Top Vancouver Island How to Get Around

Feel like you’ve stepped back in time to vintage Victoria with a 1-hour tour through the city’s most splendid neighborhoods aboard a horse-drawn carriage. Beginning at the illustrious Empress hotel, admire sailing ships in the Inner Harbor and trot through the leafy gardens and lawns of Beacon Hill Park. Pass stately Victorian mansions and other local landmarks like the Trans-Canada Highway Mile 0 marker, and take in fantastic views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the stylish ride. 

Discover the beauty of downtown Victoria on this 45-minute Beacon Hill Park carriage tour. Hop into your horse-drawn carriage and travel in style along the winding roadways round Beacon Hill Park — Victoria’s oldest and, many would say, most attractive park. Discover top local attractions including St Anne's Academy, the Empress Hotel and the Church Of Our Lord, and listen as your driver shares tales and folklore from Victoria's dim and distant past. Head along pretty pathways and enjoy fine views over the vibrant flowerbeds, peaceful ponds and manicured lawns.

Enjoy a romantic ride with that special someone, or a fun excursion with family and friends as you visit Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park in a horse-drawn carriage. Beacon Hill Park is one of Victoria’s main attractions, home to a petting zoo, playground and splash park, and the tallest totem pole in the world. Learn all about it from your guide as you revel in the beauty of the park.

Capital of British Columbia, Vancouver lies on the southern shores of Vancouver Island—with striking architecture, pretty parks, and a British colonial history dating back to the Victorian era. On this tour, explore Victoria in comfort by traditional horse-drawn carriage as your guide brings the city’s Victorian past to life. Along the way, discover sites of interest such as Beacon Hill Park, historic James Bay, and the Salish Sea waterfront.

Explore Victoria and take in top attractions in style on this 30-minute Victoria carriage tour including James Bay. Hop aboard your horse-drawn carriage and set off in comfort through the streets. Listen as your driver shares stories from Victoria’s colorful history, and admire famous sites such as the Parliament buildings, Emily Carr’s former residence and the beautiful Inner Harbor. Admire traditional house-fronts in James Bay, one of the West Coasts’ oldest districts, and enjoy fine ocean views along the Dallas Road waterfront as the Olympic Mountains rise in the distance.

The Canadian city of Victoria has a rich British colonial history dating back to the Victorian era, evident in its striking architecture and historic landmarks. Explore the city in style by traditional horse-drawn carriage, and take in sites of interest such as James Bay— one of Vancouver Island's oldest neighborhoods—and the Salish Sea waterfront. As your horse clops along, enjoy fine views over Victoria to the Olympic Mountain range beyond.

Discover hidden alleys and local curios in Vancouver’s Old Town and Chinatown districts on this 75-minute pedicab tour. Head through Victoria's Old Town and Chinatown districts with your guide, where old shops and boutiques line the winding alleyways. Hear hair-raising ghost stories from centuries past and learn of the settlers, immigrants and colonists who have shaped the city we see today. Along the way, watch skilled street performers plying their trade the way they have for centuries. Admire Victoria’s traditional architecture and gain insight into the city’s colorful past.

Tour one of Victoria’s most stately and popular attractions in a unique way with a pedicab tour to Craigdarroch Castle. Enjoy the fresh air and leisurely pace from aboard a comfortable cab while a friendly guide pedals you from your hotel to the majestic, 19th-century baronial estate. Along the way, pass through the neighboring Lt Governor’s gardens and see some of Victoria’s most opulent churches and homes. Admission to the inside of the magnificent castle is included. 

Join this small group helicopter tour to see Vancouver Island’s coastline from a whole new angle.  Start with a safety briefing with your experienced pilot, then head up, out over the Georgia Strait. Enjoy stunning mountain and ocean views as you fly over the Discovery Passage, Quadra Island and the beautiful Rebecca Spit Marine Provincial Park before returning to Campbell River.

Experience the majesty of Canada’s Sunshine Coast from the air with a 40-minute round-trip seaplane flight from Nanaimo. Take to the skies with a pilot and fly high over the Strait of Georgia. Enjoy panoramic views over the tiny islands dotting the waterway, and stop for up to four hours’ free time in the British Columbia town of Sechelt. Enjoy two take-offs and landings during your tour, and see the Sunshine Coast in a way many visitors miss.

Explore quaint Victoria on this guided walking tour with a local historian. Along the way, take in picturesque views of the city’s Inner Harbour and wander the streets, alleyways, and town squares of Old Town, Bastion Square, and Chinatown, while learning about Victoria's history. Plus, hear about its past scandals like opium smuggling.

Take a sweet-smelling stroll through Victoria’s famous Butchart Gardens, spanning 55 acres (22.2 hectares) of beautifully designed flower beds, lily ponds, footbridges, and thematic landscapes. With a convenient pickup location and a flexible return shuttle schedule, it’s an easy way to experience one of Victoria’s most popular attractions. Visit during summer or holiday season evenings to witness special luminous displays that add an extra touch of enchantment to the gardens.

