Prohibition-era Gastown walking tour: Mobsters and rum runners
Vancouver's Prohibition Commissioner took bribes while enforcing the law he was paid to uphold.
A 90-minute walking tour through Vancouver's Gastown led by a professional guide, tracing Prohibition-era history through the streets and alleyways where mobsters, rum runners and corrupt officials operated. The tour covers the Cambie bar (a Gold Rush-era institution), the city's tallest 1910 building, the Woodward's building and its role over a century, and ends on the cobblestone streets of Maple Tree Square, where a near beer parlour once stood. Children from age 14 are welcome. The route is wheelchair accessible.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Prohibition-era Gastown secrets
- Visit The Cambie bar and restaurant
- Hear about 1910 tallest building
- Learn about Historic Woodward's building
- Explore Gastown's cobblestone streets
- Discover Prohibition Commissioner Walter Findlay
- See near beer parlour at Maple Tree Square
What’s included
- Professional guide leading the full 90-minute walk through Gastown's streets and alleyways.
- stories and historical context for the Cambie, the 1910 tallest building, the Woodward's building, Maple Tree Square and the Prohibition-era speakeasies.
Times
Next departure: 3 Apr 2027
10 departing soon ›Before you book
Operated by Forbidden Vancouver
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The experience
Ninety minutes winds through Gastown's most historic streets and alleyways, following the money and the crime that shaped Vancouver during Prohibition. A professional guide walks you past the Cambie, a Gold Rush-era bar and hostel that still operates today, then points out the tallest building in town when it was built in 1910. The Woodward's building comes next: a Gastown landmark whose role in the city shifted dramatically over the last hundred years, and the guide explains what changed and why.
The route ends on the cobblestone streets of Maple Tree Square in the heart of Gastown's historic centre. Here, the guide reveals the story of Walter Findlay, Vancouver's Prohibition Commissioner, and the contradiction at the heart of his job: he was hired to enforce the law while taking bribes to look the other way. You'll stand where a near beer parlour once operated, one of the hidden speakeasies that survived because someone in power was being paid to miss it. The illicit economy of Prohibition (mobsters, rum runners, corrupt politicians) becomes concrete when you're standing on the actual streets where it happened.
The tour operates in all weather, so dress for rain or cold. Arrive 10 minutes early. The route is wheelchair accessible, and strollers work for infants and small children. Service animals are welcome. Public transit stops are nearby if you need to get there or leave from a different point.
Is this one for you?Small groups work well here since the guide can move at a steady pace through Gastown's narrow historic streets and alleyways without needing to manage a large crowd or coordinate separate transportation. You walk the whole route together, starting and ending in the neighbourhood itself.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (14 to 17 years). Children under 14 can't be included in the booking.
What was the Cambie's role during the Gold Rush?
The Cambie is a Vancouver institution dating back to the Gold Rush era and still operates today as a bar, hostel and restaurant, making it one of the oldest continuously used buildings on the tour route.
Who was Walter Findlay and what did he do?
Walter Findlay was Vancouver's Prohibition Commissioner, and the tour reveals how he took bribes while enforcing the very laws he was hired to uphold: a central contradiction of the Prohibition era in the city.
Where does the tour end?
The tour wraps up on the cobblestone streets of Maple Tree Square in Gastown's historic centre, where a near beer parlour once stood and where the guide explains the hidden speakeasy economy of Prohibition.
Is this tour accessible for people using wheelchairs?
Yes, all areas and surfaces on the route are wheelchair accessible, and public transportation options are available nearby if needed before or after the tour.
Prohibition-era Gastown walking tour: Mobsters and rum runners
1h 30m · EN
from CA$ 39 per person
≈ US$ 28 in your currency
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