My Favorite Hotels in Vancouver
• 5-Star: Rosewood Georgia
• 4-Star: Hilton • Listel
• 3-Star: Burrard
• For couples: Opus
• For families: Hilton
• Hotel pool: Pan Pacific
• Near BC Place: Douglas
• Rogers Arena: Hotel BLU
• Stanley Park: English Bay Inn
• Cruise Port: Fairmont Pacific Rim
Two of the best hotels in downtown Vancouver: the historic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (on the left) and the trendy Rosewood Georgia (on the right). Both hotels have convenient central locations, steps from shopping, dining, and nightlife.
The best hotels in Vancouver are located in downtown, the West End (northwest of downtown), and Yaletown (southeast of downtown). All of these neighborhoods are easy walking distance from each other.
Downtown Vancouver is a charming mix of walkability, shopping, cafes, restaurants, and natural beauty.
Hotels within a 5-minute walk of downtown Vancouver’s shopping & dining:
Listel • Paradox • Shangri-La • Wedgewood • Fairmont Vancouver • Rosewood Georgia • St Regis • L’Hermitage • Hilton Downtown • Hotel BLU • Hyatt Regency • Residence Inn by Marriott • Burrard • Sandman City Centre • Holiday Inn Downtown
Vancouver (my birthplace) is a compact city of distinctive neighborhoods – each of which is worth exploring.
The vibrant downtown peninsula offers a blend of modernity and history, set against the stunning backdrop of the North Shore Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Apart from its convenience, downtown accommodations often provide breathtaking views and are surrounded by a ton of dining, shopping, and entertainment options. The city’s cultural diversity is evident in downtown’s range of establishments, from high-end boutiques to cozy, ethnic eateries. Additionally, the seawall which stretches around the downtown peninsula is ideal for morning jogs, afternoon bike rides, or evening strolls.
Me and some friends at a Canucks game at Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver.
The outer neighborhoods are generally easy to explore on foot or via a combination of transit and walking. For example, Gastown and Chinatown are walkable from downtown, but Commercial Drive and Kitsilano are likely a little too far for most people to walk to, and need to be reached via transit, taxi, or bike before being explored on foot. All-day transit DayPasses are particularly popular with visitors.
If staying downtown or in the West End a car is more of a hassle than a benefit. There’s no need to rent a car for visits focused on the city center. If you drove to the city then park it and forget it. Almost all concerts and professional sporting events are at venues in the downtown core and easily walkable from most hotels. If you’re visiting Vancouver without a car, then downtown and the West End is where you’ll want to stay.
Note: “Downtown Vancouver” typically refers to both the compact neighborhood centered at Robson and Granville streets and the larger surrounding peninsula — bordered by Burrard Inlet to the north, Stanley Park and English Bay to the west, False Creek to the south, and Chinatown to the east. Put another way, the downtown peninsula is composed of three neighborhoods with blurry boundaries: Downtown, West End, and Yaletown.
Best Places to Stay in Vancouver
The 5-star Paradox Hotel is a short walk from the shopping of Robson street.
- Best Luxury Hotels in Vancouver
Rosewood Hotel Georgia • Shangri-La • Paradox- Best Boutique Hotels in Vancouver
Opus Hotel • Wedgewood Hotel & Spa- Best Honeymoon Hotel in Vancouver
Granville Island Hotel- Best Hotel for Families in Vancouver
Fairmont • Hilton Vancouver Downtown- Best Hotels near Cruise Terminal
Pan Pacific • Fairmont Waterfront • Fairmont Pacific Rim- Best Hotels for Shopping
Wedgewood Hotel & Spa • Fairmont • Shangri-LaThe view from my balcony at the Shangri-La Hotel.
My suite at the Fairmont Hotel.
My suite at the Pan Pacific Hotel.
My one-bedroom suite with balcony at the Paradox.
My suite at the Listel – great location on Robson Street.
My room at Hotel BLU – the best place to stay for events at BC Place and Rogers Arena.
