Vancouver’s Stanley Park, a rainforest oasis in the middle of the city, has trumped parks in the U.S., France, Australia and Spain to be named the top park in the world, according to TripAdvisor users.
Stanley Park -- the third-biggest in North America at 400 hectares -- took the top spot for its 500,000-year-old ancient monolithic cedar, fir and hemlock trees, kilometers of hiking trails, historic landmarks and waterfront views.
Activities offered in the B.C. park include hiking, running, wildlife watching, inline skating, and biking. The area is also home to Canada’s largest aquarium, water parks, miniature railways and tennis courts.
Stanley Park attracts about 8 million visitors every year.
“A mini-forest, beautiful gardens, totem poles and scenic walkways make this such a peaceful location,” wrote one fan.
For TripAdvisor’s second annual ‘Top 25 Parks of the World’ list, the U.S. was the most-represented, taking eight of the Top 25 spots. The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and New York’s Central Park rounded out the survey’s Top 3 spots.
According to TripAdvisor, these are the Top 10 parks in the world:
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Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada
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Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
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Central Park, New York City, USA
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Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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High Line, New York City, USA
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Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth, Australia
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Guell Park, Barcelona, Spain
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Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain
- Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France
