The Victoria Harbour is about a 1 mile walk from the cruise port but some of the cruislines offer a…read morefree or paid shuttle. The harbour is very nice for walking around, eating at the restaurants and sitting a while to people watch and marine watch. The seaplanes constantly took off and landed in the water throughout the morning hours. On the day I was there, it was the 1st Water Taxi Boat Ballet at 10:40am. It lasted about 20 minutes and was fun to watch. There is also plenty of lodging in the harbour area as it is part of their downtown. I though there was alot to do and an easy way to spend a nice day.

The Harbour is covered in lights in December and is a romantic view. It's a beautiful place to…read morevisit regardless if it's day or night, winter or summer. Great trails and bike paths. Quite walkable.

We used Island Time Tours for a private tour to Bouchard Gardens. She made it incredibly easy for…read moreus as cruise ship passengers to see this world-class garden even though our stop over was relatively short. The pricing is reasonable and well worth the cost. Colleen, the owner, was our tour guide -- she was so informative, kind, and fun. She made the drive extra special by giving us a full history of the gardens and a mini driving tour on the way home of downtown Victoria. Highly recommend doing this!

Wow, what a great time find! We came to Victoria on the Clipper, just before New Year, and my wife…read morewanted to take a winery tour, so we ended up booking Island Time Tours while on the boat over. We were thinking it would be in a large bus with 40-50 other people and I was not excited about it, and we were surprised the next day when Coleen met us in her small party type bus that only seats about fourteen people. There were only four of us and it felt like we were going out for the day with friends. Coleen was very personable and informative, and with only four of us it felt like we were going out with friends for the day. We don't think it was just because of our small group but how Coleen just seems to be. It turned out to be more than just a winery tour as she pointed out various sights and places of interest. We only went to two wineries and an apple cider farm because of the time of year. Coleen appeared to have a good relationship with the wineries that made it more personable. We had a great lunch that was included in the price. Actually, I am not even a wine drinker but I really enjoyed the entire day because it was more than just tasting wine. We started at the boat terminal but she dropped us all off at our hotels. We had planned to go to Bucthart Gardens the next night and were going to take the typical large bus with 40-50 people, like we had done before, and found out that Coleen also runs tours to the Gardens. We decided to go with her and she picked us up at our hotel and again, there were only four of us. The cost was the same as with the large bus tour, but so much more enjoyable since she takes the back roads with less traffic and also get into places easier because of the small van. Victoria is one of our favorite the places to go and finding Island Times Tours has been a great and we will surely use them again.

It was our first time traveling to Victoria B.C. and taking the ferry over. We booked through AAA…read morewhich I highly recommend. Booking directly on the Ferry's website was more expensive and the seats weren't great. It sits 2 - 4 - 4 - 2. We got the two-seater window seats. We stayed two nights in Victoria and before the trip I learned Clipper validates parking and the Bell Street Pier 69 Parking Garage. Only cost us $37 to park for 2 nights and 3 full days. We had carryon size luggage and the guy checking us in recommended we check our luggage due to space concerns. That was a mistake. When you check your luggage you place yourself in the 2nd (last) group to disembark because you have to wait for your luggage to be carried off by the crew. It's literally a big waste of time. Once onboard I noticed there was plenty of space in the cabin for us to store our carryon suitcases. I was a little annoyed but lesson learned. On the return, we didn't check our bags and was off the boat in a zip. The bathrooms are like the ones on airplanes. Small and yuck but there are plenty onboard. Food looked good but it was expensive. You can bring your own food, water, and coffee onboard. For an 8a departure that seems like a lot of work but you'll be glad you did once onboard.

Comfortable, on time, and expensive. Like airlines, charging for seat assignments and everything…read moreelse. Day trip for two to Victoria BC was north of $400. On board food was also expensive and was packaged or microwaved. Staff was hit and miss; some cordial and some not. The ride was fun, but not worth the price IMHO. Victoria itself is quaint and scenic and the Gray Line Tour was nice and affordable $114 for two.

The Victoria Visitors Centre is centrally located Downtown, at the shore of the Inner Harbour, and…read morefrom the Fairmont Empress Hotel. It's a cool Art Deco building and was originally an Esso gas station. The tower vaguely looks like the Empire State Building. This is a good place to begin your explorations of Victoria and "Up Island". It's also within easy walking distance from the cruise ships and ferries and close to popular attractions (Royal BC Museum, Parliament Building, Beacon Hill Park, etc.) and shopping. The friendly folks at the Front Desk can give you good advice on places to see, tour packages, and dining options. There's also a large selection of brochures and posted information if you want something more self-directed.

This center is located dockside nearly across the famous Fairmont Empress Hotel. Easy to find…read more Restrooms are located below the Visitors Center by going down the steps towards the boat dock. I didn't see a wheelchair ramp. Talented musicians played their tunes and a budding juggler attempted an act- amusing. A food truck selling Poutin (steak fries, cheese curd, brown gravy) was located at the corner of the boat dock and the government bldg. US dollars are accepted at stores.

Beautiful little terminal shared with Harbour Air. Comfy indoor seating and heated outdoor area…read more Complementary coffee, tea, and a few snacks. On the water, in between The Flying Otter and Red fish Blue fish.

