Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours offers immersive guided experiences that bring the city’s hidden past to life. Blending live storytelling, theatre, and history, these tours explore Gastown, downtown Vancouver, the West End, and Stanley Park. Perfect for both visitors and locals, each tour reveals the city’s secrets through engaging narratives and fascinating historical details.

Visit the forbiddenvancouver.ca website for tickets and full details about the company’s tours.

A Theatrical Way to Discover Vancouver’s Past

Led by professional guides and local actors, Forbidden Vancouver’s walking tours take you down cobblestone streets, hidden alleyways, and through iconic neighbourhoods. Some tours feature guides in full period costume, transforming the experience into a captivating mix of live theatre and historical exploration.

Group sizes are kept small to ensure a personal, interactive experience, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions and enjoy in-depth storytelling.

To book your tour, visit the Forbidden Vancouver website.

Walking Tour Options

Forbidden Vancouver offers several unique tours, each focusing on a different slice of the city’s history. Below are descriptions of the various experiences.

Lost Souls of Gastown

The most famous tour in the lineup, this theatrical experience follows a costumed actor through the dark alleys and historic streets of Gastown. Told through the perspective of a fictional character from the 1800s, the tour covers true stories of the Great Fire, deadly epidemics, and notorious murders, all set against authentic locations and vintage photographs.

To learn more about this tour, see our article about the Lost Souls of Gastown.

Sinners & Sweets Tour

A lighter but still intriguing option, this tour blends tales of scandal, social intrigue, and architectural beauty with stops for sweet treats. Guests visit landmarks such as the Vancouver Art Gallery, Marine Building, and Hotel Vancouver while uncovering stories of corruption, glamour, and high-society drama.

To learn more about this tour, click Sinners & Sweets Tour.

Forbidden Vancouver Tour

Focused on the city’s gritty past, this walk explores Gastown and Victory Square, diving into Vancouver’s history of prohibition, opium dens, speakeasies, crime, and vice.

Dark Secrets of Stanley Park

A daytime adventure through one of the world’s most famous urban parks. Guests discover hidden cemeteries, the story of Deadman’s Island, and darker chapters of local history, all while enjoying the park’s scenic seawall and trails.

Really Gay History Tour

An educational and inspiring journey through the West End and Davie Street Village. This tour shares the struggles, resilience, and victories of Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community, highlighting key events, protests, and cultural landmarks.

Holiday History & Hot Chocolate Tour

A seasonal tour featuring festive hotel displays, intriguing stories about heritage buildings, and a private viewing of the iconic Marine Building. Perfect for enjoying Vancouver’s holiday spirit indoors.

Special Event – Secrets of the Penthouse Tour

Held at the legendary Penthouse Nightclub, this event combines dinner, live jazz, and behind-the-scenes stories of mobsters, bootlegging, and Vancouver’s nightlife history. Guests hear firsthand accounts from the club’s owner, a historian, and a retired police officer while enjoying an Italian buffet.

To book your tour, visit the Forbidden Vancouver website.

Tips for Enjoying Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours

#TIP 1: Most tours are designed for adults and teens, although some allow younger participants with parental discretion.
#TIP 2: Tipping is appreciated but optional. Leaving a positive online review is also a great way to show support.
#TIP 3: Don’t hesitate to ask guides to speak up if needed. City streets can be noisy.
#TIP 4: City-based tours are wheelchair accessible, but the Stanley Park route involves forest trails and is not.
#TIP 5: Each tour is both entertaining and educational, mixing theatrical flair with real historical research.

Other information

With award-winning storytelling, knowledgeable guides, and a reputation for excellence, Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours is one of the city’s most unforgettable cultural experiences. Whether you’re interested in dark history, LGBTQ+ heritage, architectural beauty, or theatrical mystery, there’s a tour to match your curiosity.

For full tour descriptions and booking details, visit the official Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours website.

Articles about tours with other companies you might also like include the following:

Another website with additional information about sightseeing tours in Metro Vancouver, but also comprehensive information about events and attractions in the region, is Vancouver’s Best Places. Articles on that website you might also find of interest include the following: