Top four neighbourhoods!
While living in Vancouver, you will notice that the majority of people in this city are physically fit. The list of reasons why are the mountains, parks with hiking trails, good public transit, small distances between places, and walkable neighbourhoods. We thought we’d cover the last item from this list because the city seems to be designed to make you walk, even when you don’t want to.
Here's a list of four of our favourite walkable neighbourhoods in Vancouver!
#1 Yaletown - Downtown Vancouver
We thought we would start with a place in downtown since most of the colleges and nightlife are in this area of the city. Yaletown is a neighbourhood located on the south side of downtown. It is known for its old warehouse buildings, which have been repurposed and are home to restaurants, boutique shops, terraces, cocktail lounges, nightclubs, and more!
This neighbourhood is well connected with the rest of the city since it has a SkyTrain station at the heart of it (Yaletown-Roundhouse Station). In this way, even if you don’t live there, you can visit and have a great day full of diverse activities.
Want to connect with nature? David Lam’s Park is a great spot to go with friends for a picnic. Exercise? The Seawall is perfect for walking or cycling. Looking for something sweet? Nero Waffles is your spot.
Living in this area will require you to share a room or rent a den since it’s one of the most expensive areas in downtown.
#2 West End – Downtown Vancouver
The West End is a much more affordable area in downtown. As its name indicates, it is located on the West side of downtown and is home to restaurants, clubs, shopping, beaches and the 2SLGBTQI+ area of the city.
The main streets you must remember in this area are Robson Street and Davie Street. These two are parallel to each other and hold the most attractions. What’s between these two streets? Ten blocks of houses, apartment buildings, parks, and family-friendly areas.
Students who live in the West End can normally afford a room or rent an apartment with a friend since it’s the cheapest area to live in downtown.
Tip: Before renting here, do a Google search for the address + the word “bedbugs”. These insects are common in this part of the city, and you definitely want to stay away from them.
#3 Mount Pleasant
Outside of Downtown, there are other neighbourhoods that are affordable, well connected, and full of nightlife. Mount Pleasant is definitely one of them!
This area is known for being a large residential area that is well connected to the rest of the city thanks to it being close to Main Street & Kingsway. The buses running on these streets can connect you to Downtown, South and East Vancouver.
Home to many breweries (attention beer drinkers), this area offers a wide range of restaurants and bars. Most of them are located along the Main Street corridor between 7th & 16th Avenue.
Living here is cheaper than downtown for sure. Most expensive: Olympic Village, where you have modern apartment buildings. Cheapest: The closer you get to Main & 16th Ave, where you will probably live in someone’s basement suite.
#4 Kitsilano
This last one is an extremely popular area amongst International Students because of the beach vibes in this neighbourhood.
Like the West End, Kitsilano is an area with old houses and apartment buildings that are close to a beach. The main streets you must remember here are Cornwall Ave and 4th Ave. Cornwall is where the beach is located and one of the best spots during the Summer. 4th Ave is the one that has most of the restaurants, shopping & groceries.
If you rent in this area, you need to be careful with bed bugs too. Still, the spaces you get in these old apartments & houses are bigger than many other neighbourhoods in the city. The closer you get to the beach, the more expensive rent will be. Prepare to share a living space with some friends.
Overall, Vancouver is one of the most walkable cities in Canada. No matter where you decide to live, whether it’s in these neighbourhoods or somewhere else in Vancouver, you will have access to nearby buses, trains, and shops. It is overall a walkable city!
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