Vancouver neighborhoods are amazing and unique. In this beautiful city there are 23 neighborhoods that have very distinct personalities. Below is my quick – and honest – guide to Vancouver neighborhoods where I briefly summarize their stereotypes with some inside scoop (aka my opinions after living there 3 years).

Yaletown

Ah, a yuppie’s wonderland. Yaletown is the #1 Vancouver neighborhood to see and be seen. Surprisingly, this used to be a warehouse district, but since then had a complete revamping. It’s too expensive for the much younger crowd to go to, so there usually isn’t too much riff-raff. All of the popular chain retailers and restaurants sit along the two main streets (Mainland and Hamilton).

Yaletown is also Vancouver’s “patio district” due to all of the outdoor seating on these main streets. It’s not uncommon for a Lamborghini to park in front of you as you eat your $18 avocado toast. Prepare yourself to see lot of botox, filler, acrylic nails, and purse dogs. In my opinion, you can’t beat the location and this is where my first apartment in the city was.

Check out: Best Restaurants in Yaletown

Gastown

Gastown is either charming or grungy depending on which street you find yourself walking down. For instance, walking down the cobblestone of Water St. at night with the gas lamps dimly lighting your path and fairy lights twinkling from the trees above, you may think you flashed back in time to a romance novel.

But, fair warning, don’t get too caught up in this enchanted. Minutes later you may turn a corner only to find a homeless man shooting up in front of a 5-Star restaurant. In fact, there are a lot of homeless nearby in certain streets/areas who tend to hangout along certain blocks.

Please don’t get scared off though! This Vancouver neighborhood has a lot to offer and is a blast to get dinner and drinks on a weekend. There are also a lot of great boutiques so the shopping gets a high score too.

Check out: The Best Bars in Gastown

Crosstown

Many people don’t know “Crosstown,” but it’s virtually between Yaletown and Gastown. This is often a forgotten neighborhood of Vancouver. I know what you’re thinking…boring, next! I actually lived in this neighborhood in my second apartment. It’s a bit quieter in my opinion, but walkable to all of the action. It’s also close to the stadiums (Rogers Arena, Rogers Stadium) and some of Vancouver’s theaters (Queen Elizabeth).

This is the perfect neighborhood to live if you want to be walking distance from all the action but not suffer from the noise all night. Bonus? If you’re close enough you’ll typically be able to hear the concerts playing at Rogers Stadium from your balcony.

Granville Island

This is my personal favorite neighborhood to visit for the day. I recommend taking the Aquabus (Vancouver’s water taxi/ferry system) to get here. The island is very artsy with theaters, art galleries, etc. You also need to stop in the Granville Public Market.

Whether you’re looking for fresh produce, seafood, cheeses, dessert – this place has it all. Even if you’re not buying anything it’s fun to walk around and look at all of the offerings. One of the hidden gems on the island is Artison Sake – get a flight of sake before taking off.

Granville Street

Granville Street is the nightclub district of the city. A lot of the late-night 2-3AM clubs and bars are on this street and it typically is where all of the 19-year-olds hang out (drinking age is 19 here!). It has some decent shopping; for instance, the Nordstrom is off of Granville Street. However, in typical Vancouver fashion, there are also a lot of homeless people lining the street.

Personally, I’m not a fan. I’ll explain. One of my friends may or may not have seen a homeless man poop on the corner of this street. I may or may not have been publicly berated for wearing my Canada Goose jacket on this street. I’ve said my piece.

Robson Street

Meanwhile, the better street for shopping is Robson Street. Think: Aritizia, J. Crew, Khiel’s, Zara, Sephora….get it? It’s Vancouver’s Magnificent Mile for you Chicago folks. Robson Street runs from the Central Business and into the West End (heading east to west). In fact, the further west you go, the better international cuisine options pop up.

Do yourself a favor and order soup dumplings at Dinesty Dumpling House. Off of Robson, one can find the Vancouver Art Gallery and in the winter Robson Square (next door to the art gallery) becomes an ice skating rink.

Coal Harbour

Coal Harbour is one of the higher-end Vancouver neighborhoods in downtown. The convention centers and cruise ship port are located over here so the area is always bustling. To no surprise, the seawall here also offers incredible views (is there such thing as a “bad” seawall view?).

The restaurants here are trendy and/or expensive catering to the businessmen and women coming here after working late. On the other hand, be aware of sugar babies/daddies and married men suspiciously without their wedding rings hanging out in the Pac Rim’s hotel bar.

West End

The West End actually takes up a huge portion of the downtown Vancouver space. It is largely residential (isn’t all of Vancouver?) but has more of a friendly neighborhood vibe than some of the other Vancouver neighborhoods. Furthermore, if you want to hangout by a beach, check out Sunset Beach or English Bay. Don’t miss out on watching the sunset at either.

Davie Street, Vancouver’s gay district, is also located in the West End. You’ll find great shops, restaurants, bars and drag shows off Davie.

Stanley Park

This is a Vancouver neighborhood you won’t live in, but you will definitely be spending time at. The seawall loops around alllll of Stanley Park so it’s a great spot for running, biking or rollerblading. There are several beaches here as well.

“Inside” Stanley Park there is an aquarium, a theater, a few restaurants, lagoons, and lots of nature! Want a helpful heads-up? The bike path is one-way around most of Stanley Park. Be sure to read all signs or you will cause a collision or cause a hard-corse cyclist to scream at you.

Kitsilano

This Vancouver neighborhood is beach living at its finest. Referred to as “Kits” by the locals, prepare to be surrounded by young, beautiful people who may or may not only wear Lululemon and be on their way to a yoga class while on a juice cleanse. 4th Avenue is the main shopping street; it houses both trendy brands and various ski/snowboard shops.

Don’t forget to hit up Kits Beach. If you’re 35 and under this is the happening spot in town on a nice weekend or evening. If you’re not a beach person, Kits pool is a 450 foot (yes you read that right) outdoor, saltwater pool overlooking the bay. Everyone here is quintessential West Coast with chill vibes. Ready to move here?! There’s just one problem….this is a highly sought neighborhood; most of Vancouver wants to live here.

Mount Pleasant

A lot of fun, young people in their 20s and 30s live in Mount Pleasant. Although it feels a bit removed from the city center, but is only a 15-minute or so car ride. There is no lack of social life here. Main Street is home to a plethora of boutiques and some of the best restaurants and bars in Vancouver. This is where you start to find some character with unique bars/restaurants and not the chains that Vancouver seems to love.

Eastside

This is the hipster Vancouver neighborhood. Here you’re most likely to find people out and about at a mural festival or beer crawls. There are tons of local craft breweries scattered throughout this neighborhood. This is really the only insight I can give as I only ventured over here a few times for brewery crawls. The main issue I have with this neighborhood is it is too close to East Hastings for my comfort (Google if you don’t understand).

And hey! Are you looking to rent in Vancouver? This guide may also be very helpful if you want to rent a Vancouver apartment and are debating which neighborhood to choose. Find out How to Rent an Apartment in Vancouver.

In conclusion to this post, these are obviously not all of the Vancouver neighborhoods. However, they are some of the most popular and well-known. As always, these blurbs are all my personal thoughts, so I’d be curious to hear any thoughts after a visit. Do you agree with my Vancouver Neighborhoods post?