Maple Tree Square

Vancouver’s historic heart, this brick-cobbled area is now lined with convivial bars and restaurants but it’s also still full of heritage charm. Check out the flatiron-style Hotel Europe and peer along Blood Alley (reputedly named for the butcher shops that once were here). The jaunty Gassy Jack statue, perched atop a whiskey barrel, dominates the square. It sits near the spot of his first saloon and the development that kick-started the modern-day city. Nearby is the red-painted Byrnes Block. One of the first structures built after the 1886 Great Fire, it’s the oldest Vancouver building still in its original location.