Gastown at Night in Winter

Gastown is where you’ll find the old town of Vancouver with its heritage brick buildings, historic character, tourist shops and fine restaurants.

It’s an attractive area of historical significance, which explains why it has been officially designated a national historic site.

Note: In July and August of 2024, Maple Tree Square and parts of Water Street are pedestrian-only areas. Expect to see more seating areas as well as art installations and special events. For full details, see the City of Vancouver‘s website.

This article contains the following information about Gastown:

The Old District of Gastown

Gastown is named after a steamboat captain and seaman from Yorkshire, “Gassy” Jack Deighton who landed in Vancouver in 1867 to set up the first saloon in the area. He got his nickname because of his love for talking a lot (i.e. “gassing”).

Gastown is a place to visit if you’re in the area and want a quick stroll, are looking for a great restaurant or want to find a good gift shop for souvenirs. Along Water Street, the district’s main thoroughfare, are quaint shops including great places to shop and excellent places to eat.

Near the entrance to Gastown is Waterfront Station. The station is Vancouver’s main transportation terminus from where you can catch the SkyTrain to almost anywhere, or take the 15-minute SeaBus trip across Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver.

One of the main attractions in Gastown, apart from the cute shops, restaurants and coffee shops, is the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre. It’s between Waterfront Station and Gastown. From the top you can see Vancouver for miles on a clear day, 360 degrees around.

Also in Gastown is Vancouver’s famous steam clock. Tourists love this attraction and crowd around it for photo ops. Built in 1977, the clock is one of only a few steam clocks in the world. It’s kind of cool, especially when it whistles and blows out steam.

As well, Gastown has a number of quality art galleries. This includes the Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery which is less than a block away from the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver. Representing BC’s local Indigenous cultures, they both are well worth a visit.

East Van View from Vancouver Lookout — View of Gastown from the Vancouver Lookout

Where to Eat and Drink in Gastown

There are many great places to eat in and around Gastown. In fact, Gastown has one of the highest concentrations of top restaurants in Vancouver. Some good ones to check out are listed below.

Gastown Restaurants

L’Abattoir – one of the best restaurants in Gastown, located at 217 Carrall Street in a 19th century brick building that once housed Vancouver’s first jail.
Pidgin – a popular, trendy and casual restaurant offering Pan Asian cuisine at 350 Carrall Street.
The Old Spaghetti Factory – it isn’t a fancy restaurant by any means, but the place has good and quite reasonably-priced pasta. Meals also come with free bread. It’s also a good place if taking the kids.
Top of Vancouver – located just one floor away from the Vancouver Lookout observation deck, it has the best 360-degree views of the city from its revolving restaurant.
Wildebeest – at 120 West Hastings Street, Wildebeest is a casual restaurant offering a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary “whole-animal cookery” style of menu.

Gastown Pubs and Bars

The Blarney Stone – a fairly good pub with a great layout at 216 Carrall Street that becomes party central at St. Patrick’s time.
Guilt & Co. – one of our favourite bars that features live music every day downstairs at 1 Alexander Street.
Steamworks – a popular pub at the edge of Gastown just a one-minute walk from Waterfront Station.

Gastown Walking Tours

A great way to explore Vancouver is on a guided tour. And one of the best ways to learn about Gastown, the surrounding area and the city’s history is on a walking tour. Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours is a family-owned business that offers exceptional guided tours in the downtown core of the city, in Vancouver’s West End and in Stanley Park. There are also a couple of tours that go through Gastown.

Both of Forbidden Vancouver’s Gastown-related tours take place in the evening on various days of the week. The tours are also very informative, reasonably-priced and highly recommended. The Lost Souls of Gastown Tour lasts for about 90 minutes and is led by an actor in period costume. The Forbidden Vancouver Tour, meanwhile, lasts for about two hours. It includes parts of Gastown, but also other areas in downtown Vancouver.

To learn more about the tours, see our article about Forbidden Vancouver.

Pat Chessell in Gastown — Pat Chessell in Maple Tree Square

Live Music in Gastown

There are a number of live music venues in Gastown including Guilt & Co. at #1 Alexander Street (across from Maple Tree Square and the Gassy Jack statue). In the summer, live music also takes place on the streets.

Live Music by Gastown's Water Street Cafe — Gastown at Water and Cambie

Gastown Grand Prix

Vancouver Mysteries is an outdoor adventure game company where participants play themed scavenger hunt-like games. The games are sort of like escape rooms, but done outside in the streets of downtown Vancouver. Vancouver Mysteries has superhero, secret agent, and ghost-hunting games played in various neighbourhoods. They also have a detective-themed game where you have to solve a cold-case murder in Gastown! The games are lots of fun, challenging, and great ways to explore the city.

TIP: With Vancouver Mysteries, if you use the promo code BESTPLACES you and your friends can save 10% on the games.

Gastown Grand Prix

For one day in July the streets of Gastown turn into a giant bike race course that’s free for spectators.

The Gastown Grand Prix is an exciting time to visit this historic district in Vancouver, so long as you don’t mind the crowds.

Near the corner of Water Street and Richards is a parkade. You probably aren’t supposed to do this if you aren’t parking there, but if you go up two or three floors you can get an excellent view of the race below, and get above and away from the crowds.

Poverty and Gastown Advice

Gastown is a nice neighbourhood that’s next to one of the city’s poorer neighbourhoods – the Downtown East Side. Below is some advice in case you’re asked for money by a panhandler.

TIP: Because it is close to Vancouver’s Eastside and a touristy area, don’t be surprised to find more panhandlers (i.e. beggars) in the area than other parts of Vancouver. They might come up to you and ask for money, but they are harmless.

It is recommended that you don’t give money directly to a panhandler, though. Instead, to help, donate something later to a worthwhile charitable cause (either in Vancouver or your own community). The Salvation Army and United Way, for example, are great organizations that address poverty and social issues.