We just visited Gastown in Vancouver. The downtown district is a bit scary- there are many undesireable homeless more

After reading all the reviews I wasn't planning to go to Gastown but my uncle said we had to see it. So after almost walking all of Vancouver in one day we found ourselves in Gastown...and I'm glad we went. If you walk from the where the cruise ships dock into Gastown its very nice and safe. Gastown itself is... more

After visiting the Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden, we walked through part of Gastown and stopped for a good lunch at the Water Street Cafe. We enjoyed seeing some of the interesting old architecture. It's not worth a lot of time, but if you are near the area, it is definitely worth walking through. Granted, we were here during the day,... more

After reading the tips here, I was a bit hesitant about going. We went for an 7:30 p.m. dinner at Steamworks and had a great time. We found close parking and felt very safe the entire time. The restaurant was well-priced and the food was good. (Try the stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer.) We walked around the area after dinner... more

Thanks to Gassy Jack and the cobble stone streets and shops, Gastown is a great destination when visiting Vancouver. A 2 minute walk from the Sea Bus and the waterfront skytrain station more

I found Gastown a little unsettling as well. My wife and I went in the morning, and did the usual tourist stuff. In and out of their shops, but it has the look of a rundown part of town. We are from the Los Angeles area, and drug addicts and panhandlers are not an unusual sight for us. However, in... more

Just got back from Vancouver (Im from Toronto) and I thought Gastown was great! Its cool in that its really the only old part of the city I noticed. Really nice, well preserved buildings, but at the same time there is also a modern feel to the ares. Good reastuarants (Cobre was amazing), great patios to sit on and have... more

Fortunately, I didn't read the bad reviews here before I went to visit Gastown. I enjoyed it a lot. I also noticed that like in any other big city, drugs are everywhere in Vancouver, and in every social class, so let's stop pretending. Homeless didn't bother me as much in Chinatown or Gastown as in other parts of the city,... more

We visited Gastown mid-evening. There were loads of touristy stores with all sorts of Vancouver merchandise. There were also quite a few street people as well, though most did not bother us for money. We walked from the Lookout Tower area down to Gastown, but would recommend taking a taxi from Yaletown/BC Place areas as the streets surrounding Gastown were... more