I've never been on a seaplane so I was understandably nervous. BUT IT WAS AWESOME!…read more The staff was very friendly and super helpful with the exception of one reservation agent we dealt with but she transferred us to someone who was much more helpful and kind. He made an awesome suggestion for the hotel we stayed in. Our pilot was super nice and very patient with us since we wanted to take a million pictures in front of the plane The flight itself was so smooth I actually prefer it to commercial flights. If you want to take a quick weekend trip to Victoria BC then you should totally fly Kenmore Air. It's much quicker then the clipper and honestly not that much more expensive.

I wouldn't normal write a BIG "rant" but it is only out of disappointment that I feel sharing our…read moreexperience could help others before booking a wine tour. May.27 my work booked a wine tour through Regent Limousine for two of our 30yr retirement friends/co-workers. Tour included 3 wineries and lunch at the second location. Tastings were $5-10 which some places wouldn't charge if you bought wine and each person would pay for their lunches. We each paid our amount for just the bus trip/tour and prepared to pay for our extra's. So. . .. when we got to the first winery they were completely surprised and shocked to see 21 people ready to do tastings. Apparently we were not booked at all. Our poor driver scramble to make contact with his company and to sort it all out. Now the very busy winery had to divide our group to be able to do a tasting, which took a lot longer since they already had another group before us. Of course this puts us behind and our next tour was to include lunch, which again was not booked. Our driver then informed us they have arranged a wonderful lunch at the end of our tastings at the Malahat Chalet. Not one winery had our party booked, and our 10:30-4:30 tour was behind and we arrived for lunch at 3:30. At the restaurant there was a set menu and our office manager asked if this was being paid for by Regent to make up for the mix up with our tour. We were told if we ordered from the set menu it would be paid for, if we ordered from their regular menu it would be the cost for that person. So we were thankful for the good gesture to cover lunch for our tour mishap, until my office manager was later changed for every single lunch, $30 per meal. When she set an email to the company they claim they did not say they were going to pay for it and they didn't charge her for the extra hour it took to get us back to Victoria. I find this completely misleading and a complete let down to such a wonder celebration of our great friends retirement. " As we did not have a reservation for your group on that very busy day and in order to accommodate you on the spot,, I had to split your group up for the tasting, which I normally would not have done, and the tasting was a bit more abbreviated than I usually do. Vigneti Zanatta "It was unfortunate that Regent didn't make the appropriate reservations for your large group on the 27th and I was pleased to hear that Shannon was able to accommodate your group of twenty" 'Unfortunately, the tour was not booked with us ahead of time and we were unaware of your visit which makes it hard on us to give you the proper tasting and time with a Blue Grouse team member. "

Just got back from a cruise to Alaska. Myself and two young kids (8 and 10) got a 2hr tour of…read moreVictoria by a wonderful driver called Dave. He was an older gentlemen and very knowledgable about the area. He took us to a great ice cream parlor that was off the beaten track - he took us around various neighborhoods and landmarks. The car was immaculate and we felt like royalty stepping out. Well worth it rather than going on the more expensive, rigid and cheesy cruise excursions. Highly recommended; especially if you have very limited time in port.

Booked a tour with this company to visit Butchart Gardens last Summer in 2019 while visiting the…read morecity of Victoria on a 1 day stop on a cruise ship They have a small booth in front of the Empress Hotel to reserve tours and to be picked up by their buses. We waited for over an hour on the street for their tour bus to come pick us up and were reassured it was "coming soon". After 1 hour we gave up and asked for a refund and wasted time standing around waiting for nothing. They said their tour bus broke down, but we later found out this company went to pick up and take care of cruise ship booked tours. Bottom line is they will simply drop you or leave you stranded if more lucrative or more profitable tours come their way...Buyer beware.

REVIEWER #18…read more Visiting Victoria? Want to head to Butchart Gardens or the Butterfly Garden without renting a car? If you answered yes to all of these questions then CVS tours is definitely the way to go! Super easy, convenient and no driving necessary- for you atleast. I was looking into tour buses that will take me to Butchart Gardens as I was visiting Victoria for two days. I came across CVS Tours on the website: Viator as an option. For less than $55 you get a ride to and from Butchart Gardens, as well as entry in. Can't beat that, right? The buses pick you up right in front of the Empress Hotel, which is located on Government Street, right downtown! They advise you to arrive 10 minutes before your departure time to check in and receive your tickets. I love that the bus that are double decker! It makes the ride so much more fun and interesting as you're able to see the view from up high. Once you get to your destination, the buses drop you off right in the front. You're able to venture out on your own and the buses leave from the destination upon every hour of the hour. The last bus leaves Butchart Gardens at 5 p.m. The ride to The Butchart Gardens was great! The buses are very comfortable and doesn't seem to fill up quickly. During the ride, the drivers usually provide history and helpful information about the Gardens. For the price that you pay and the comfortable seats on the bus, it definitely makes the pricing all worth it! I would for sure recommend that you book through CVS if you plan to visit Butchart Gardens!

Doesn't answer the phone or reply to booming requests. Super weird that they're so highly rated!read more

After a terrible experience with Blue Bird Taxi, we discovered the best service in Victoria! Not…read moreonly are the rates reasonable, but the cabs are spacious! After an amazing morning ride with Clayton, we set up several more pickups throughout the day! Our group of 5 rode comfortably all day. A+ for amazing service, Uptown! I hope you are able to grow your fleet a bit more