Explore British Colombia’s Victoria by pedicab with a guide on this 3-hour tour of the city, including convenient pickup and drop-off at the cruise ship terminal. Travel through one of Victoria’s oldest neighborhood, James Bay, to one of its oldest grocers. Then pass through Beacon Hill Park, and see the peacocks there. Plus, catch a glimpse of the famous Empress Hotel.

Enjoy the historic atmosphere of Victoria on a charming horse-drawn carriage ride. The tour is fully customizable to your preferences. Meet your carriage driver/guide near the British Columbia Parliament Building and head out for your approximately 90-minute tour through Victoria. Visit James Bay, Beacon Hill Park, Emily Carr House, Thunderbird Park or trot along the shore of the Salish Sea, it’s up to you.

Treat your taste buds to a walking food tour of Victoria’s bustling Fort & Blanshard Streets. Once known as Antique Row for its abundance of vintage shops, this hip neighborhood is now filled with trendy restaurants, modern boutique shops, and home to the arts district. Follow a local gourmet guide to some of the best eateries in the area including a tea salon, a European-style deli, an authentic taqueria, Middle-Eastern street food, and more. Chat with shop owners and chefs along the way to gain insight into Victoria’s thriving culinary scene. Group size is limited to 12 for a more personalized tasting experience.

Delve into the colorful past of Canada’s oldest Chinatown, in Victoria, British Columbia. This guided walking tour will lead you through the streets and storied allies of the historic neighborhood, as your historian/guide tells you the fascinating, sometimes tragic tales of the people who helped build the city and shape Canada as well as modern China.

Go whale watching in Victoria on a 12-passenger boat that’s designed for seeking out whales and marine wildlife on Vancouver Island’s spectacular coast. With a heated cabin, onboard bathrooms, and outdoor viewing decks, this whale watching tour is a comfortable alternative to an open speedboat that still provides the maneuverability and personal experience of a small craft while searching for orcas, humpback whales, minke whales, seals, and more.

Discover why British Columbia is one of the best places in the world to see whales and other marine wildlife on this 3-hour tour with Eagle Wing Tours at Victoria’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Hop aboard a comfortable semi-covered or open boat and help support Eagle Wing’s many conservation, education and research activities! Let certified and knowledgeable naturalists be your guides to the stunning wildlife and natural history of the Salish Sea. Watch for seals, sea lions, otters and porpoises as well as bald eagles and a mind-boggling assortment of marine birds. Hoping for something bigger? There’s always a chance to see humpback, killer, minke or grey whales!

Experience an up-close encounter with northern Pacific marine life on a 3-hour whale watching cruise off Victoria’s coast. Travel out into the open ocean aboard a comfortable, motorized boat to look for native species like humpback whales, gray whales, orcas, elephant seals and sea lions in their natural habitat. Learn about local marine ecology from a naturalist guide, and take in fantastic views of Vancouver Island in between animal sightings.

North 48 Bicycles offers unforgettable guided bicycle tours in the Victoria BC region. Our rides range from Easy to Epic, and we cater to all manner of road cyclists from beginner to expert. Our groups are small (6-8 riders), and are led by experienced, knowledgeable guides. Our daily tours are all-inclusive, including bike, helmet, pre-ride coffee and snacks. Our bike fleet is from the world-renowned Colnago brand, and we offer the endurance-oriented CX Zero in aluminum (including women-specific geometries), as well as the race-oriented AC-R in full carbon. We start and end in historic Market Square, returning in time for a late lunch allowing you the rest of the day to enjoy Victoria. We have teamed up with other great Victoria companies to offer a full west coast experience.

Trade your cruise ship for a whale-watching vessel on a 3-hour shore excursion from the port of Victoria. Travel into the open waters of the northern Pacific Ocean to spot native marine life including orcas, humpback whales, harbor seals and minke whales. Learn about British Columbia’s amazing aquatic ecosystems from onboard naturalist guides, who will help point out passing species along the way. It’s an exciting and educational voyage for the whole family!

The sheltered waters of Ucluelet Harbour offer an ideal location for an introduction to sea kayaking on Vancouver Island’s west coast. Watch for wildlife, from intertidal life to black bears meandering along the shoreline and eagles soaring above. This kayak tour offers the opportunity to paddle up to a hidden waterfall, learn about the local fish hatchery, or explore the outer harbor limits. Paddling instruction is provided.

Take off from Campbell River on a tour that is unlike any other. You’ll fly over the Comox Glacier and get a bird’s eye view of the spectacular scenery over the Vancouver Island Mountain Range. See British Columbia’s oldest provincial park, Strathcona Provincial Park from high above, and marvel at the sights that are often only for experienced hikers and mountaineers!

Our professional historian is able to include many significant sites not offered in other tours. Enjoy the tour in our rare 1997 Bentley New Turbo R Exl built by Rolls Royce. Only 823 were built, all between 1995-97. Our Grand City Tour covers all the main attractions in Victoria, the city of flowers. This finely crafted tour includes more attractions than we can list in the "What to Expect" section.