Vancouver/West End

The West End of Vancouver is one of the most popular places to hang out in the city. Located on the western half of the downtown peninsula, the compact, mostly residential area is surrounded by a string of beaches and the beloved Stanley Park, and bustling with tonnes of shops and eateries on its main streets.

Understand
The West End was first conceived as the proposed city of New Liverpool. Too remote at that time, the investors were nicknamed the "Greenhorns" and the land remained an unrealized real estate dream. Eventually it was incorporated into the city of Vancouver. The arrival of the railway several years later provided the needed impetus for development and the area around West Georgia Street became Vancouver's first upscale neighbourhood. The rich moved on to other neighbourhoods early in the 20th century and a new wave of development began to bring in the middle class and a more transient population. Large mansions were converted to rooming houses, low-rise apartments were built and shops sprang up along the streetcar lines - Robson, Denman and Davie Streets. The West End's skyline really began to take shape in the 1960s and early 70s when 220 high-rise apartments were built in a 13-year period. To date, the West End is the most densely populated area in Canada.

Robson, Denman and Davie Streets continue to be the lifeblood of the neighbourhood jam-packed with bars, restaurants, cafes and shops. Robson is the renowned shopping street, with smaller eclectic stores closer to Denman that get increasingly more upscale as it climbs the hill towards the Central Business District. In addition, Robson has numerous tourist souvenir shops as well as a good mix of trendy restaurant chains and small businesses. Denman  is noted for its countless independent cafes and restaurants, particularly around English Bay (Denman and Davie). The expansive variety of food ranges from Asian, Mediterranean, European, North American to even African. Whether you are craving for an indulgent slice of cheesecake, looking for a quick kabob takeout or taking time to wine and dine, Denman Street will have something to offer almost any time of the day. Closer to West Georgia Street and Stanley Park, there are a number of bicycle and inline skate rental places for easy riding or skating around the Seawall. While Denman Street is known for its good food, Davie Street has its fair share of entertaining shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, bakeries and produce stores. Unique to Davie Street is Davie Village, between Burrard and Jervis, the heart of Vancouver's LGBT community and home to the annual Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival. Besides the ever popular gay nightclub, Celebrities, there are also a number of provocative adult stores and a thriving community garden. During the warmer months, the West End Farmers Market attracts the local/organic food crowd to mill away their Saturday mid-morning, just off Davie Village on Comox Street.

Coal Harbour, on the north side of the West End, is a relatively new, high-end area. Many of the condominiums were built in the last ten years and have million-dollar views coupled with multi-million-dollar price tags. It is a pleasant area to stroll or relax at the parks and the Seawall, but it lacks the raw energy and rustic character of English Bay.

Get in
See Vancouver for options to get in the Vancouver area by plane, by bus, and by train, and by boat.

The West End is easily accessible from the City Centre. Heading west on almost any of the streets from downtown will lead you there. The main thoroughfare is West Georgia Street, which runs through the neighbourhood to Stanley Park and into the North Shore via the Lions Gate Bridge. Robson Street and Davie Street are also busy streets that carry traffic between the West End and the rest of downtown.

By car
If you are driving, it is best to park your car and explore the area by foot. Many of the side streets are traffic calmed in some manner and are frequently blocked off so they cannot be used for through traffic. Parking lots are available in Coal Harbour ($12-15 for the day) and Stanley Park. There is also limited on-street parking in the residential areas.

By bicycle
The Seawall is the main bike route in and around the West End (including Stanley Park). The popularity of the Seawall has been good for the bike rental business — there are a number of shops, particularly near the entrance of Stanley Park, where you can hire a bike for a few hours, a day or longer. See the "Do" section below for some bicycle rental shops.

By public transit
Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel.Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.

By bus
Most buses reaching The West End travel from downtown Vancouver. If travelling from other parts of Vancouver by public transit, you will have to get downtown first and then board one of the following:


 * #5 - heads to English Bay via Robson Street (which travels past SkyTrain's Burrard station on the Expo Line)
 * #6 - heads to English Bay via Davie Street (which travels past SkyTrain's Yaletown-Roundhouse station on the Canada Line)
 * #19 - ends in Stanley Park with connections downtown, including within a block of SkyTrain's Burrard station on the Expo Line, and at Metrotown in Burnaby

If travelling from the North Shore, the following buses pass through the West End on their way downtown:


 * #240 - connects with the Central Lonsdale area of North Vancouver
 * #250, 251, 252 - connects with various parts of West Vancouver, via Park Royal Mall

With of mostly forested land at the western tip of downtown, Stanley Park is one of North America's largest urban parks, and quite literally, is an oasis of wilderness in the middle of the city. The park is surrounded in its entirety by a 9 km paved path called the seawall; a great place for rollerblading, cycling, jogging or just taking a pleasant walk. There are also hundreds of kilometres of inland trails crisscrossing the park in every direction. Stanley Park park attracts over 8 million visitors per year.

The park includes heavily forested natural areas, manicured gardens and totem poles. As tall and old as the trees appear, it is interesting to know that much of them are second-growth, as the area was heavily logged from 1860-1880. Every single one of Stanley Park's grey squirrels was descended from eight pairs given to Vancouver as a gift from New York City in 1909.

There is a free bus that shuttles visitors around the loop to the different parts of the park. The bus operates in the summer, every 12-15 minutes. It takes 45 minutes to do the full loop. There are stops near all of the major attractions including:


 * Stanley Park totem poles, Vancouver (2013) - 6.JPG
 * Lost Lagoon (Stanley Park) - panoramio (1).jpg
 * Stanley Park totem poles, Vancouver (2013) - 6.JPG
 * Lost Lagoon (Stanley Park) - panoramio (1).jpg
 * Lost Lagoon (Stanley Park) - panoramio (1).jpg
 * Lost Lagoon (Stanley Park) - panoramio (1).jpg
 * Lost Lagoon (Stanley Park) - panoramio (1).jpg



Do

 * Beaches
 * Third Beach Vancouver Stanley Park (44722108491).jpg and are sandy beaches spaced along the western part of the seawall in Stanley Park.
 * is a sandy beach on English Bay is a popular place to watch the sunset and probably the best place to see the Festival of Lights.
 * is a sandy beach on English Bay is a popular place to watch the sunset and probably the best place to see the Festival of Lights.

Buy

 * This shopping area extends partially into the West End.

Eat
The West End is thick with restaurants. If you walk along Robson Street between downtown and Denman Street, or along Denman Street between Georgia Street and English Bay, you will pass dozens of eating options with a wide variety of cuisines and price points. There is a particular concentration of Korean food along a few blocks of Robson Street from Denman Street uphill to the east, maybe because many English as a Second Language (ESL) students from Korea lodge here. At the English Bay end of Denman street, the water vistas have encouraged a cluster of high-price high-service restaurants.

Mid-range




Sleep
The West End has fewer options to stay than the heart of downtown, but can offer slightly cheaper rates.

Budget
Other than one hostel, there are no really cheap accommodation options in the West End. However, there are a few hostels in the neighbouring Central Business District and some more a bit further on in Gastown and the Eastside.



Mid-range