English Bay to Kits Beach: Vancouver's Beach Walk

Start after lunch, reach Kits Beach for a late-afternoon swim, and you are in the right place for sunset. Spring and autumn are lovely and quieter, but the pool is closed and the beaches are breezy.

If you don’t want to walk back, False Creek Ferries has a stop near Vanier Park at the Maritime Museum and another at Sunset Beach by the former Aquatic Centre, handy for linking this walk with Granville Island. Check current routes before relying on it.

Denman Street at the start is lined with inexpensive restaurants from many cuisines, good for takeaway to eat on the beach. At the Kits end, walk a few blocks up to West 4th Avenue for cafés, bakeries and bistros.

The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vanier Park has a planetarium and hands-on exhibits, and Kits Beach has a playground and shallow water at low tide. The route is stroller-friendly throughout.

Every summer, from around June to September, Bard on the Beach stages Shakespeare in tents in Vanier Park with the mountains and sea behind the actors. Book ahead; popular performances sell out.

Even on hot days the temperature drops quickly once the sun sets over the water. Locals arrive at English Bay or Kits Beach with a blanket and a layer.

The water in English Bay is cold even in summer. Swim between the flags when lifeguards are on duty, watch for boats and logs, and keep an eye on the tide at Kits Point, where the water drops away.

The West End puts you between English Bay and Stanley Park, with the ivy-covered Sylvia Hotel, built in 1912, facing the beach, as well as several other hotels near Denman and Robson Streets. Kitsilano has few hotels; look at guesthouses and short-term rentals, checking current city rules.