Spanish Banks
Spanish Banks
4.5
About
This expansive beach offers fantastic picnicking opportunities, swimming, beach volleyball, or simply a panoramic view of Vancouver and the mountains. Spanish Banks tends to be a quieter beach which makes it very family-friendly.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: West Point Grey
West Point Grey is one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods, especially known for its easygoing and admired beachfronts. Locals crowd the Spanish Banks and Jericho Beach, especially in the summer, where a sprawling view of the English Bay awaits. The central village is an oasis of sovereign shops, many of them in local operation for years. The neighbourhood has a more personal feeling to it, and can be a wonderful and much-needed break from the bustle of big-city life, being a little haven of peace and quiet with an almost village temperament in the heart of Vancouver.
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Restaurants
341 within 5 kms
Attractions
455 within 10 kms
See what other travellers are saying
- mike_the_bus_driver4 contributionswhat can I say that hasn't already been saidIt's a beach. A long, long beach. It's sunset. It's bikinis in the summer, dogs in the winter, and the best part is to go at low tide. I mean, really, really low tide, and walk out on the sand for what seems like forever. The car is waaaay back there. If you go off-season then bring your dog. But they aren't allowed on the beach in the summer for obvious reasons. Plenty of room, you don't feel crowded unless it is a super hot day and you decide to settle not too far from one of the three concession stands and washrooms. There are also areas for you to be under trees, and barbecue stands. I'm a local, I go there often. Now if only I had a dog...Visited May 2022Written May 31, 2022
- SMH-BC-CDABritish Columbia, Canada5 contributionslovely spotSit on/beside a log and read a book, have a picnic. Dinner/evening will provide an amazing view of the sunset. Bike to this spot on the nearby path, wade in the water to cool off. Enjoy the view of the north shore and downtown.Visited September 2019Written March 5, 2020
- ReggieRegina, Canada936 contributionsBeautiful areaLove walking along this area. So beautiful every direction one looks. So much to see in this lovely part of the city. The steps are a great place to do a cardio workout while looking out to the ocean.Visited May 2022Travelled with familyWritten December 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
512 reviews
Excellent
339
Very good
144
Average
27
Poor
2
Terrible
0
Reggie
Regina, Canada936 contributions
May 2022 • Family
Love walking along this area. So beautiful every direction one looks. So much to see in this lovely part of the city. The steps are a great place to do a cardio workout while looking out to the ocean.
Written December 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kavin Kumar N R
Bengaluru, India5 contributions
Jun. 2022
A beautiful place from where you can witness incredible sunsets and at the same time watch the city skyline in the distance. But the slow waves have allowed algal blooms which dont look good for a beach.
Written August 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael B
San Francisco, CA34 contributions
Jul. 2022
Fun, relaxing place in West Van. At low tide the beach is huge and dogs love it. TIP: stop at the Jericho Beach Sailing club 2nd floor patio for a beer & burger with great views on the way home.
Written July 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mike_the_bus_driver
Vancouver4 contributions
May 2022
It's a beach. A long, long beach. It's sunset. It's bikinis in the summer, dogs in the winter, and the best part is to go at low tide. I mean, really, really low tide, and walk out on the sand for what seems like forever. The car is waaaay back there. If you go off-season then bring your dog. But they aren't allowed on the beach in the summer for obvious reasons. Plenty of room, you don't feel crowded unless it is a super hot day and you decide to settle not too far from one of the three concession stands and washrooms. There are also areas for you to be under trees, and barbecue stands. I'm a local, I go there often. Now if only I had a dog...
Written May 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael M
Vancouver, Canada2,706 contributions
Jan. 2022 • Couples
This special series of beaches are located in the West Point Grey neighbourhood along English Bay with spectacular views of the North Shore Mountains.. this snowy New Years Day was chosen by us to experience winter’s atmosphere..parking is readily available along Northwest Marine Drive..there were many individuals out to enjoy the day- cross country skiing on the snowy beach, Polar Bear dipping in the frigid English Bay and scores of Vancouverites experiencing The 2022 beginning year on this very open beach with smiles as wide as the ocean..
Written January 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reggie
Regina, Canada936 contributions
Oct. 2021 • Family
Love walking along this area. So beautiful every direction one looks. So much to see in this lovely part of the city.
Written November 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RogueTowel
Vancouver, Canada53 contributions
Jun. 2021
Good beach with amazing views and lots of amenities. Before you go know that it's pay parking, very popular and can get busy, but is fairly long, so there's usually at least some room to swim and sit (if not park).
Written June 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reggie
Regina, Canada936 contributions
Aug. 2020
Lovely area to walk around. Beautiful view of the ocean and the mountains. Best on a sunny day, but also lovely to get out and walk on a cloudy, cool day.
Written August 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
S F
Vancouver, Canada727 contributions
Aug. 2019 • Family
It is difficult to decide what rating to give the Spanish Banks West Concession Stand.
