Vancouver City Sightseeing Adventure: a murder mystery in Gastown

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Vancouver, Canada

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Channel your inner detective to solve this murder mystery. You will scour the streets of Gastown, visiting some popular landmarks, like the Gastown steam clock, the statue of Gassy Jack, and Gaoler’s Mews to find the clues you need. Find the clues, solve the puzzle, and help bring the killer to justice.

Rendezvous with your contact to get the details of your case
Work with a partner or small group (up to 5) to solve the crime
Solving this mystery usually takes 90 minutes to two hours
Bring an umbrella. The area you cover is mostly outside

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges
Use of one detctive kit per team during the game.
1 Team Certificate per Team
1 Souvenir Sticker per Guest

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

550 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6, Canada
The meeting points shown on the map in Viator is a general location. We will send you a message with further instructions. Watch for a link to our digital waivers and the specific start location (we'll meet you there).

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Waterfront Station (Pass By)

Angel of Victory (Pass By)

Gastown (Pass By)

Cambie Bar & Grill (Pass By)

Steam Clock (Pass By)

Victory Square (Pass By)

Vancouver (Pass By)

Vancouver Lookout (Pass By)

Hotel Europe (Pass By)

Gastown (Pass By)

Maple Tree Square (Pass By)

Gaoler's Mews (Pass By)

Academie Duello - Centre for Swordplay (Pass By)

Dressew Fabrics (Pass By)

Vancouver Lookout (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Do NOT go to any location without receiving a message from us. We will send you your starting location leading up to your game day. If you do not receive anything 24 hours before your game, contact us. Our phone and email is listed online.

Children must be accompanied by an adult
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
A maximum of 6 people per booking, 8 bookings per time slot.
Wear comfortable walking shoes for a 2 - 2.5 km walk
Bring reading glasses if you require them
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Parents bringing their kids should be made aware these games are recommended for ages 12+
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 48 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Ilana_O

Great way to learn a bit about Gastown and explore a fun area. We got a nearly perfect score and finished with about 10 minutes left because we forgot to turn the page at one of the clues. Whoopsie. Detective Bennett was great.

Reviews

4.8

based on 38 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Game Requires refinment

Todd_T, Aug 2025

We believe this mystery murder game has the potential to be an excellent activity to acquaint players with the interesting history and sights of the city of Vancouver; however, we found the game clues to be confusing and quite time consuming. We believe the game requires much more than 2 hours to complete for participants to realize the benefit the game seeks to provide for city visitors. It is obvious a lot of time and creative thought were put into developing this game concept; we would encourage the game developers to simplify and refine the game and continue to make it available as a fun, exciting way to explore the city of Vancouver. We will play this game again, if our future journeys bring us back to Vancouver.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Hi Todd, I am the owner of Vancouver Mysteries and I will have to respectfully disagree with your feedback about our game. We have been running it for over a decade and I have the data from tens of thousands of people who have played it by now. In fact, most teams can complete this game in under 2 hours with a high score. It would be impossible to design a game like this that every single team can complete with the same results due to different skill levels, mobility, English language proficiency, etc. For example, some teams complete our games in less than 90 minutes and say its too easy while there are some teams who can not complete it in time but still have fun anyways. And every year we get a few teams who can not complete it at all and then say it is confusing, impossible, or even broken. But MOST teams do complete the game in under 2 hours with a pretty high score (70 or above, at least). I'd also like to add for anyone else reading this review that when Todd and his teammate were unable to complete the game and returned unhappy, our office processed a refund back to them right on the spot. Please check out our other reviews before you make up your mind about supporting our small business (if you don't enjoy escape games and puzzles please do not book this experience). Sincerely, Tanya (owner).

Unexpected fun.

Ilana_O, Jul 2025

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you for this review! You were a fantastic team of detectives but most importantly it sounds like you had fun. Thank you for supporting local businesses like ours for your activities, we really appreciate it. I was your detective and I am also the owner (I was helping out with games on the holiday). Sincerely Detective Tanya Bennett (owner, Vancouver Mysteries).

