxing.
Get in
Timbers on the Fraser River
Coquitlam borders Burnaby, Port Moody and New Westminster. It is easily accessible from the Trans Canada Highway, Lougheed Highway, Barnett Highway and North Road.
Skytrain's Millennium Line connects Coquitlam directly with Vancouver, Burnaby and Port Moody. Public transit from Vancouver to Coquitlam is $5.75 on weekdays and $3 on weekends and evenings after 6:30PM.
Get around
49°15′7″N 122°50′2″W
Map of CoquitlamThe TransLink public transit system services all of Coquitlam with buses, Skytrain and the West Coast Express. Car access is easy and parking is free most places, although usually restricted close to Skytrain stations to prevent unauthorized park and ride. Park and Ride lots at the Coquitlam Central and Douglas Lafarge stations offer inexpensive all day parking. Taxis are easy to get locally and walking and cycling are options with several designated bike routes in the city.
See
- 1 Colony Farm Regional Park, Colony Farm Rd (main entrance and parking is at the end of Colony Farm Rd), ☏ 1 604-520-6442. Open during the day, closes at dusk. Popular spot with 8.5 km of trails and opportunities for birdwatching. An estimated 150 species of birds are in the park.
- 2 Como Lake Park, Gatensbury St (just south of Como Lake Ave). A small, man-made lake and park located in the center of residential Coquitlam. Exactly one kilometre in circumference, the lake is a popular attraction for morning walks, joggers, schoolchildren and occasionally fishermen - though the latter will frequently go home empty-handed.
Minnekhada Regional Park
- 3 Minnekhada Regional Park, Quarry Rd, ☏ 1 604-520-6442. Open during daylight hours. Gates close at dusk. A more-than-200-acre park with 10 km of trails through forests and wetlands. Minnekhada Lodge, a heritage building where Queen Elizabeth once stayed, is open the first Sunday of each month from 1-4PM (except Jan).
- 4 Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, at the end of Quarry Rd. Large park along Pitt Lake and Burke Mountain with hiking, camping, swimming and boating opportunities. Day-use parking fee of $1/hour to a max of $3.
- 5 Mundy Park. A large urban forest which provides dog off-leash use until 10AM every morning. The park is often host to swim meets and soccer, baseball and lacrosse tournaments.
Lafarge Lake
- 6 Lafarge Lake Park. It hosts a large tournament site, public ping pong tables, basket ball and tennis courts, and a band stand. It is also home to the Evergreen Cultural Centre which hosts gallery exhibits and live performances.
- 7 The Coquitlam Crunch. The Coquitlam Crunch urban outdoor 'stairmaster' is primarily a fitness challenge.
- 8 Maillardville. Maillardville is a small community founded by French migrants sent to work in the local forest industry during the 19th century. It is recognized as Western Canada's largest French-Canadian community outside of Manitoba, though the French population continues to decline. There is the Place des Arts which hosts exhibitions and performances, and the Makin House Museum.
Do
- 1 Coquitlam Aquatic Centre, 1210 Pinetree Way, ☏ 1 604 927-6999. A large public, indoor swimming pool. Appealing to both children and adults alike, it houses two distinct pools, one Olympic-sized, the other smaller and decorated with a jungle theme. The smaller pool also features an elaborate water slide that twists outside of the building. Adults can make use of a full gym as well. $5.35.
- 2 Planet Ice, 2300 Rocket Way, ☏ 1 604 941-9911. Public skate: M F Su 1:45-3:45PM. A large, state-of-the-art skating arena. It is used mostly for amateur hockey teams, but the arena is open for public skating Monday, Fridays, and Sundays. $3.75-4.50 plus the cost of skate rentals, if you do not own.
- 3 Silver City Coquitlam, 170 Schoolhouse St (one block north of Lougheed Highway), ☏ 1 604 523-2911. The largest movie theatre in Western Canada, with over 20 screens. The complex contains a number of fast-food dining options, but as these are quite expensive hungry visitors may be wiser to eat before the show at one of the surrounding restaurants in the area.
- 4 Traboulay PoCo Trail. A 25 km (16 mi) walking and cycling trail that circles Port Coquitlam. It is mostly flat and has varied scenery: along the river, downtown and residential areas. A guide is available from the city's website.
Buy
Coquitlam is home to a variety of shopping options and features two large shopping malls.
- Lougheed Mall is off of North Road, on the border between Coquitlam and Burnaby. Though located in Burnaby, it is surrounded by Coquitlam residential neighborhoods and remains a popular attraction for residents of both cities.
- The mall is easily accessible from the Lougheed Town Center Skytrain station and is located across the street from a major bus depot. It features over 170 stores including a large drug store (London Drugs), a Bay, Wal-Mart, and Safeway, as well as a large food court.