Best Areas to Stay in Vancouver
For most first-time visitors to Vancouver, Downtown is the best place to stay due to its central location, excellent public transportation, and proximity to many of the city’s top attractions. As the heart of the city, downtown Vancouver offers a vibrant atmosphere, with a diverse array of shopping, dining, and entertainment options suitable for all tastes and budgets.
Staying in downtown places visitors within walking distance of iconic attractions such as the Stanley Park, Robson Square, and the Pacific Centre shopping mall. The nearby neighbourhoods of Coal Harbour (with the Vancouver Convention Centre and Canada Place), Gastown, and Yaletown are all within an easy walk. And downtown is well-served by public transportation, including buses, SkyTrain stations, and the SeaBus, making it easy to explore other parts of the city and visit popular destinations like Commercial Drive, Granville Island, and Kitsilano Beach.
1. DOWNTOWN
The majestic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver – smack in the middle of downtown’s shopping, nightlife, and food scene.
The main thoroughfares in Vancouver’s glass-towered city center are Robson Street and Granville Street. The former is predominantly lined with branded chain stores and, at its Stanley Park end, serves up an enticing array of authentic Japanese and Korean restaurants. Granville Street, especially between Georgia Street and Davie Street, is studded with mainstream bars and clubs. These are busy on weekends with partying locals, although Vancouverites with a more discerning nightlife eye prefer establishments in Gastown or along Main Street.
Downtown is the best area for first time visitors to Vancouver. It’s where most Vancouver hotels are located and where major transit routes including SkyTrain, SeaBus, and key bus services converge. Visitor attractions downtown include the Vancouver Art Gallery, Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, the pier-like Canada Place building on the waterfront, and Vancouver Lookout, a lofty observation tower with panoramic city views.
The Best Hotels in Downtown Vancouver
- Fairmont • Rosewood Hotel Georgia • Wedgewood Hotel & Spa • Hilton Vancouver Downtown • L’Hermitage Hotel
Cheap/Midrange Hotels in Downtown Vancouver
2. WEST END
The Listel on Robson Street and close to the city’s best shopping.
Adjoining downtown’s northwestern edge – and neighborhing Stanley Park – the West End is a pleasant grid of tree-lined residential streets studded with well-maintained 1950s apartment buildings. There are many historic, wood-built homes in this area, especially around Barclay Heritage Square where the delightful Roedde House Museum is a recommended stop for history fans curious about yesteryear Vancouver life.
Some of the West End’s best heritage homes have been transformed into high-end B&Bs. There is also a full menu of excellent dine-out options in this area, with restaurants lining both sides of Davie Street and Denman Street. Save time for a visit to the beach at English Bay – its panoramic sunsets can be spectacularly photogenic.
The Shangri-La, The Listel, and Paradox hotels are near the border of downtown and West End, and should also be considered “downtown hotels” – but they’re on the side of downtown closest to the West End and Stanley Park.
The Best Hotels in the West End
Cheap/Midrange Hotel in the West End
3. STANLEY PARK
The The Sylvia, steps from Stanley Park and the beaches of English Bay.
Abutting the West End – there are main access points at English Bay and also near the Georgia Street and Denman Street intersection – Stanley Park, Vancouver’s greenspace gem is one of North America’s largest and most celebrated urban parks. It’s easy to spend a day here, especially if starting with a walk around the 8.5km Seawall trail, which includes eye-popping ocean, mountain, and forest views. Interior trails also crisscross the park, while sightings of eagles, hummingbirds, beavers, Douglas squirrels, and more are common. Visit the Nature House for the inside track on park flora and fauna.
Additional park attractions include the Vancouver Aquarium, Stanley Park Train, and the Brockton Point Totem Poles. Other visit-worthy spots include the Rose Garden and Third Beach, where locals love watching the sunsets. There are several places to eat in the park—we especially love the Stanley Park Brewing Restaurant & Brewpub for its homegrown ales and elevated pub grub.
The Best Hotel near Stanley Park
Cheap/Midrange Hotel near Stanley Park
4. YALETOWN
The awesome Opus Hotel in trendy Yaletown.
