Best Beach in Downtown Vancouver

"Located around the corner from the Museum of Vancouver, Kitsilano Beach is one of Vancouver’s most popular beaches. Walk from Kitsilano Beach to Vanier Park to enjoy the greenery and skyline views. If you search enough, you’ll be able to find the Kitsilano Beach Swing (we couldn’t find it), and you can feel like you’re in Hawaii."

"Known to locals as Kits or Kits Beach, Kitsilano Beach is where you will find a lot of residents in the summertime. There’s ample park space around the beach for picnics, plus volleyball nets and Kitsilano Pool. The 137m (450ft) outdoor pool is Vancouver’s only saltwater swimming pool, open from mid-May to mid-September."

"Kitsilano Beach is one of Vancouver's favorite summertime hangouts. The wide, sandy expanse attracts buff Frisbee tossers, giggling volleyball players and those who just like to preen while catching the rays. The ocean is fine for a dip."

"Tucked away from the hustle bustle of city life the Spanish Banks Beach is one of the quietest beaches in Vancouver and the best place to take a stroll and if you are visiting Vancouver with your beloved this is your escape from the world. The name ‘Spanish Banks’ honours the time when Spanish and English met on the shores back in 1792 and that adds a historical touch to this place. If you know optimal tidal conditions well, this beach is the best place for skimming."

"Located on Northwest Marine Drive about 8 km west of downtown Vancouver, Spanish Banks is possibly the most beautiful sandy beaches in the area. The beach is sandwiched between Locarno Beach and the University of BC and a cycling/walking trail connects them. It has three distinct areas: east, west and extension."

"Located west of Kitsilano, Jericho Beach is well liked by swimmers and sailors. The beach’s east side caters to beachgoers, while its west side is for sailboats and windsurfers. Besides swimming, picnicking and enjoying the Vancouver views, there are a lot of fun recreational activities to enjoy at Jericho Beach, including soccer, volleyball, tennis and baseball."

"Home to the Jericho Sailing Centre a great spot for a cheap lunch with an amazing view —and Jericho Park, this beautiful beach is ideal for sailing, walking and biking along the park's pathways, and playing tennis. It's the perfect place for a sunset stroll. Jericho Beach is also the venue for July's annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival."

"Located just west of Kitsilano, Jericho Beach is a well-used sandy beach and grassy park in Vancouver. It's a great place for a picnic overlooking the water and watching sail boats in the waters of English Bay from the local Sailing Centre. The beach is named after Jeremiah Rogers who ran a logging camp… read more »"

"Lined with logs for the sun spectators, this is the place to reflect on the day and take a few photos of some of the most vibrant sunsets you’ll probably ever see in your life. Sunset Beach Park is also home to an interesting art piece called Engagement, a 30 foot sculpture of two wedding rings. These were created by world famous artist Dennis Oppenheim, as part of the Vancouver Biennale."

"Sunset Beach is a popular destination, especially in the summer, but the green space behind the beach is equally as popular with locals looking for a place to play a game of soccer, meet friends and soak up the sunshine. Grab a drink from the concession stand and spread out on the grass - on a very hot day you might see someone bringing a slip N slide for everyone to slide down the hill."

"Sunset Beach Park does not put its name to shame, and the stunning sunsets you’ll see here while chatting with a friend over a few bites or brews will be worth the wait. View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Kritsada Akkhapracha (@fedexfc)"

"Situated in the heart of Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Park is also the highest point in the city, boasting spectacular views of the downtown skyline. It's one of the best parks in Vancouver for gardens, and the free quarry gardens are in bloom virtually year-round and are truly spectacular. The park is also home to the "dancing fountains" (at its top), the Queen Elizabeth Pitch & Putt, and lots of open, green spaces for playing ball or just laying on the soft grass."

"Having the highest point in the city, it is worth the trip to enjoy the view of both the mountains and the Vancouver skyline. Queen Elizabeth Park, a former quarry, has dancing fountains that delight spectators both day and night, plenty of green spaces, tennis courts, the Queen Elizabeth Pitch and Putt , and an off-leash dog area. Queen Elizabeth Park is also home to The Bloedel Conservatory, which has 500 tropical plants and over one hundred exotic birds."

"Queen Elizabeth Park is Vancouver’s highest point, clocking in at 410ft (125m) above sea level. Thanks to its central location, the park has some of the best views of the city’s impressive skyline, with a stunning backdrop of the North Vancouver mountains. The park is a popular picnic spot, with plenty of green space to relax with family or friends."

"These Gardens are unique as they are a peaceful oasis within a busy shopping mall, but also draw avid gardeners to learn about plants suitable for their North Shore gardens. There is something of interest for everyone at any time of the year. Learn more about the gardens."

"The Dr. Sun yat-sen classical Chinese garden is the heart of Vancouver. This place reflects the cultural heritage and histories of Chinatown. The garden is at the heart of Chinatown."

"Melo is a newer entry on this list but they've sprung up as a viable option in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. This almond croissant features a good rise and a slight candied crunch to the top almond layer. The inside leaves much to be desired with only a smidgen of almond paste within."

"Everyone talks about the double bake from Thomas Haas, but what if I told you there was a cheaper double bake option, and at least in a case-by-case comparison in my analysis, that came from a newer entrant in the Vancouver almond croissant scene?. While the almond paste was a little on the short side, it feels like the intention here was to showcase the mastery in flakiness and overall croissant mastery. The folds here were immaculate to say the least and the rise was off the charts relative to everything else on this list."

"We are an independent bakery specializing in naturally leavened sourdough bread and French inspired pastries. We believe in making everything from scratch, with fresh, high quality ingredients. All of our breads are made with whole grains and baked"

"The cool part about Faubourg's almond croissant is the almond paste appears baked right in unlike most of the entrants which have the croissant sliced open to have the almond paste lathered on. The top layer in this almond croissant was sparse, and though the rise was great, the shell thinned out quickly leading to little flakiness. For $5, this looked pretty small and left a lot to be desired relative to other places on this list."

"Le Mont Blanc” is one of the pastries available at Faubourg, the scrumptious French bakery. It’s a spin on a classic, featuring chestnut mousse paired with a cassis gelée and sweet meringue, set over a sable breton. Address: Locations in Downtown, Kerrisdale, and West Vancouver (check website for details)Instagram: @faubourgbakery"

"From triple chocolate decadence to passion fruit mousse, this bakery/cafe is a must-try for those wishing to be whisked away to Paris, right here in Vancouver."

"The Holy Crab is where you go for the kind of seafood that requires butcher paper spread on the table and an ample supply of napkins. Inspired by Louisiana spicy seafood boils, here you'll really get your hands dirty tucking into your choice of crab legs, clams, shrimp, crawfish, and more tossed in either a Cajun or Garlic sauce. Plus they do seafood rolls, and often kick things up with fun food challenges and specials."

"A post shared by The Holy Crab Canada (@theholycrabca) on Apr 19, 2019 at 1:46pm PDT. Craving some Southern-style seafood?. Look no further than The Holy Crab."

"A post shared by *Soph* (@soph_nb) on Sep 12, 2019 at 6:37pm PDT. Bubble World is the place where you can have them all. Here you can enjoy not only bubble teas with various flavors but also coffee, special hot drinks, cream float and ice cream, among others."