Best neighborhoods in Vancouver

15 areas in Vancouver, Canada — what each one feels like, who it suits, and roughly what it costs.

• Coquitlam ($) — Lafarge Lake, new towers Best for Families + value. Mostly a base for visiting family; Lafarge Lake's light display is the winter draw. The Korean restaurants along North Road are the best reason to make the trip. Tri-Cities suburbia — condo towers around the SkyTrain, houses and lakes beyond. Getting around: Millennium Line (Evergreen extension) to Lafarge Lake–Douglas
• New Westminster ($) — Riverfront, heritage brick Best for Budget + character. The old colonial capital on the Fraser, with a boardwalk, the River Market and the region's cheapest heritage hotels. Thirty minutes to downtown. Affordable, walkable and slightly overlooked — a real small city with its own high street on Columbia. Getting around: Expo Line to New Westminster or Columbia station
• West Vancouver ($$) — Waterfront houses, Ambleside Best for Beach walks + seclusion. The Seawalk from Ambleside to Dundarave is the prettiest flat stroll in the region. Almost no hotels — mostly rentals — and little to do after 9pm. The most expensive municipality in Canada. Sea views, old money and a very early bedtime. Getting around: Bus 250 and 253 across the Lions Gate Bridge; a car helps
• North Vancouver ($$) — SeaBus, Grouse, the Shipyards Best for Outdoors + families. Twelve minutes across the harbour by SeaBus, with the Shipyards night market and Lonsdale Quay at the dock. The trailhead for Grouse Mountain, Lynn Canyon and Capilano. Where Vancouver goes to raise children and hike before work. Quieter and greener, with the North Shore mountains at the end of the street. Getting around: SeaBus from Waterfront every 15 minutes; buses 228, 229 and 230 up Lonsdale
• Gastown ($$) — Cobblestones, brick warehouses Best for Dining + nightlife. The oldest blocks in the city, now restaurants, bars and design shops. Central and characterful; the edges get rough after dark. Getting around: Expo line at Waterfront
• Yaletown ($$) — Loft conversions, marina Best for Dining. Brick warehouses turned into restaurants along a False Creek marina. Polished condo living with the seawall as a front garden. Getting around: Canada line at Yaletown–Roundhouse
• Mount Pleasant ($$) — Breweries, murals Best for Independent + food. Main Street's restaurants and a cluster of breweries a few blocks east. The city's most interesting neighbourhood right now, and still central. Getting around: Canada line at Broadway–City Hall
• Kitsilano ($$) — Beach, wooden houses Best for Beach + families. A beach with mountain views and a long strip of shops on West 4th. The classic Vancouver lifestyle address — beach, trails, high rents. Getting around: Buses 4, 7 and 44
• Point Grey & UBC ($$) — Campus, forest, beaches Best for Nature + museums. Spanish Banks and Wreck Beach at the tip of the peninsula, the Museum of Anthropology, and student-run cafés. Far from any nightlife. A university town inside the city. Pacific Spirit Park's forest trails start at the back door. Getting around: Bus 99 B-Line or R4 along Broadway, about 30 minutes
• West End ($$) — English Bay, Davie Street Best for Beach + walkability. Between Stanley Park and English Bay, with Denman and Davie Streets for food. The most walkable base in the city and the classic first-visit address. Dense apartment living, the gay village, and the beach as your back garden. Rents are high and parking is worse. Getting around: Bus 5 and 6 along Davie and Robson; a 15-minute walk to Waterfront station
• Burnaby ($$) — Metrotown towers, SkyTrain Best for Value + transit. Metrotown is Canada's second-largest mall with hotels attached, twenty minutes to downtown on the Expo Line. Cheaper than the city for the same access. Suburban high-rise living that is fast becoming a second downtown. Burnaby Mountain and Deer Lake give it green edges. Getting around: Expo Line to Metrotown; Millennium Line to Brentwood Town Centre
• Richmond ($$) — Night market, dim sum, Steveston Best for Food + airport. Next to YVR on the Canada Line, so a genuine option before an early flight. The best Chinese food in North America along No. 3 Road, and Steveston's fishing village at the south end. Majority Chinese-Canadian, flat, and built around malls and restaurants. Steveston is the pretty exception. Getting around: Canada Line to Aberdeen or Brighouse, 25 minutes from downtown
• Downtown Vancouver ($$) — Glass towers, seawall Best for First-timers. Stanley Park at one end, Gastown at the other, water on three sides. Dense, walkable and the most expensive postcode in Canada. Getting around: Expo, Canada and Millennium lines
• Commercial Drive ($) — Italian cafes, patios Best for Budget + local. Espresso bars, produce shops and patios along a long, unfussy street. East Vancouver's heart — cheaper, greener and less glossy. Getting around: Expo/Millennium lines at Commercial–Broadway
• Surrey ($) — Punjabi Market, sprawl Best for Diaspora + budget. Not a tourist base, but Surrey Central has cheap hotels on the Expo Line and the best South Asian food in Western Canada around 128 Street. White Rock's pier is the day-trip. The region's fastest-growing city — majority South Asian in the north, semi-rural in the south. Getting around: Expo Line to Surrey Central or King George, 40 minutes from downtown

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