Located on the edge of downtown Vancouver, Gastown is Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood. Cobblestone streets, Victorian-era architecture, and a waterfront view set alongside an independent coffee scene, wine and cocktail bars, and a boutique retail strip that is loved as much by locals as it is by tourists. If you’re still deciding where to stay in Vancouver, here are a few things we love about Gastown.
A walkable neighbourhood close to public transportation.
While Gastown’s historic architecture and heritage design mean no walk through the neighbourhood is ever boring, Gastown’s close proximity to the city centre also makes it an ideal area to set up your home base. The downtown core on one side, historic Chinatown on the other, plus Waterfront Station and Canada Place is just minutes away to take you anywhere you need to go on the Skytrain, Canada Line, Seabus or West Coast Express.
Coffeeshops that rival anywhere else in the city.
If a good cup of coffee is part of your morning routine, there’s no better place to stay than Gastown. There are so many coffeeshops within a 10-minute walk that you could wake up and check out a new cafe every day. Timbertrain’s slow-bar pourovers are well worth the wait; Revolver tops every coffee list in the city with its sophisticated setup; while newer names like Saunter and Estratto are just a short walk from your front steps.
Read our Gastown coffee guide for the complete list.
Close to the city’s top live venues.
If you’re in town to see your favourite team or artist, Gastown is only a short walk away from the city’s top event venues. Rogers Arena and BC Place are just a 15-minute walk away, while intimate shows at The Rickshaw or Fortune Sound Club are even closer. While the rest of the crowd is vying for an Uber, you’re just a short walk home.
A cocktail and bar scene with real history behind it.
Once home to Prohibition-era bars and underground speakeasies, a Gastown address comes with a good time. Cocktails and live jazz at Guilt & Co, natural wine at Bar Tartare, or step out to Chinatown and hop between bars that have landed on world’s best lists. The neighbourhood is full of both long-time favourites and new joints popping up every season.
Check out our Gastown bars guide for the complete list.
The architecture is unlike anywhere else in the city.
Rebuilt in brick and stone after the Great Fire of 1886, Gastown’s streetscape is one of the best-preserved in the city, and one of the reasons it’s a National Historic Site. A walk down Water Street never gets old.
Where to stay in Gastown
The only hotel in Gastown is Block House, a boutique aparthotel set in a restored 1893 heritage building. Located in front of the iconic Gastown sign and across the street from local favourite Birds & the Beets and the newly opened Amber Listening Lounge. With only 19 units, the rooms range from traditional hotel rooms to spacious loft-style apartments designed for both overnight or extended stays.
Looking for more things to do? Check out our Gastown neighbourhood guide.
