English Bay is the body of water where the shores of Vancouver meet the Pacific Ocean. It’s also home to beautiful English Bay Beach in downtown Vancouver.
This article includes the following information about English Bay:
The Beach | Video | Tips & Advice | Other Information
Vancouver’s English Bay
English Bay is surrounded by West Vancouver to the North, the City of Vancouver to the east and the region from Kitsilano to Point Grey in the south.
It is a stunningly beautiful bay with picturesque views in every direction. Whether you’re at the western section of the Stanley Park Seawall or anywhere from Ambleside to Dundarave and Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver, there is not a bad spot. The views from Kitsilano, Jericho and Spanish Banks beaches in the south are equally spectacular.
From English Bay there are great cycling and walking pathways along the water. They go all the way to Stanley Park in one direction, and then on to Point Grey via Science World, Granville Island and Kitsilano Beach in the other.
English Bay – The Beach
English Bay is also the name of one of Vancouver’s most beautiful and popular beaches.
Located at the far end of trendy Denman Street, English Bay is where Vancouver’s annual January Polar Bear Swim takes place. Yes, hundreds of crazy Vancouverites really do go swimming in the freezing ocean the morning of January 1st each year! It’s a sobering dip for sure!
English Bay is also home to the city’s annual Celebration of Light fireworks festival. The festival takes place on three separate nights in late July and early August.
Even when there isn’t a big event going on, the beach at English Bay is always popular.
Connected to Stanley Park along the Seawall, English Bay is Vancouver’s most central, urban and arguably most exotic beach. Not only is there a bit of nature, but there are also lots of great restaurants, ice cream stores and coffee shops right close by (not to mention palm trees and one of Vancouver’s most amusing collections of statues).
Near the beach, there are lots of restaurants, including ones along both Denman Street and Davie Street. There are small one-of-a-kind places as well as popular chain restaurants like the Cactus Club and Craft Beer Market.
English Bay Video
To give you an idea of what English Bay Beach looks like, check out the following video. It was taken in the late afternoon in the middle of May (which explains why nobody is swimming or in their swimsuits).
The video begins with a couple of youth walking along the sand by the water. In the video you’ll see scenes of the beach, ocean and skyline in Vancouver’s West End. Towards the end the video includes a 360-degree view of the Inukshuk statue that was built for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The final scene is from the rocky bit of beach just past the Inukshuk below the seawall.
As you’ll see in the video, sunsets in English Bay can be amazing. It’s such a beautiful place!
Tips & Advice
Below are some tips to help you make the most of your visit to English Bay Beach.
TIP #1: Be prepared to walk a fair ways as there isn’t a lot of parking in the immediate area – mostly just downtown street parking. If you are going for a bicycle ride along the seawall, consider parking your car in Stanley Park or somewhere further down the way and then riding to English Bay if you don’t find parking closer by.
TIP #2: Get there very early on fireworks nights in the summer and park a ways away as the place can be a zoo with all the people. Up to 400,000 can attend on a good night!
Other Information
Fun Fact: Years ago, since long before Canada became a country, at English Bay Beach there was an Indigenous settlement called “Ay-yul-shun” which meant “sandy place” or “soft under feet” in the Coast Salish language.
For more information, visit the English Bay Beach page on the City of Vancouver website.
Click the following link to learn more about Metro Vancouver’s other top beaches.
Click Celebration of Light for more on the summer fireworks competitions at English Bay.
Other articles that may be of interest include the following:
- Vancouver’s Top Beaches
- Lower Mainland Places in Nature
- Metro Vancouver’s Top 100 Places
- Vancouver’s Best Restaurants
- The City Of Vancouver
- Vancouver’s West End