Victoria and Vancouver Island Feature

Air Tours

Harbour Air Seaplanes has 20-minute flightseeing tours of Victoria and beyond, starting at C$99.

Boat Tours

The best way to see the sights of the Inner and Upper Harbour, and beyond, is by Victoria Harbour Ferries; 45- and 50-minute tours cost C$20 to C$25.

Bus Tours

Gray Line West's double-decker buses tour downtown, Chinatown, Oak Bay, and Beacon Hill Park; Butchart Gardens tours and a Butchart Gardens Express shuttle are available. Big Bus has narrated tours on open-top and trolley-style buses, May-October; you can get on and off at any of the 22 stops. You can buy a C$35 ticket, good for 2 days, on board, but buy online and a third day's free.

Carriage and Pedicab Tours

Tally-Ho Sightseeing and Victoria Carriage Tours operate horse-drawn tours. Kabuki Kabs' narrated pedicab tours are C$1/min from the Empress Hotel.

Food and Wine Tours

Saturdays (May-October), Travel with Taste leads culinary tours of Victoria with a tea tasting, a wine tasting, and a chance to try artisanal delicacies; they also run day trips to the Cowichan Valley and Saanich Peninsula, and multiday trips to Sooke and Salt Spring Island. Vancouver Island Wine Tours will take you to the Cowichan Valley, Saanich Peninsula, and Salt Spring Island. Grand Wine Tours offers Cowichan Valley winery tours, with lunch. Friendly Organics run tours of organic farms and wineries. Gourmet Safaris has wineries, cheese makers, chocolate makers, and farms on their Salt Spring Island itineraries.

Walking Tours

The Architectural Institute of B.C. conducts walking tours of Victoria's historic neighborhoods for C$5 in July and August. Discover the Past Tours offers Ghostly Walks and Chinatown Tours. Victorian Garden Tours tours private and public gardens.

Info

Architectural Institute of British Columbia. (800/683-8588 Ext. 325. www.aibc.ca.)

Big Bus Victoria (250/389-2229 or 888/434-2229. www.bigbusvictoria.ca.)

Discover the Past Tours (250/384-6698. www.discoverthepast.com.)

Gray Line (800/472-9546. www.grayline.com/victoria.)

Harbour Air Seaplanes (250/385-9131 or 800/665-0212. www.harbour-air.com.)

Tally-Ho Carriage Tours (250/514-9257 or 866/383-5067. www.tallyhotours.com.)

Travel With Taste (250/385-1527. www.travelwithtaste.com.)

Vancouver Island Wine Tours (250/661-8844. www.vancouverislandwinetours.com.)

Victoria Carriage Tours (250/383-2207 or 877/663-2207. www.victoriacarriage.com.)

Victoria Harbour Ferry (250/708-0201. www.victoriaharbourferry.com.)

Victorian Garden Tours (250/380-2797. www.victoriangardentours.com.)

CVS Cruise Victoria (250/386-8652 or 877/578-5552. www.cvscruisevictoria.com.)