A southbound stroll from downtown, Yaletown was originally a gritty railyard district lined with huge warehouses. These days, the trains have long gone and the old redbrick storerooms have been transformed into chichi boutiques and posh restaurants – especially along Mainland and Hamilton streets. There’s still a reminder of the original railway days at Yaletown’s Engine 374 Pavilion, a free-entry attraction housing the restored steam engine that pulled the first transcontinental passenger train into Vancouver in 1887.
Sports nuts should also take note of this area: Yaletown is home to BC Place Stadium where Vancouver Whitecaps soccer games and BC Lions Canadian football games are held. There’s also an onsite museum here tracing some of the region’s colorful sporting history – 2010 Winter Olympics included. Ice hockey fan? Nearby Rogers Arena is home to the Vancouver Canucks NHL team.
The Best Hotels in Yaletown
Cheap/Midrange Hotel in Yaletown
5. CRUISE TERMINAL/WATERFRONT
The 5-star Pan Pacific Hotel is directly beside the Vancouver cruise terminal in Coal Harbour.
The area around the cruise terminal in the Port of Vancouver is a busy and touristy collection of gift shops, restaurants, tour buses, and cafes. Gastown is a short walk to the east and downtown to the south. The 3 hotels listed below are all steps from the cruise ships. The Days Inn (affordable and good value) is a 5-minute walk from the terminal.
The Best Hotels near Cruise Port
Cheap/Midrange Hotel near Cruise Port
6. GASTOWN & CHINATOWN
The Skwachàys Lodge on Vancouver’s Eastside.
The brick-cobbled neighborhood where modern-day Vancouver began, Gastown is perfect for on-foot exploring. Centered on busy Water Street but radiating along adjoining thoroughfares such as Carrall Street and Abbott Street, its heritage stone and brick buildings now house popular boutiques, large souvenir stores, and some of the city’s favorite restaurants.
Attractions-wise, snappers can’t resist selfies at the Steam Clock (a retro-look freestanding timepiece that plays steam whistle tunes) and the statue of historical figure Gassy Jack, the pioneer-era bar owner who is said to have triggered the development that eventually became Vancouver. Dive into more of the city’s gritty past at Gastown’s Vancouver Police Museum, and consider taking an evocative walking tour of the old town streets with Forbidden Vancouver.
Right next to Gastown and also designated as a National Historic Site, Canada’s largest Chinatown is a must-see. Its main thoroughfares include East Pender Street, Main Street, and Keefer Street and it is colored with red-painted lampposts, century-old shop fronts, bustling grocery stores, and authentic Asian restaurants. Most visitors start at the towering Chinatown Millennium Gate, located near the intersection of Carrall Street and East Pender Street, before exploring the nearby Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and its Zen-calm pathways. Feline fans should also beeline to the nearby Catfe for the chance to hang out with adoptable cats in a kibble-tastic lounge (book ahead).
Both Gastown and Chinatown are part of the larger Downtown Eastside area where drug abuse and mental health problems are common. It’s generally safe here but street smarts are required, especially during the evening when sticking to major streets is essential.
The Best Hotel near Gastown
7. GRANVILLE ISLAND
The Granville Island Hotel on Vancouver’s False Creek.
Across False Creek from Yaletown (mini-ferry services link the two areas), Granville Island started life a century ago as a busy hive of workshops and small factories. Not actually an island (it’s attached to the mainland underneath Granville Bridge), the manmade floating district faded into near-obsolescence in the 1970s – which is when city planners reinvented it as a bright-painted mini-village of restaurants, galleries, theatres, and artisan studios. The main draw, though, is the covered Public Market, a cavernous cornucopia of produce and deli stands with a side order of craft stalls.
On summer days, the market is among the city’s most popular visitor attractions. But the rest of Granville Island should also be explored. The Net Loft is home to some excellent boutiques while nearby Railspur Alley offers artisan sake and gin producers. There’s also a separate building filled with kid-focused shops and a popular brewery that offers tasty tours. Reminders of Granville Island’s industrial heritage also abound: look for rails embedded in sidewalks and a yesteryear yellow freight crane.
