19 Aug

Quick Guide to the Vancouver Seawall

Vancouver’s waterfront ranks among its greatest charms. Skyscrapers and sandy beaches, old growth forests and posh restaurants all line the long, winding coast. And threading its way along the whole glorious shoreline is one of the city’s most loved and unique attractions: the Seawall.

A paved, oceanfront promenade for pedestrians, rollerbladers and cyclists, the Seawall extends for an impressive 14 miles, all the way from the ritzy condo towers of downtown’s Coal Harbour to the trendy sands of Kitsilano Beach. For visitors, it represents one of the best ways to get to know the city and its distinct neighborhoods (and renting a bike makes it easy to cruise the entire Seawall in one day). Here’s a quick guide to some of the Seawall’s different sections:

The Coal Harbour Seawall: This 1.4-mile section in the heart of downtown takes visitors past oceanfront restaurants and marinas, alongside manicured waterfront parks and past the gleaming new Convention Centre and iconic Canada Place with its white sails.

The Stanley Park Seawall: Probably the best known section, the 5.5-mile Stanley Park Seawall rims almost the entire 1,000-acre park. It winds past forests and beaches and offers great views of the downtown skyline, the snow-capped North Shore mountains, the Lions Gate Bridge and English Bay.

The False Creek Seawall: This 6.7-mile section threads deep into downtown’s scenic False Creek inlet. It passes by new highrise towers and urban parks in Yaletown, skirts Science World’s glittering geodesic dome and continues on to the city’s newest neighborhood, Olympic Village, and picturesque Granville Island. Further on, a gravel path leads through waterfront Vanier Park and dead-ends at trendy Kitsilano Beach.