English Bay Beach Loop

Walk along Vancouver's stunning West End shoreline, where sandy beaches meet whimsical public art, historic landmarks, and towering weeping willows.

Listen to this tour in the Mira app →Walk it in street view

1. Sylvia Hotel, Restaurant and Lounge

The Sylvia Hotel is a historic eight-story building defined by the thick coat of Boston ivy that scales its brick and terracotta exterior on the Gilford Street side. Originally constructed in nineteen twelve as an apartment block called…

2. A-maze-ing Laughter

A group of fourteen bronze figures dominates Morton Park, each standing three meters tall with mouths agape and eyes shut in a state of uniform, hysterical laughter. These statues are cast in the image of their creator, the Beijing-based…

3. English Bay Beach

English Bay Beach, also known as First Beach, is distinguished by its curved shoreline and the concrete art deco bathhouse built in nineteen thirty-one. The Coast Salish people originally named this area Ayyulshun, meaning soft under feet.…

4. Alexandra Park

Alexandra Park is distinguished by the Haywood Bandstand, an octagonal wooden structure with ornate fretwork that sits in the center of the green space. Built in nineteen fourteen, the bandstand provided a venue for music at a time before…

5. Inukshuk

The Inukshuk at English Bay is a six-meter-tall figure constructed from grey granite boulders. Weighing approximately thirty-one thousand five hundred kilograms, the monument stands in a human-like form, a traditional design known in…

6. Engagement

The Roedde House Museum is a late-Victorian home on Barclay Street, distinguished by an asymmetrical design, wrap-around verandas, and a turret that rises above the surrounding garden. Built in eighteen ninety-three, the house served as…

7. Sunset Beach Park

Sunset Beach Park is defined by a grassy expanse sitting alongside a stretch of sand where the Burrard Inlet meets False Creek. Established in nineteen fifty-nine, the park completed a continuous public waterfront connecting the city to…

The audio tour continues in the Mira app →