Awesome Mystery Adventure

Stephan_W, Nov 2024

This was a lot of fun. Really enjoyed the interactive way of exploring this part of Vancouver. Recommend for anyone who likes exploring and sleuthing.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thank you, detective! Congratulations, you know Gastown better than most people now - we hope to see you back as a spy on a Secret Mission. Thank you for taking the time to leave the review, as a small local business we really appreciate the support.

Marvelous & Mysterious

Kim_F, Oct 2024

Good cold start with our Detective contact, and good instructions both written and spoken ☺️ if you like escape rooms and walking tours, this is a good combination. We did it when it was a bit colder outside, so maybe bring some light gloves if your hands are sensitive to the cold. A bit more time would have been handy, if only to take more photos of the sights.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Thank you for the review, Kim! We were glad to be apart of your trip to Vancouver. Warm clothes are definitely recommended on the chillier days - but justice waits for no one - thank you for solving the case!

Lots of fun

Rhonda_Y, Aug 2024

This was a lot of fun. Definitely would not do on the first day or two of the trip, which we didn’t in order to get your bearing a little. Wonderful walking tour and escape room with a twist

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thanks for the review, Rhonda! Definitely good advice about waiting to play, it can be tiring for some. Though some visitors are eager to get their detective hats on and solve the case - much like your team. We're so glad you had fun!

Fun in Vancouver

Charlotte_O, Aug 2024

The chase for the interesting items that we needed to gather helped us learn more about Vancouver. Our group was 3 seniors lost in a new city. This is an adventure that everyone of all ages needs to take.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thanks for playing our murder mystery game and leaving a review! We're very happy to hear that you enjoyed it. We hope you enjoyed your stay in Vancouver!

Fun Murder Mystery Adventure

Kjersten_D, Jul 2024

It was a fun adventure with the right amount of challenge and walking (even with kids). My only suggestion is that maybe the time could be extended longer so that the neighborhood could be enjoyed more during the process (as we were visitors/tourists), rather than having to rush through areas to solve the case in time. Still, it was a lot of fun!

Response from Host, Jul 2024

Thanks so much for the review!

Fun way to see gastown

Jennifer_M, Apr 2024

Great way to see Gastown. Good for small groups visiting Vancouver for the first time or people wanting to get outside and play tourist in their own city

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for the wonderful review. We definitely consider ourselves an activity for locals and tourists alike - everyone can discover something new about the city we love!

Great fun

Laina_F, Aug 2023

A great couple hours spent. Good fun and something a bit different to do at a fair price. Would highly recommend. I have select family with teens but it was actually a family of 4 adults

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Laina! We're so glad you enjoyed the mystery, and are happy to be apart of your trip to Vancouver. Until our next mystery! -Mark

Great experience

Sandra_B, Jul 2023

Great family activity. Kids loved it a lot and we learned a lot about the city. It was well planned.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thanks for the review, Sandra - We're glad you got to enjoy the mystery with your family!

We decided to do this for...

Jasmin_D, May 2022

We decided to do this for my friends birthday who loves murder podcasts. We all had a blast walking around and solving the mystery.

Response from Host, May 2022

Hi Jasmin, thank you so much for the review. We're glad your group enjoyed the mystery, we were lucky to have your detective team on the case! Until our next mystery...

It was a great time, the...

Jason_S, Jan 2022

It was a great time, the mystery was not too easy or too hard or to hard. We could have used more than 2 hours to complete. The area we walked around was safe and not difficult to traverse.

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Thank you for taking the case, detectives! We appreciate your hard work, and we hope you can join us for another mystery soon! Sincerely, Mark (Head of Operations)

Mysteriously fun!

Rohan_L, Aug 2021

Really good fun. Something you should do with your partner, test your understanding. Getting to know downtown was super cool too.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thank you for the report, detective! We hope you'll come back to try our spy game next time. Thank you!

So Fun!

tammyargue, Oct 2019

I had a fabulous time with this mystery adventure! A friend and I solved the murder in about 2 hours- one tip- sit down and read through the police report, your questionnaire sheet and all the clues. It will save you time. However, you will have to walk quickly. Use all the clues.

Response from Host, Oct 2019

Hi there, Thank you for your review and I'm so glad to hear you had a blast! Great advice, too - it's good to have an idea about the challenges you'll be solving before you get to the. Excellent work, detective!! Best, Shelby S. Assistant Experience Manager