Vancouver/South
Vancouver/South
Vancouver South covers the southern portion of Vancouver. It is mostly residential and has some of the city's older and more prestigious neighbourhoods. The area is best known for its gardens and parks, such as VanDusen Gardens.
Understand
For the purposes of this guide, the district includes everything south of W 16th Ave between Pacific Spirit Park and Heather St and everything south of King Edward/25th Ave from Prince Edward St to Burnaby. 37th Ave forms the northern boundary between Heather St and Prince Edward St. This includes the neighbourhoods of Kerrisdale, Oakridge, Marpole, Killarney and portions of Dunbar, Arbutus Ridge, Shaughnessy, Collingwood and South Cambie. To the north is Kitsilano and South Granville, Mt Pleasant-South Main and Commercial Drive-Hastings Park; to the east is Burnaby; and to the south is Richmond.
Get in
See Vancouver for options to get in the Vancouver area by plane, by bus, and by train, and by boat.
Get around
By public transit
TransLink, +1-604-953-3333. The main public transit network in the Vancouver area, including: Bowen Island, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Lions Bay, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, West Vancouver, and White Rock. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance).
Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers.
Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel.
Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares. 2022-03-27
By SkyTrain
The Canada Line follows Cambie Street through Vancouver. In Vancouver, it travels to downtown, Yaletown-False Creek and Mount Pleasant, and beyond Vancouver to Vancouver International Airport and Richmond. Stations of interest include:
- King Edward - four blocks north of Queen Elizabeth Park and Nat Bailey Stadium
- Oakridge - adjacent to Oakridge Centre, one of the larger shopping malls in Vancouver and transfer point for buses that travel on 41st St.
By bus
UBC and South Vancouver is well connected to other parts of Vancouver by the Translink bus system. The following routes are good ways to get in and around:
- #10 - Runs up and down Granville Street from downtown to Marine Drive.
- #15 - Runs up and down Cambie Street from downtown to Marine Drive.
- #17 - Runs along Oak Street and Broadway, connecting UBC and South Vancouver with South Granville and Kitsilano.
- #41 - Runs along 41st Avenue from Joyce SkyTrain Station to UBC through the Kerrisdale area.
- #480 - Travels along 41st Avenue and Granville making select stops between UBC and Richmond.
By car
Granville Street is the main street coming out of downtown into South Vancouver and also provides access to the airport. From Richmond to the south, Hwy 99 becomes Oak Street once it crosses the Fraser River and runs the length of South Vancouver up to South Granville. Cambie Street is an alternate way through the district to the east of Granville St and Oak St, and also provides access to downtown.
Going from east to west, SW Marine Drive/Marine Drive follows the Fraser River and wraps around Point Grey, connecting UBC and South Vancouver with East Van. 4th Ave, 10th Ave/Broadway and 16th Ave are the main roads into UBC from Kitsilano. West 41st Ave and West 49th Ave are other major east-west streets.
See
- VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak St. (37th & Oak on the NW corner), +1 604-878-9274. Mar-Oct: daily 10AM-5PM; Nov-Feb: 10AM-3PM. VanDusen Botanical Garden has a very large collection of plants in the outdoor gardens. Especially interesting are the Canadian ecosystems, with samples of prairie and deep woods fauna. On the last weekend in April, the garden has a giant plant sale with many species from all over the world (they don't always have a Canadian official there to grant export, however). Plant seeds are available in the gift shop. Adults $8.40-11.70 (winter/summer), seniors and youth $5.90-8.20, child 5-12 $4.20-8.25 2021-02-24
- Jewish Museum and Archives of BC, 6184 Ash Street (near West 45th Ave.) (on the 2nd floor of the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture.), 49.22905°, -123.11751°, +1 604-257-5199. M-Th 9AM-5PM. A small museum that documents the history of the Jewish community in British Columbia. Check for interesting summer programs and tours at this museum; in 2007 it operated a "Tour de Blintz" cycling tour, which took participants to local Jewish eateries. Free (except for special programs)
- Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, 50-950 West 41st Ave. (close to Oak St.) (on the lower level of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver), 49.23342°, -123.12667°, +1 604-264-0499. M-Th 9AM-5PM, F 9AM-4PM. A teaching museum that focuses on the Holocaust, genocide, and anti-racism education. The museum has small thought-provoking temporary exhibits, but these may not be on display during the summer months when the museum traditionally works on mounting its next exhibit. Free
Do
- Fraser River Park, 8705 Angus Drive and West 75th Avenue, 49.20912°, -123.15248°. This is a local secret that has spectacular views of the airport. One can watch the planes come and go across the river. This park is popular for dog lovers, as its secluded location is perfect for letting dogs roam free. The park is large enough to have a big field for picnics and games, while the riverfront area has its own beach, depending on the tides. At the edge of the park is an industrial park and a golf course.
