If you’re looking for an easy day trip from Vancouver that combines shopping, local history and a change of scenery without requiring a long drive, put Port Coquitlam on your list.
Known affectionately as “PoCo” by locals, Port Coquitlam sits at the eastern end of Metro Vancouver, roughly 30 kilometres from downtown Vancouver. It has the relaxed atmosphere of an established community rather than the bustle of the big city—and, perhaps surprisingly, it offers plenty of opportunities to spend a few hours browsing, buying and discovering things you didn’t know you needed.
In other words, bring a shopping list. And perhaps leave a little room in the car.
A Little Port Coquitlam History
Port Coquitlam’s story is closely tied to transportation. The area has been home to the Kwikwetlem people for thousands of years, while European settlement began in the 19th century.
The community really began to take shape when the Canadian Pacific Railway established a major freight operation here in 1911. The railway helped transform what had been a largely rural area into an important industrial and transportation centre. Port Coquitlam was officially incorporated as a city on March 7, 1913.
Railways remain an important part of the city’s identity, but today’s visitor is more likely to notice another transformation: Port Coquitlam has developed into a surprisingly good shopping destination.
The city has retained its historic downtown, while newer commercial areas have sprung up along major transportation routes.
Start Downtown
For a taste of old-fashioned PoCo, begin your day in the historic downtown area.
Downtown Port Coquitlam has a pleasantly local feel, with independent businesses, restaurants and specialty shops lining the streets around Shaughnessy Street and nearby avenues. The city has also invested in revitalizing the downtown area, including improvements around Leigh Square.
This is the place to slow down a little. Rather than marching through a giant shopping mall with a predetermined objective, wander around and see what catches your eye.
One particularly interesting stop is Western Sky Books, an independent bookstore offering new and used books along with gifts and other items. For book lovers, this sort of shop is precisely the kind of place that can turn a routine shopping trip into a treasure hunt.
And don’t forget the local cafés and restaurants. Shopping works considerably better when accompanied by coffee.
Fremont Village: Big Retail and Easy Shopping
When you’re ready for larger-scale shopping, head toward Fremont Village in the Riverwood area.
Fremont Village is an open-air shopping centre along Lougheed Highway near the Mary Hill Bypass. The development was designed around convenient vehicle access, pedestrian-friendly areas and a substantial collection of retail businesses.
This is a particularly useful stop if your idea of a successful shopping trip involves getting several errands accomplished in one place.
Fremont Village has the big-box atmosphere you would expect from a modern shopping district, but its open-air layout makes it feel less like spending half the day wandering around an enclosed mall. You can park, shop, grab something to eat and move on without feeling as though you’ve entered a retail labyrinth.
It’s also conveniently positioned for combining shopping with other Port Coquitlam activities.
Plenty of Smaller Shopping Stops
One of the advantages of visiting Port Coquitlam is that you don’t have to make the entire day about one enormous shopping centre.
There are numerous smaller shopping plazas scattered throughout the city, and these can be worth exploring when you’re looking for specialty food, household goods, services or something a little different.
Oxford Market, for example, has a more neighbourhood-oriented feel and includes specialty food retailers, a bakery, butcher and seafood shopping, restaurants and other services.
For practical shopping, Shaughnessy Station is another useful stop, combining everyday retailers and services with restaurants and other businesses.
And if you’re the sort of shopper who enjoys browsing rather than simply checking items off a list, that’s part of the fun. Port Coquitlam’s shopping scene is spread throughout the community, so you can make your own itinerary rather than simply following the crowds.
It’s also the home of the area’s most trusted company for scrap car removal in Vancouver.
What About a Really Big Mall?
Here’s an interesting twist: one of Metro Vancouver’s largest shopping centres, Coquitlam Centre, is actually in neighbouring Coquitlam rather than Port Coquitlam.
It’s close enough, however, that it makes sense as an optional addition to a PoCo shopping day—particularly if you’re coming from Vancouver specifically to shop.
Coquitlam Centre has more than 930,000 square feet of retail space and a substantial collection of major retailers, including UNIQLO, H&M, Aritzia, Sephora, Sport Chek, T&T Supermarket, Best Buy and others.
So here’s the strategy: enjoy Port Coquitlam’s smaller, more local shopping experiences first, and keep Coquitlam Centre in reserve if your shopping appetite hasn’t been satisfied.
Make a Day of It
Port Coquitlam is more than a place to go shopping, of course. The city has 271 hectares of parkland and the 25-kilometre Traboulay PoCo Trail, making it easy to add some fresh air to your day.
That’s actually one of the things that makes the city work well as a day trip. You can start with coffee and some browsing downtown, spend a couple of hours exploring the larger retail areas, stop for lunch, and then take a walk before heading back toward Vancouver.
Getting there is straightforward by car, while the wider Tri-Cities area is also served by SkyTrain and regional transit.
Port Coquitlam may not be the first place that comes to mind when someone says “shopping destination.” Perhaps that’s part of its charm.
Come for the bargains and browsing, stay for lunch and a stroll, and you may discover that PoCo is one of those Metro Vancouver communities that’s much more interesting once you actually get out of the car and have a look around.
Photo credit: Richard Eriksson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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