VANCOUVER DETOURS
EXPERT-LED WALKING TOURS THAT CONNECT STREET LEVEL EXPERIENCE WITH DEEPER SOCIAL, HISTORICAL AND URBAN CONTEXT
A DIFFERENT WAY TO EXPLORE VANCOUVER
Each tour is designed to help connect the dots between past and present, art and infrastructure, people and place, bringing Vancouver into focus as a whole. We do this through:
Place-based learning. Understand the city through its streets, neighbourhoods, and public spaces.
Expert-led storytelling. Tours guided by professionals with deep local knowledge and lived experience.
Hidden histories & public culture. From street art and architecture to migration, power, and urban change, discover stories often overlooked.
CHOOSE YOUR WAY INTO THE CITY
From street art and neighbourhood discovery to deeper dives into history, urban planning, and social change, each tour offers a different entry point into Vancouver. Every experience is guided by a shared perspective: thoughtful, grounded, and shaped by local knowledge.
STREET ART &
PUBLIC CULTURE
Explore murals, hidden alleys, and neighbourhood stories through the artists and communities shaping Vancouver’s cultural landscape.
Understand how Vancouver came to be — from architecture and urban planning to displacement, community organizing, and cultural memory.
CITY, HISTORY & HIDDEN SYSTEMS
100+ FIVE-STAR GOOGLE REVIEWS
I recommend these tours not only for visitors as a unique way to learn more about the rich histories of First Nations through art, stories and language revitalization, but also for anyone who has lived in Vancouver. There are so many hidden gems to be discovered through these tours.
— Fay Alikhani, Global Engagement Advisor, UBCA cross between hanging out with the smartest AND coolest person in your art class. Every season we walk through the new murals and share all the behind-the-scenes info directly from the artists, curators, and organizers. Vancouver Detours offer the ONLY tours we officially endorse to represent the Vancouver Mural Festival.
— Adrian Sinclair, Vancouver Mural Festival FounderVancouver Detours worked with me and a local landscape historian… The curated, informative and juicy storytelling came together with skillful navigation and group management that brought out the richness of Vancouver’s complex and hidden personality!
— Meg Holden, Professor, SFU Urban StudiesI first went on a tour so I could learn more about my neighbourhood. It was so engaging and richly informative that I now take my students every year! As future elementary school teachers, Vancouver Detours helps them to gain valuable knowledge about local history that is far deeper and more complex than most walking tours in the city. I can't recommend them enough.
— Harper Benjamin Keenan,
Assistant Professor,
UBC Faculty of EducationI love being a tourist in my own backyard, exploring local alleys and hearing the stories behind the many murals around Vancouver. I can't wait to explore other parts of the city with Vancouver DeTours to see even more murals. Our guide, Pete, was really friendly and has so much knowledge. I couldn't believe it when our time was up!
We did a private Vancouver Mural Festival walking tour with Ali as part of our staff fun day and, to be honest, myself and several of my coworkers kept exclaiming "this is SO COOL!" during the tour. I would totally recommend a private tour with Vancouver DeTour if you're looking for something unique (and informative) to do in Vancouver with your staff, family, or friends.