The Best Hotel at Granville Island
Cheap/Midrange Hotel near Granville Island
8. KITSILANO
Hugging the southern shoreline of Burrard Inlet, Kitsilano was the center of Vancouver’s hippy explosion during the 1960s. Nowadays, the old heritage homes where those flower-power Vancouverites tuned in and dropped out are sought after multi-million-dollar residences beloved of well-to-do professional families. There’s more to see in Kits than nice houses, though.
Start at Vanier Park where its three cultural institutions include the Museum of Vancouver, the kid-friendly H.R. Macmillan Space Centre, and the Vancouver Maritime Museum. Just along the shoreline, Kitsilano Beach is a huge sandy swathe that’s arguably Vancouver’s most popular summertime hangout. Shoppers should also save time for 4th Avenue, where independent stores and chain boutiques nestle alongside excellent restaurants and coffee shops. A few blocks south, the Broadway section of Kits also offers great shopping and dining.
The Best Hotels in Kitsilano
- There are no good hotels directly in Kitsilano. The Granville Island Hotel is a 30 minute walk along the beautiful seawall from Kitsilano.
9. UNIVERISTY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Further west along the peninsula from Kitsilano, the waterfront UBC campus is one of the biggest in Canada. It’s also an enticing destination for a day out, complete with cultural attractions, public art, parks and gardens, and plenty of places to eat and drink.
Attractions-wise the campus is home to the brilliant Museum of Anthropology (MOA), where the collections include striking totem poles, carvings, and more from the region’s Indigenous people. There are also artifacts from countless additional cultures around the world. A 10-minute walk away is the Beaty Biodiversity Museum – the city’s natural history museum – as well as the nearby Pacific Museum of Earth with its gems, fossils, and minerals. Also on campus are the UBC Botanical Garden, the Nitobe Memorial Garden, and Pacific Spirit Regional Park – which is striped with woodland trails for walkers and bikers.
The Best Hotel near UBC
10. MAIN STREET
East Vancouver’s two main neighborhoods are along Main Street and on Commercial Drive. Both are well worth visiting as the torch-holders of the city’s independent hipster spirit. Originally a working-class district, the Main Street stretch between Broadway and 30th Avenue is now home to a tempting menu of cool, one-of-kind shops – think record stores, bookstores, artisan shops, and local clothing designers – plus a great selection of distinctive cafes, bars, and coffee shops. A great place to rub shoulders with friendly coolsters, Main is easy to explore via transit bus Number 3, which runs the length of the street in each direction and also connects to downtown.
Craft beer-fans are well-served in this area. Known as Brewery Creek from the last few years of the 19th-century onwards, the last beer maker shut down in this area in the 1950s – before several new microbreweries starting recolonizing the district just a few years ago. Consider visits to Brassneck, R&B Brewing, 33 Acres, and Main Street Brewing, among others.
The Best Hotel near Main Street
11. COMMERCIAL DRIVE
An easy bus ride from Main Street on the 99B-Line Express, Commercial Drive was Vancouver’s Little Italy area from the 1950s onwards. And while many vestiges of this colorful immigrant history remain – the city’s best coffee shops and pizzerias are located on the Drive – the street later broadened its demographic to become far more bohemian. Most visitors focus on the stretch between Broadway and Venables streets, exploring a stroll-worthy, gently uphill promenade of eclectic shops as well as restaurants dishing up cuisines from Cuba to Ethiopia and from France to Thailand. There are some excellent vegetarian eateries and neighborhood bakeries here as well.
Nightlife-wise, there are some good bars on the Drive (plus a gaggle of great microbreweries a short stroll away from its northern tip). And, on nearby Venables Street, the Cultch is a beloved local theatre that stages local and visiting stage shows. Need more? Near the Broadway and Commercial intersection, the Rio Theatre presents art house movies, live music, and quirky comedy shows.