Tough to beat the view one gets seated at the outdoor tables, provided close to the order counter - a view spectacular, even as compared to the many great views along this beach strip, which extends from the first beach one reaches after driving down from U.B.C. campus to the last beach after Kits Beach, just ahead of Burrard Bridge.
But food is limited, at later times being just package goods like crisps, cookies & some drinks, which was what we had as we arrived close to closing time.
Hot foods such as burgers & hotdogs are available but we were told emphatically that was not an option. It was not that late - early part of a misty late summer evening.
One knows one does not argue with, indeed beseech or beg ,when staff are packing up ahead of the shutters not down yet but coming down shortly.
Same with Canada Post outlets.
One gets a snake of the head in either case.
Service was not great - if one wants friendly outside service with staff willing to go the extra mile to make customers happy go to Japadog.
We settled for packaged goods they just passed to us. But the view & location were perfect - a five-star rating.
We - my wonderful son, his two terrific children &me had just come from an exhilarating time at U.B.C.’s new swimming facility, followed by an exploration of the campus, very changed from the one we knew as students in the 1990s,- my son then doing an undergraduate premed B.Sc. & me an interdisciplinary .PhD , followed by teaching as an adjunct professor into the early 2000s.
As I said to my son as we looked almost in disbelief at all the new development; if dropped from a helicopter blind folded at Oxford, or Cambridge or Harvard, I could tell which campus I was on when the blindfold came off &I knew them not as a full-time student, as I was at U,B. C, but as places visited with friends at them or, in the case of Oxford & Cambridge, when I stayed in residences white presenting papers at conferences.
U,B,C was so drastically changed that I was unsure I would recognize it once the blindfold was removed.
Neither of us are anti-development but surprised at just how many chains etc, were located on campus.
My son has to try hard to point out buildings he had had classes in to his children as he told them of the great times he had had as a student, & I, too, recognized little from what I knew from walks then across campus. Don’t even think of blindfolds on Spanish Banks!
Posted by S Fuller
Tough to beat the view one gets seated at the outdoor tables, provided close to the order counter - a view spectacular, even as compared to the many great views along this beach strip, which extends from the first beach one reaches after driving down from U.B.C. campus to the last beach after Kits Beach, just ahead of Burrard Bridge.
But food is limited, at later times being just package goods like crisps, cookies & some drinks, which was what we had as we arrived close to closing time.
Hot foods such as burgers & hotdogs are available but we were told emphatically that was not an option. It was not that late - early part of a misty late summer evening.
One knows one does not argue with, indeed beseech or beg ,when staff are packing up ahead of the shutters not down yet but coming down shortly.
Same with Canada Post outlets.
One gets a snake of the head in either case.
Service was not great - if one wants friendly outside service with staff willing to go the extra mile to make customers happy go to Japadog.
We settled for packaged goods they just passed to us. But the view & location were perfect - a five-star rating.
We - my wonderful son, his two terrific children &me had just come from an exhilarating time at U.B.C.’s new swimming facility, followed by an exploration of the campus, very changed from the one we knew as students in the 1990s,- my son then doing an undergraduate premed B.Sc. & me an interdisciplinary .PhD , followed by teaching as an adjunct professor into the early 2000s.
As I said to my son as we looked almost in disbelief at all the new development; if dropped from a helicopter blind folded at Oxford, or Cambridge or Harvard, I could tell which campus I was on when the blindfold came off &I knew them not as a full-time student, as I was at U,B. C, but as places visited with friends at them or, in the case of Oxford & Cambridge, when I stayed in residences white presenting papers at conferences.
U,B,C was so drastically changed that I was unsure I would recognize it once the blindfold was removed.
Neither of us are anti-development but surprised at just how many chains etc, were located on campus.
My son has to try hard to point out buildings he had had classes in to his children as he told them of the great times he had had as a student, & I, too, recognized little from what I knew from walks then across campus. Don’t even think of blindfolds on Spanish Banks!
Posted by S Fuller
Written April 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SMH-BC-CDA
British Columbia, Canada5 contributions
Sep. 2019
Sit on/beside a log and read a book, have a picnic. Dinner/evening will provide an amazing view of the sunset. Bike to this spot on the nearby path, wade in the water to cool off. Enjoy the view of the north shore and downtown.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Claim your listingSPANISH BANKS - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Spanish Banks
- We recommend booking Spanish Banks tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 2 Spanish Banks tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near Spanish Banks:
- (2.53 km) Gage Suites at UBC
- (6.77 km) Loden Hotel
- (6.40 km) Level Vancouver Yaletown - Richards
- (6.75 km) Wedgewood Hotel & Spa
- (2.50 km) West Coast Suites at UBC
- Restaurants near Spanish Banks:
- (0.30 km) Spanish Banks East concession
- (5.00 km) AnnaLena
- (4.92 km) Rain Or Shine
- (1.02 km) The Galley Patio & Grill
- (1.51 km) Burgoo