From March until mid-April, watch for 40,000 cherry blossoms in Vancouver
Although this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival officially runs from March 30 – April 23, 2017, Vancouverites will soon be noting the first signs of Spring in the neighbourhoods. With over 40,000 cherry blossom trees in the city, it’s a spectacle that’s not to be missed.
1. Keep Your Eyes Peeled
As much as we’d love to walk through a field of 40,000 cherry blossom trees, there’s no such forest to be found in Vancouver. Vancouver’s cherry blossoms are scattered around the city – sometimes in clusters, sometimes lining full streets, and sometimes as single beauties. So, keep on reading and keep your eyes peeled! You never know when you’ll turn the corner and uncover a street like this…
2. Keep up with the blooms
From now until mid-April, cherry blossoms will be blooming in waves around Vancouver. To find what’s blooming now, you can use the following tools:
- This awesome “Blooming Now” map by Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
- Search social media using #CherryBlossoms or use location-based searching!
3. Ask a Local
Whether it’s your concierge, the barista, or your friendly Vancouver Foodie Tour guide, don’t be shy to ask a local about where they’ve spotted cherry blossoms! Here are some places we’d recommend:
- Burrard Skytrain Station (downtown)
- Waterfront Plaza by 200 Granville (downtown)
- Coal Harbour Waterfront (downtown)
- Robson Street – sidestreets West of Thurlow (downtown)
- Arbutus Ridge
- W 4th Avenue – north; sidestreets towards Cornwall Avenue
4. Travel by Transit
Vancouver’s highly accessible bus system is perfect for cherry blossom hunting! Use the “Blooming Now” cherry blossom map to pick a neighbourhood, hop on a bus, and look out the window for signs of pink. When you see a sidestreet that catches your eye, hop off and snap some photos!
Tip: Plan your trip via transit with TripPlanner
5. Take a Cherry Blossom Photowalk with our friends at Vancouver Photowalks
We had the pleasure of joining Vancouver Photowalks’ West End Cherry Blossom Walk and we could not speak more highly of the experience! It is an authentic, memorable, and rewarding way to experience Vancouver’s cherry blossoms. The savvy tour guides know the West End neighbourhood inside and out – they’ll lead you to the best blossoms on the block! Along the way, you’ll receive great tips on photography, composition, and light. You’ll also learn about Vancouver’s history, the significance of cherry blossoms, and build a collection beautiful photos to write home about!
Vancouver Photowalks will be hosting a limited number of Cherry Blossom Walks, so be sure to reserve a spot here!
Hey locals! Do you have a favourite neighbourhood for cherry blossoms? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
