Homes for Sale in West Vancouver, BC
Canada's wealthiest municipality — Howe Sound estates, Lighthouse Park old-growth, the British Properties climbing the hillside above Marine Drive, Cypress Mountain above that. The Lions Gate to downtown. Horseshoe Bay to everywhere else. West Vancouver is where the North Shore meets its own reflection in the water.
Talk to a Local ExpertLiving in West Vancouver
West Vancouver occupies the North Shore from the Lions Gate Bridge west to Horseshoe Bay — a 13-kilometre stretch of Marine Drive that runs along Howe Sound's eastern shore between the waterfront properties below and the hillside estates above, climbing through Dundarave, Ambleside, Caulfeild, Cypress Park, Horseshoe Bay, and the British Properties into terrain that the Squamish Nation and, subsequently, the Guinness family shaped before the municipality was incorporated in 1912. The Guinness family connection is not incidental: the same family that built the London Brewery built the Lions Gate Bridge in 1938 to make their British Properties development accessible from Vancouver, and the bridge's existence — privately built, later purchased by BC — created the transportation connection that makes West Vancouver's distance from downtown a 20-minute commute rather than an inconvenient remoteness. The District has remained independent through repeated proposals for amalgamation with North Vancouver, a separateness that its residents have defended consistently and that its property values have rewarded consistently.
Lighthouse Park at the district's western edge is the natural feature that most completely expresses what West Vancouver's geography offers — a 75-hectare old-growth headland where Douglas-fir trees reaching 500 years in age grow from granite outcrops above the Strait of Georgia, where the Pacific mist softens the canopy and the Point Atkinson Lighthouse (1912, National Historic Site) marks the turn into Burrard Inlet that every ship approaching Vancouver must navigate. The park's trails are heavily used by the residents who live within walking distance and by visitors who arrive by transit or car to access what urban Metro Vancouver cannot otherwise provide: old-growth forest at the edge of the sea, within 30 minutes of Robson Street. Above the park, Cypress Mountain — Olympic venue for the 2010 Games' freestyle skiing and snowboard halfpipe events — provides ski terrain that West Vancouver's hillside residents access by driving up from their driveways to the ski lodge in a commute that exists nowhere else in Canada.
The real estate market in West Vancouver operates by the arithmetic of scarcity in a setting that cannot be replicated. The hillside is finite, the waterfront is finite, the old-growth is protected, and the Lions Gate Bridge remains a controlled bottleneck that limits infill pressure from below. Horseshoe Bay village at the western end of Marine Drive provides the BC Ferries terminal for the Sunshine Coast, Bowen Island, and Vancouver Island's Nanaimo connection — a transportation hub that gives West Vancouver both a vacation destination gateway function and a commercial centre that has managed to maintain village character through the same decades that have transformed much of Metro Vancouver's commercial corridors. The school district — consistently among BC's highest performers — has been a factor in the residential demand from families who locate themselves by school catchment in a way that West Vancouver's established reputation sustains and reinforces.
Howe Sound Waterfront Estates
Waterfront estates on Howe Sound and the Strait of Georgia — Marine Drive waterfront, Caulfeild Cove, and the low-bank oceanfront properties that define West Vancouver's most prestigious addresses. Private dock access, unobstructed sound and mountain views, and the fjord scenery that has defined this corner of Canada's most expensive residential market.
British Properties & Hillside Estates
Estate homes in the British Properties and upper West Vancouver hillside — the Guinness-developed neighbourhood climbing from Marine Drive into the forested slopes below Cypress Mountain, with downtown Vancouver views, forest settings, and the established prestige of Canada's most consistently high-value residential neighbourhood.
Dundarave, Ambleside & Village Properties
Village-scale homes and properties in West Vancouver's lower Marine Drive communities — Dundarave and Ambleside's established residential neighbourhoods with beach access, seawall walking, transit connections, and the village commercial character that West Vancouver has maintained as the North Shore's most coherent pedestrian-scale waterfront community.
West Vancouver — Common Questions
Why buy property in West Vancouver, BC?
West Vancouver is Canada's wealthiest municipality by per-capita income — Howe Sound estate waterfront, British Properties hillside, Lighthouse Park old-growth, Cypress Mountain ski area, Horseshoe Bay BC Ferries terminal, and Lions Gate Bridge access to downtown Vancouver. Finite hillside and waterfront supply, exceptional school district, and physical separation from urban density sustain a market consistently among Canada's most expensive.
What is West Vancouver known for?
West Vancouver is known for Lighthouse Park (75 ha old-growth Douglas-fir headland, Point Atkinson Lighthouse National Historic Site), the British Properties (Guinness-developed hillside estate neighbourhood since 1931), Cypress Mountain (2010 Olympic venue), Horseshoe Bay BC Ferries terminal, and Marine Drive — the 13 km coastal road from Lions Gate to Horseshoe Bay.
What is Lighthouse Park?
Lighthouse Park is a 75-hectare old-growth forest park at West Vancouver's western tip — Douglas-fir and western red cedar up to 500 years old on a granite Strait of Georgia headland, with Point Atkinson Lighthouse (1912 National Historic Site) at the tip marking Burrard Inlet's entrance. Old-growth forest within 30 minutes of downtown Vancouver, accessible by transit.
What is the average property price in West Vancouver?
West Vancouver averages approximately $3.2 million — consistently among Canada's highest residential averages, driven by Howe Sound and Strait of Georgia waterfront, British Properties estates, Lighthouse Park setting, Cypress Mountain access, and Lions Gate proximity to Vancouver's financial core. Waterfront and hillside estate properties command significant premiums above the average.
How far is West Vancouver from downtown Vancouver?
West Vancouver is approximately 12 km from downtown Vancouver via the Lions Gate Bridge — about 20 minutes in ordinary traffic. Blue Bus transit connects West Vancouver to downtown Vancouver via the Lions Gate. Marine Drive runs the district's full waterfront length from Lions Gate to Horseshoe Bay.
What is the BC Property Transfer Tax?
The BC Property Transfer Tax applies at 1% on the first $200,000, 2% on the portion from $200,001 to $2,000,000, and 3% on any amount over $2,000,000. First-time buyers may qualify for a full exemption on homes priced under $500,000.