Ambleside
49°20′ N 123°09′ WNeighbourhoodWest Vancouver and Cypress
Ambleside is West Vancouver's beach neighbourhood near the north end of the Lions Gate Bridge, and it suits a slow day out from downtown Vancouver with a sandy beach at the foot of 13th Street and lunch a short walk up on Marine Drive. West Van has few hotel rooms, so most visitors ride the 250 bus over for the day and sleep in Vancouver.
Photo by Masaru Suzuki on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
Field card · Town · No. 001 · checked 16 Oct 2026
The 250 from Georgia Street stops at 17th for the museum.
Who should base here
The nearest beds are the Capilano River RV Park beside Park Royal and private rentals, and in West Van a rental listing has to show its provincial registration number. Most visitors base in downtown Vancouver and cross the Lions Gate Bridge for the day.
The name
Morris Williams named it after the town of Ambleside at the head of Lake Windermere in England's Lake District.
English
Williams was a tailor who arrived in 1912 and had lived in the Lake District before he came. BC Geographical Names adopted Ambleside for the settlement on 21 November 1961, taking the name from the steamer timetables that used it for the West Vancouver ferry landing.
SourceEat in Ambleside
Carmelo'sRestaurant
Italian at 1448 Marine Drive with pizza from a wood-fired oven, open seven nights a week and for lunch on Fridays.
Patisserie Le PontBakery
Éclairs and shortcakes at 230 15th Street, open 9 am to 6 pm Tuesday to Thursday and 9 am to 7 pm Friday to Sunday.
The Boat ShedCafe
The concession on the Ambleside Park waterfront between the playground and the washrooms, open daily.
Drink in Ambleside
Fred's AmblesideRestaurant
Hearth-fired pizza and handmade pasta at 1467 Bellevue Avenue, with an aperitivo hour from 3 to 5 pm every day. Open 11:30 am to 9 pm Sunday to Thursday and to 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Things to do in Ambleside
Ambleside ParkPark
The beach park at the foot of 13th Street, with a summer swim area, a playground, a skatepark and the Ambleside Seawalk.
A paved 1.7-kilometre shore path from the bottom of 18th Street to Dundarave Park, open to leashed dogs.
Ferry Building GalleryGallery
West Van's community gallery at 1414 Argyle Avenue, with up to eleven exhibitions a year in the historic ferry building.
West Vancouver Art MuseumMuseum
Admission by donation at 680 17th Street, open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm.
A public sauna on the Ambleside waterfront that its operator says opens in mid-December, with the ocean for a cold plunge.
Park RoyalShopping centre
The shopping centre on Squamish Nation land at Xwemélch'stn (Capilano IR 5), open from 10 am daily.
Ambleside Park opens at the foot of 13th Street, and from the sand you look across the water to Stanley Park and the downtown towers. The playground has a We-Go-Round set at ground level so a wheelchair can roll straight on, and the skatepark sits close to the beach. Lifeguards watch the marked swim area in summer, which in 2025 meant 23 June to 1 September from noon to 7 pm. Pay parking runs all year and the lots fill quickly in good weather, so take the bus if you can.
Walk west from the park and the Centennial Seawalk picks up at the bottom of 18th Street for 1.7 kilometres along the shore to Dundarave Park. Dogs can come on a leash of two metres or less, two to a person at most. Between 19th and 24th streets a fenced path lets them run off leash. The beaches stay closed to dogs all year, and in Ambleside Park so do the grass and the piers.
The washrooms beside the concession open every day of the year from 7 am to 10 pm, and the Boat Shed concession between the playground and the washrooms opens daily. Gatherwell ran a public sauna on the beach east of the change rooms from 20 December 2025, and its site says the beach sauna opens at Ambleside in mid-December, so you can plan a sweat and a cold dip in Burrard Inlet over the holidays. Bring two towels and sandals, because Gatherwell supplies neither towels nor robes.
Marine Drive is Ambleside's high street. For dinner, Carmelo's at 1448 Marine Drive bakes pizza in a wood-fired oven every night of the week. Fred's sits on Bellevue Avenue steps from the beach, and its aperitivo hour from 3 to 5 pm suits a drink after the seawalk. Éclairs are the thing to buy at Patisserie Le Pont on 15th Street, which opens Tuesday to Sunday. Indoors, the Ferry Building Gallery on Argyle Avenue hangs up to eleven shows a year in the old ferry building, or you can walk up 17th Street to the West Vancouver Art Museum at Esquimalt Avenue, open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm with admission by donation.
Park Royal stands on the land of the Squamish Nation community of Xwemélch'stn (Capilano IR 5) on Ambleside's eastern edge. The shopping centre opens at 10 am every day and closes at 6 pm on Sundays and 9 pm on Thursdays and Fridays. Its Cineplex makes it the rainy-afternoon fallback when the beach is out.
Worth knowing
- From downtown Vancouver, catch the 250 on Georgia Street and get off at Marine Drive and 17th Street for the art museum and the shops.
- Bikes, boards and rollerblades use the Spirit Trail through Ambleside Park and stay off the waterfront path.
- An e-bike share station sits in the park at the foot of 13th Street.
- Charcoal barbecues are banned in West Van parks and on its beaches all year.
Quick answers about Ambleside
Can you swim at Ambleside Beach?
Yes. Ambleside Park in West Vancouver has a sandy beach with a designated swim area, and lifeguards watch it in summer only. In 2025 they were on duty from 23 June to 1 September, noon to 7 pm, depending on the weather.
Are dogs allowed on the Ambleside seawalk?
Yes, on a leash no longer than two metres and with two dogs per person at most. The rule covers the Ambleside Seawalk inside Ambleside Park and the Centennial Seawalk from 18th Street to Dundarave Park, and the fenced path between 19th and 24th streets is off leash. Dogs are not allowed on West Vancouver's beaches.
How do you get to Ambleside from downtown Vancouver by bus?
Take the 250 from Georgia Street, which crosses the Lions Gate Bridge and reaches Park Royal in 20 minutes at weekday middays, then get off a few stops later at Marine Drive and 17th Street. The 257 express also stops in Ambleside at Marine Drive and 14th Street.
Is parking free at Ambleside Park?
No. Ambleside Park in West Vancouver has pay parking all year, with exemptions for Veteran and Memorial Cross plates and accessible parking placards. The lot by the tennis courts and Rutledge Field also has a three-hour limit.
What does the name Ambleside mean?
The name Ambleside means morris Williams named it after the town of Ambleside at the head of Lake Windermere in England's Lake District.
Is Ambleside a good place to stay?
The nearest beds are the Capilano River RV Park beside Park Royal and private rentals, and in West Van a rental listing has to show its provincial registration number. Most visitors base in downtown Vancouver and cross the Lions Gate Bridge for the day.
Within 12 km
Places to stay nearby
Within 12 km
Places to eat and drink nearby
Within 12 km
Sights nearby
In the journal and guides
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