Beaches in Vancouver: choosing a shore for your day out

Choose a Vancouver beach by setting first: downtown English Bay, Stanley Park’s Second Beach, Kitsilano’s waterfront, or the more spacious west-side shoreline at Jericho and Spanish Banks. The city’s nine public beaches—eight ocean beaches and one freshwater-lake beach—offer 18 km of outdoor space.

For a central beach address and a range of amenities, start with English Bay. If you want to pair the shore with Stanley Park, Second Beach is inside the park.

Kitsilano has an accessible beach mat and a pool beside the beach, while Jericho and Spanish Banks give you west-side shoreline options. Locations and facilities vary, so choose based on the specific beach rather than treating the city’s beaches as interchangeable.

English Bay Beach is the downtown option, while Second Beach places you on the Stanley Park shoreline beside its pool.

English Bay Beach

English Bay Beach, also called First Beach, is on Beach Avenue between Gilford Street and Bidwell Street. The City of Vancouver describes it as the city’s most populated downtown beach area.

Facilities include public washrooms, a concession, kayak rentals and storage, pay parking, two sand volleyball courts, a swimming raft with a large slide, and lifeguards. An accessible beach pathway uses a Mobi-Mat, and two water wheelchairs are available.

The Stanley Park Seawall runs along the beach’s east side and is a popular running and biking route. That makes the shoreline a natural place to combine beach time with a walk or ride along the waterfront.

Second Beach

Second Beach is at the junction of Stanley Park Drive and North Lagoon Drive, beside Second Beach Pool. It is one of the City’s locations for water wheelchairs. At beaches, using a water wheelchair requires two attendants.

Kitsilano Beach is on Cornwall Avenue at the north end of Yew Street, with an accessible beach mat between Kitsilano Pool and the concession.

The beach’s location and pool make it a distinct choice from the downtown setting at English Bay or the park setting at Second Beach. If beach access is a priority, the mat provides a path between the pool and concession. Check the City of Vancouver’s current beach information for operating details before setting out.

Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks are west-side choices, with Spanish Banks divided into three named sections.

Jericho Beach

Jericho Beach is on the north side of Jericho Park at the west end of Point Grey Road, between Wallace Street and Discovery Street. Jericho has water wheelchairs.

Spanish Banks

Spanish Banks Beach runs along Northwest Marine Drive west of Tolmie Street. Its three sections are East, West and Extension. Spanish Banks Beach Park has a designated off-leash area for dogs. Kiteboarding and kitesurfing are permitted only at Spanish Banks Extension under the City’s general beach rules.

Swim only in designated swimming areas when lifeguards are on duty, and check the City of Vancouver’s current beach guidance before you go.

Lifeguards are on duty from noon to 8 p.m. starting on Victoria Day; hours change in August as the sun sets earlier. Red and yellow flags mark when lifeguards are on duty.

Vancouver Coastal Health and Metro Vancouver monitor beach water quality weekly for E. coli bacteria from May to September. False Creek is for paddling and boating, not swimming.

Beach mats are available at English Bay and Kitsilano. Water wheelchairs are available at English Bay, Jericho, Kitsilano and Second Beach and Pool. Water wheelchairs are free and available daily from noon to 8 p.m. between the Victoria Day and Labour Day long weekends on a first-come, first-served basis; reservations require at least 48 hours’ notice.

Users must wear a provided personal flotation device. Each chair has a capacity of 300 pounds or 136 kilograms, and lifeguards may limit access because of weather or safety.

City beach rules prohibit fires, smoking, alcohol, littering, ball sports outside designated areas and inflatables in the water. Dogs are allowed only in designated off-leash areas.

Barbecues are permitted in parks if they are at least 75 cm (29.5 inches) off the ground, but not on or above sandy beach areas; wood burning and campfires are prohibited. Check the City of Vancouver’s official site before you go.

Choose your beach first, then confirm the current transit route for that destination. The Oakridge transit and neighbourhood guide can help you orient yourself around the area before setting out.

One seasonal service connects the west-side area: TransLink’s 42 Spanish Banks bus runs on weekends and holidays between May and September, every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. It starts at Broadway and Alma Street and stops at Locarno Beach Park and Jericho Beach Park.

You can reach Broadway and Alma Street on the 99 B-Line from Commercial–Broadway Station, or on buses 7, 9 or 14. The Vancouver public transport guide covers the city’s transit network.

For a day at Second Beach, note that Stanley Park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. unless otherwise posted, and park washrooms are available from dawn until dusk. These park hours are separate from beach lifeguard hours.

Which Vancouver beach is in downtown?

English Bay Beach, also called First Beach, is the downtown beach on Beach Avenue between Gilford Street and Bidwell Street.

Where can you find an accessible beach mat?

The City provides beach mats at English Bay and Kitsilano beaches. At Kitsilano, the mat is between the pool and the concession.

When are lifeguards on duty at Vancouver beaches?

Lifeguard hours start at noon and end at 8 p.m. from Victoria Day, with changes in August as the sun sets earlier. Red and yellow flags indicate when lifeguards are on duty.

Can you swim in False Creek?

No. The City identifies False Creek as an area for paddling and boating, not swimming; swim only in designated swimming areas when lifeguards are on duty.