Robson Street

Located in the West End, Robson Street is Vancouver’s best street for shopping. It’s a great place to find brand-name designer stores and restaurants.

Trendy Robson Street in West Vancouver

Locals and out-of-towners enjoy a stroll along Robson Street for its many trendy high fashion clothing boutiques and restaurants. If you’re a fashionista and like brand names like the GAP, Lululemon, Roots and Armani Exchange (plus all the other regular expensive and not-so-expensive brands), and you prefer to be outside instead of in a mall, then Robson Street is the place to shop. It’s a colourful strip that buzzes day and night.

From mid-November until the end of February most years (weather permitting) there is free ice skating at Robson Square at the corner of Robson and Howe.

History of Robson Street

Robson Street is one of Vancouver’s oldest shopping districts. It was once known as Robsonstrasse as a result of the German and other European stores that opened after World War II. The street still retains some of its old character, with a mix of old-style shops and modern shopping places.

Robson Street is a busy strip that runs from BC Place at one end to Stanley Park at the other. In between, visitors can find a selection of Vancouver landmarks including the Vancouver Public Library and Robson Square (which hosts free ice skating each winter). The street is also well serviced by public transit that connects you quickly and easily from anywhere downtown Vancouver and beyond. Pretty much all the major attractions around Robson Street are within walking distance or a bus ride away.

Places to Stay

In addition to being a popular shopping district, Robson Street is home to a selection of hotels. Lodging options range from modern, fancy hotels to unique and trendy places. Here are a few great hotels that line Robson Street.

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver – located at 900 West Georgia, it’s just a couple of blocks from Robson Square.
Listel Hotel – a 3.5-star art-themed, environmentally-friendly hotel found in Vancouver’s West End at 1300 Robson Street.
Sutton Place – at 855 Burrard Street in the heart of downtown Vancouver and just a couple of blocks from Robson Street.
Hilton Vancouver Downtown Hotel – a 4.5-star modern hotel formerly known as the Westin Grand. It’s close to the Vancouver Public Library and located at 433 Robson Street.

Hotel Tip: When booking a hotel in downtown Vancouver, be sure to check out StayVancouverHotels.com. The website often has extra good deals, and it always offers some kind of bonus perk when making a reservation through it.