- Coquitlam Centre is Coquitlam's main mall, off the Barnett Highway, in Coquitlam's commercial district. It has over 200 stores including a Bay, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, London Drugs, and T&T Asian supermarket. There is a large food court and several connected sit-down restaurants including East Side Mario's and Montana's Steakhouse.
- Surrounding the Coquitlam Centre area are a variety of large chain stores in Pinetree Village and Sunwood Square, including Chapters, Save-On-Foods, and Superstore.
- Just off the Lougheed Highway shoppers can visit the largest Ikea in North America.
- 1 Ikea, 1000 Lougheed Hwy, ☏ 1 866-866-4532. 10AM-9PM.
Eat
- Cactus Club Cafe, 110-101 Schoolhouse St, ☏ 1 604-777-0440. Trendy casual restaurant with a varied menu. Starters: $7-14, mains: $10-32.
- Joey Tomato's Mediterrean Grill (Joey's Restaurant), 550 Lougheed Highway, ☏ 1 604 939-3077. Starters: $6-13, mains: $11-36.
- Haan Korean BBQ, 3025 Lougheed Highway, ☏ 1 604 944-7188. Daily noon-9PM. A restaurant offering Korean main courses and barbecue
- Legend House, 140-1169 Pacific Street, ☏ 1 604 475-5222. 11AM to 9:30PM. A restaurant offering Northern Chinese cuisine
- Pallas Athena, 101-1250 Dominion Ave, ☏ 1 604-941-4871. Open evenings. Traditional Greek cuisine with some pizza and Italian dishes. The lamb and calamari are local favourites. $15-25 per main.
- Wah Wing, 2748 Lougheed Highway #207, ☏ 1 604-945-3333. Open for lunch and dinner. Popular restaurant that serves a varied menu of traditional Chinese dishes. Lunch: $8-10, Dinner: $10-20 per main.
- 1 Dae-Ji Cutlet House, 1153 The High Street, ☏ 1 604-474-4251. 11:30AM–10:30PM.
- 2 C-Lovers Fish & Chips, 2991 Lougheed Hwy #108, ☏ 1 604-464-3611. 11AM-8PM.
- 3 Me-n-Ed's Pizza Parlors, 1121 Austin Ave, toll-free: 1 604-931-2468. 11AM-11PM.
- 4 My Greek Taverna, 946 Brunette Ave, toll-free: 1 604-525-5351. 11:30AM-10PM. Very busy, reserve at least 2 weeks in advance.
Drink
- Gillnetter Pub, 1864 Argue St, ☏ 1 604-941-5599. Pub with a patio that looks over the Pitt River or you can catch the game on one of the TVs. Crowd is more of a mellow middle aged group. The food is average but the daily specials are good value. Mains $9-19.
- Wings, 345 North Rd, ☏ 1 604-931-5500. Has a huge menu of different flavours of chicken wings, with a decent drink menu. It is often quite busy during hockey games.
Sleep
- Best Western Coquitlam Inn Convention Centre, 319 North Rd, ☏ 1 604-931-9011, ✉[email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 4½ star Canada Select rated hotel that offers guestrooms, executive suites and 2 bedroom suites with full-size kitchens. Amenities and services include two restaurants and a lounge, indoor pool, whirlpool, sauna, an indoor tropical garden plus complimentary local phone calls, wireless, high-speed Internet access and parking. $139-$269.
- Green Gables Bed and Breakfast, 2242 Park Crescent, ☏ 1 604-469-7105, ✉[email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Our Coquitlam Bed and Breakfast Inn is the perfect accommodation for a relaxing vacation. After a day of sightseeing and exploring you will enjoy the peaceful atmosphere at our B&B with its creek (Suter Brook) and tranquil pond surrounded by old cedar trees. Within minutes from our Coquitlam B&B location you can walk by the ocean, a lake, a river or the coastal mountains. Free wireless, high-speed Internet access and parking. $80-100.
- Poco Inn & Suites, 1545 Lougheed Highway, ☏ 1 604-941-6216, toll-free: 1-800-930-2235. 99 guestrooms, including 23 suites and a few rooms with special themes like Romeo & Juliet, Deserted Island and Back to the 50s. Rooms come standard with fridge, microwave and complimentary high-speed internet. $160 and up in high season.
Go next
The other cities in the "Tri-Cities" area -- Port Coquitlam and Port Moody -- are all very accessible. To the west, along Highway 1, is the North Shore with many outdoor recreation options, while to the east, along Highway 1 or Highway 7, is the Fraser Valley, which also offers more outdoor pursuits and some local wineries.
| Routes through Coquitlam |
| Vancouver ← New Westminster ← | W .svg/22px-BC-1_(TCH).svg.png){kind=small} E | → Surrey → Hope |
| Vancouver ← Burnaby ← | W  E | → Pitt Meadows → Hope |
| Commercial Dr-Hastings Park, Vancouver ← Port Moody ← | W  E | → END |
| Vancouver ← Port Moody ← | W  E | → Pitt Meadows → Mission |