Strengthen Bonds & Ignite Curiosity Over Vancouver’s Hidden History
Breathe some fresh air into your team’s work routine and get them outside for a bonding adventure into Vancouver’s past. Immerse yourselves in the city’s hidden secrets with our expertly curated walking history walking tours. From hilarious anecdotes to fascinating historical insights, our walks are the ultimate way to strengthen connections, inspire creativity, and create discussion during your next corporate events. Our walking tours start and end near transit and social hubs to connect post-tour.
Discover hidden gems, explore historic neighborhoods, and connect with your team in a way that only Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours can deliver! Get started today.
Include your group size, preferred tour, date, and time. We’ll respond within one business day. And you can cancel your experience for a full refund up to 24 hours before your tour start time. No questions asked!
Include your group size, preferred tour, date, and time. We’ll respond within one business day. And you can cancel your experience for a full refund up to 24 hours before your tour start time. No questions asked!
On the Holiday History & Hot Chocolate Tour you’ll discover the sensational stories and holiday lights of our city’s most iconic places including Granville Street’s Theatre Row, Hotel Vancouver, Marine Building, and more. You’ll dig into the dirty foundations of our city’s most famous buildings – and their stories of murder, fame, jealous lovers, fortunes built and lost, corruption… and alluring glamour, with a warming cocoa from Trees in hand!
On the Forbidden Vancouver Tour you’ll explore prohibition-era Gastown, a time of bootlegging, rum-running, and speakeasies.
Stroll the city’s oldest cobblestone streets and hear the stories of legendary Vancouver mob kingpin Joe Celona, crooked prohibition commissioners, infamous riots, dry squad raids, and our city’s greatest smugglers.
On the Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour you’ll discover the park you thought you knew has a remarkable – and oftentimes shocking – history.
Travel back in time through murky real estate deals, forced evictions, smallpox cemeteries, bizarre public artwork, and true crime scenes. You’ll never see the park the same way again.
On the Really Gay History Tour you’ll walk the city’s bustling West End with storyteller and tour creator Glenn Tkach as your guide.
Hear tales of gay struggle at the United Church, the myth of Patient Zero, our city’s very first PRIDE parade, Jim Deva Plaza, Vancouver’s secret gay village, and the transgender activist who blew the whistle on the biggest crime in Vancouver history. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and walk away inspired!
WE HAD AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE AS A PRIVATE TOUR!
“The tour itself is well organized and thought-out… It was fascinating learning about Vancouver’s seedy past. Our tour guide was amazing! An excellent storyteller, passionate, and engaging. He definitely made our night!”
-libbys525, Tripadvisor
AMAZING TOUR!
“I went with staff as a team bonding activity and it touched all of our hearts. So informative and wonderful. Highly recommend this tour!”
-ChristinaCVCS24, Tripadvisor
GREAT STORYTELLING
“Rob tells the stories of old Gastown so well, it is possible he is actually a time traveller who lived through it all. The information was not dry cut dates and events, but the interwoven stories of many individuals who played various roles during the time.”
-Gwchristie306, Tripadvisor
A WONDERFUL WAY TO SPEND A DAY
“One thing that really stood out to me was his awareness and cultural humility around indigenous people, history of two spirit people, and the land thru which he guided us.”
-M J, Tripadvisor
WHAT TO EXPECT ON A FORBIDDEN VANCOUVER PRIVATE TOUR
This shared experience will ignite conversation and create stronger bonds!
This isn’t a history lesson, it’s storytelling. Expect to laugh, learn, and be entertained.
Engage your team’s empathy & teamwork with real stories of Vancouver’s past heroes and villains.
Our tours are a low-barrier activity for those who may be shy to participate, and those more engaged can ask questions.
*Tours are accessible (with the exception of the Dark Secrets of Stanley Park) and are held at your group’s pace.
For the summer months we recommend a sun-hat, sunscreen, sun-glasses, and a bottle of water. For the cooler months, we recommend a rain jacket and sturdy footwear.
And do remember you to bring your smart phones fully charged, so you can capture photos of the amazing sites you’ll see and memories of your group’s experience!
That depends on which walking tour you choose, but generally speaking between 1.5 and 2.5 hours. We can stage a custom 1 hour version of our Monumental Scandals Tour if you’re under a time crunch!
We have a very flexible cancellation policy – provided you cancel more than 24 hours before your scheduled tour time, we’ll issue you a full refund.
If you cancel with less than 24 hours notice, you aren’t eligible for a refund, but we are happy to either reschedule you to a different day or issue you a store credit for the value of your booking. The rescheduling/store credit options are subject to a $50 processing fee.
You can add guests up to the time of your tour by emailing us at [email protected]. As long as we can fit them in then it’s no problem!
If your guests numbers fall, we can offer a refund up to 24 hours before your scheduled start time. Bear in mind we need a minimum of 9 guests, or the equivalent cost, to run a private tour.
Every one of our walking tours is wheelchair accessible except for the Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour. That experience includes trails and steps, so can’t accommodate wheelchairs unfortunately.
We typically recommend one of our other walking tours for private groups. We’ve found one of the features of private tours is that since in most cases the group all know each other, you can get into some really interesting conversation with your guide about Vancouver and its history. On the Lost Souls of Gastown Tour – which is a roving one-person play with your guide in character – it’s not possible to get to know your guide in the same way.
We charge an automatic 18% gratuity on top of the cost of your walking tour. Your group doesn’t need to tip your guide on the day.
Our walking tours finish near to some of the city’s most loved entertainment districts, like Gastown, the Davie Street Village, or Granville Street. These neighbourhoods are packed with places to wine and dine after your tour. If you’re looking for recommendations, please drop us an email at [email protected].
Our Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour finishes near the Vancouver Aquarium, but your group can certainly drive, cab, or Uber from there to the West End or the Downtown Core for post-tour refreshments.
Each of our walking tours is between around 1.5 km and 2 km in length. They stay largely on flat, even ground and your guide will walk at an easy pace. However, each member of your group does need to be comfortable on their feet or wheelchair for up to around 2 hours.
Be sure to include:
Your group size
The tour you’re interested in
Your preferred date and time
The reason for your private tour
We’ll respond to your request within one business day. We look forward to hosting a private walking tour with your group!
Be sure to include:
Your group size
The tour you’re interested in
Your preferred date and time
The reason for your private tour
We’ll respond to your request within one business day. We look forward to hosting a private walking tour with your group!