Seeing Vancouver on a sightseeing tour is a great way to explore the city, and there are exceptional boat, walking and bus tours to choose from.
There are also ferry boat travel opportunities and whale watching tours.
Vancouver Tours and Tour Companies
Below is a list of some of Vancouver’s best boat, walking, bus and whale watching tours.
This article includes information about the following topics:
Vancouver Walking Tours | Whale Watching Excursions | Sightseeing Bus Tours | Other Information
Click on any of the above links to jump to specific information, or continue reading to learn all about Vancouver’s various sightseeing opportunities.
Vancouver Walking Tours
A number of companies offer walking tours around Vancouver. Our favourite company with a selection of routes in different parts of the city is Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours.
Forbidden Vancouver offers the Forbidden Tour, Lost Souls of Gastown, Monumental Scandals Tour, and Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour. The first three happen in downtown Vancouver. The last one takes place in Stanley Park. The same company also offers a Really Gay History Tour in the city’s West End.
Click Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours for more information.

Another good guided walking tour company is Historical Chinatown Tours. Its tours are hosted by Chinese-Canadian expert Judy Lam Maxwell. Her tours take place in Chinatown and they often involve food. Similar to the tours offered by Forbidden Vancouver, these tours get rave reviews and are highly recommended.
The tours by the above two companies have different price points and explore different neighbourhoods. Forbidden Vancouver has set times and routes. The tours with Judy cost more and can be customized to meet the preferences of her guests.
Whale Watching Tours
A number of companies offer whale watching excursions out to Howe Sound, the Strait of Georgia and other destinations. Click Vancouver Whale Watching Tours for more information.
One of our favourite whale watching tour companies is Prince of Whales. They have a great reputation and get exceptional reviews.
In addition to offering whale watching trips, Prince of Whales also has sightseeing tours where you can see the city from the water. One of the tours also goes up Indian Arm which is home to waterfalls and some of the Lower Mainland’s most spectacular scenery.
To learn more about tours with Prince of Whales visit their website at princeofwhales.com.

Sightseeing Bus Tours
Vancouver has a couple of sightseeing bus companies including Westcoast Sightseeing and the Vancouver Trolley Company (both of which are part of the same organization).
Bus and trolley tours include hop-on, hop-off tours of the city and Stanley Park, as well as day trips to Grouse Mountain, the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Whistler.
Click Westcoast Sightseeing for details.

Other Information
For a list of some of Vancouver’s best things to do and places to visit, check out the following:
- Vancouver’s Top Attractions
- Metro Vancouver 100 Best Places
- Vancouver’s Calendar of Events
- Festivals & Events Calendar
- Vancouver on a Budget
- Best Places for Children
- Vancouver on a Rainy Day
- Rocky Mountaineer Train