The Best Hotels near Commercial Drive
- There are no good hotels near Commercial Drive. If you want easy access to the charms of the Commercial neighborhood your best bet is to stay at the Sandman City Centre. It’s close to the Stadium-Chinatown station and a 5 minute ride on the Skytrain from the Commercial-Broadway station.
Vancouver Hotels – My Advice
- Where To Stay in Vancouver: Vancouver is blessed with a dozen or more cool neighborhoods. But for the first time visitor with less than a week to explore, the primary focus of their stay should focus on the following areas: West End, Coal Harbour, Yaletown, False Creek, and Kitsilano. The downtown peninsula is composed of three of these neighborhoods: the West End (the area close to Stanley Park), Coal Harbour (the waterfront just north of the West End), and Yaletown (the eastern end of the downtown peninsula). It’s in these downtown neighborhoods that most visitors will want to stay. Across the water to the south of downtown are Kitsilano and False Creek. Both gorgeous and inviting areas but with few hotels. The False Creek Aquabus connects many points in the West End, Yaletown, Kitsilano, and Granville Island.
- Best Luxury Hotels in Vancouver: Rosewood Hotel Georgia • Shangri-La • Paradox
- Best Boutique Hotels in Vancouver: Opus • Wedgewood Hotel & Spa
- Best Honeymoon Hotel in Vancouver: Granville Island Hotel
- Best Hotel for Families in Vancouver: Hilton Vancouver Downtown
The 7 Best Hotels in Vancouver
1. Rosewood Hotel Georgia
Centrally-located and newly-renovated – but retaining plenty of old-world charm. Spacious and elegant guest rooms feature great luxury extras like heated bathroom floors and Nespresso machines. Deluxe rooms and above have large soaking tubs. Full-treatment spa, beautiful garden terrace, excellent restaurant, and indoor saltwater lap pool. Located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, across from the Art Gallery, Pacific Centre, and Skytrain.
2. Shangri-La
The best hotel in downtown Vancouver for shopping. Stylish 5-star with a great location near Robson Street and loads of restaurants. Nice outdoor pool and jacuzzi. The in-house Italian restaurant is excellent. Joe Fortes, a stylish seafood restaurant is just around the corner and up the street a block.
3. Paradox
Trendy and fun hotel with one of the friendliest staffs I’ve ever encountered (even if they make a few more mistakes than is typical at a luxury hotel). Karma Lounge is on the ground floor directly off Georgia Street and makes for a DJ thumping introduction to the hotel’s chic vibe.
4. Fairmont Pacific Rim
The best hotel near the Vancouver cruise terminal and steps from arriving and departing ships. Downtown shopping is still within an easy walk and the charming Gaslamp district is nearby as well.
5. Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
A classic luxury hotel (if a little aged) with a great central location. Elegant decor, onsite luxury shopping, and nice indoor pool and fitness center. Family and pet-friendly too, with nightly milk and cookies for kids and a concierge with canine ambassadors. The Fairmont is located just around the corner from the shopping, nightlife, and restaurants of Robson Street and within easy walking distance of all downtown attractions.
6. Opus
Located in Vancouver’s foodie neighborhood of Yaletown. Great restaurants, cafes, and breweries are just out the door. Two and three bedroom suites are great for groups and families.
7. Granville Island Hotel
A charming hotel in a wonderful location on Granville Island. The huge Granville Island Market is steps away. The Aquabus leaves from the dock just behind the hotel every few minutes for downtown, Stanley Park, and other spots around False Creek. And the pedestrian and bike path goes right by the hotel and runs all the way to Stanley Park. Kayak and paddleboard rentals are available from many nearby businesses. The Granville Island Hotel is not quite as luxurious as the Fairmont or Rosewood but if your goal is to experience the outdoors it can’t be beat.
1. Rosewood Hotel Georgia • 2. Fairmont Hotel Vancouver • 3. Shangri-La • 4. Paradox • 5. Fairmont Pacific Rim • 6. Opus • 7. Granville Island Hotel
About Santorini Dave