Buy
Vancouver South is served mostly by community centres and one major shopping mall.
- Dunbar, 49.24797°, -123.18518°. Is a local shopping area along Dunbar Street south of 16th Avenue. 2022-05-31
- Cheapskates - 1, 3644 West 16th Ave (at Alma Street, 1 block west of Dunbar), 49.25771°, -123.18614°, +1-604-222-1125. M–F 11AM - 6PM; Sa 10AM – 6PM; Su & holidays 11AM – 5PM. A consignment store for sporting goods, with reasonably good equipment at cheap and falling prices. Each item has a tag with a price schedule that drops 10% each week. If an item hasn't been snapped up, you could get it for a very low price. The "1" branch carries baseball bats, helmets, and shoes from Mar 1–May 1; junior baseball gloves, inline skates, and scooters from Mar 1–Aug 1; and adult baseball gloves, hockey gear, ice skates, soccer gear, tricycles, and lifting weights all year. 2022-05-31
- Kerrisdale, 49.2346°, -123.1555°. A busy neighbourhood commercial district. Located on West 41st Avenue between Larch and Maple Street, there are multiple coffee shops and restaurants that serve great food. It has a small town feel, but busy city traffic. 2022-05-31
- Marpole, 49.2104°, -123.1403°. This small commercial district is located on Granville Street between West 63rd and West 72nd Avenue. Granville Street is a major road seeing lots of through traffic and very few people stop to enjoy this area. There are a few shops of interest, including The Connection, a gaming and hobby store, and many good restaurants that serve authentic Asian foods 2022-05-31
- Oakridge Park (Oakridge Mall), 49.2328°, -123.1169°. This medium-sized mall is anchored by the Bay, and Safeway. Shops range in sizes and are mainly on the chic side of fashion. 2022-05-31
- Punjabi Market, 49.22566°, -123.10162°. Sometimes called Little India, is the area along Main Street around East 49th Avenue (literally, 48th to 51st). There are a number of Indian food stores, restaurants, and stores selling Indian style clothes and materials. 2022-05-31
Eat
This area tends to have fewer restaurants than the rest of Vancouver.
- All India Sweets, 6560 Main St (corner of Main and 49th), 49.22509°, -123.10143°, +1 604 327-0891. Excellent vegetarian all you can eat Indian food buffet for $9.95.
- Samurai Sushi House, 5888 Cambie Street (at 43rd Ave) (Just east of Oakridge Centre), 49.23186°, -123.1159°, +1 604 325-8597. until 9PM. Well known for having huge portions for small prices. It also has fresher sushi than some more expensive places. During meal times, it can be very difficult to get a seat. In the summer, it can be nice to get take out and walk down to Columbia Park (1 block east, ~5min). Be sure to try their toro (fatty tuna), and salmon sushi/sashimi. Stay away from their tuna sushi/sashimi because it tends to be too frozen. There is another location at 1108 Davie in the West End. $10
Drink
There are no nightclubs and only a few neighbourhood pubs.
Sleep
Hotels are a mixed bag in this area, generally being older and cheaper. Most hotels are along Kingsway, with one or two on Marine Drive. A better bet is to look for one of the B&Bs located in the various residential neighbourhoods.
- 2400 Motel, 2400 Kingsway (near Nanaimo & Kingsway), 49.24056°, -123.05595°, +1 604 434-2464. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Older motel with a number of bungalow units. Reviewers indicate rooms can be small, but they are clean and quiet with a certain charm lent by their age. $85 and up
- A Vancouver Traveller Bed and Breakfast, 2159 W 21st Avenue, 49.25375°, -123.15478°, +1 604 435-3826, travelvancouver@yahoo.ca. Three rooms in a renovated old home in residential area. North Suite has a minimum stay of three nights, other rooms require two nights minimum June-Sept. $80-$145
- Days Inn Vancouver Metro, 2075 Kingsway, 49.24497°, -123.06361°, +1 604 876-5531. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Reviews indicate the rooms can be small but the beds are comfortable. $120 and up in summer
- Granville House B&B, 5050 Granville Street, 49.24032°, -123.13898°, +1 604 307-2300, stay@granvillebb.com. B&B in a newer Tudor revival style house. Each room has a king size bed and internet connection. $170-$200 (June-Sept + Christmas period), $100-$150 at other times