Used this service in mid-October and absolutely loved it! What a fantastic way to see Boston (or any city!). With a 2-day pass, we rode with three different drivers, and each one made the experience memorable. We even used it as our go-to way to get around town. But the standout by far was Quince -- delivering history with humor and making the ride unforgettable. Highly recommend! read more

This review is for the hop-on hop-off bus that leaves from the Inner Harbour in front of the Empress Hotel. We got there around 11:45 am on a weekday and bought tickets for the bus. We paid $173 total ($60 per adult, $39 for our teen, and the rest for our tween), and they gave us brochures outlining the route and stops, plus one timetable as they were almost out. That's when we realized the bus frequency is every hour, and not every 15 minutes. The last bus was at 5:30 pm. Fortunately, they had a bus scheduled to run at the half hour mark during summers (10, noon and 2), so we would not need to wait for an hour every time we disembarked. The long gap between busses meant we had to restrict the number of places we hopped off - we chose to see the Songhees lookout on the other side of the water, and take a lunch stop in Oak Bay Village. Of the places we'd originally planned to see, we ended up skipping Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, and Beacon Hill Park (with its 150+ feet-tall totem pole). Many of the other places on the "itinerary" were either closed or obvious tourist traps. The busses are double-deckers and are fairly comfortable - some have open roofs, others don't. They tend to run about 5-10 minutes behind schedule. Service level was mixed. We got one nice tour guide, and a rude one who chastised us for all the things we MAY do on the journey (like throw trash everywhere instead of in the bin!), even before the bus had departed the starting point. Verdict - overpriced and not worth wasting a day of precious vacation time on. Wish we had taken a cab or water taxi instead and visited just the places we wanted to see. read more

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I really enjoyed our 48 hour tickets for the hop on hop off bus. One of the drivers I remember best was alex- but all our drivers made the trips fun. We found getting off for about an hour was perfect for stops like Cook street and Oak Bay. Beacon Hill we made a last stop so we could spend more time there without wasting time we could have spent on the bus. I loved that our hotel was practically a bus stop- so that definitely made the hop on hop off perfect for us. Do plan out your routes ahead of time - it will make the hop on hop off a much better deal. The two day pass is definitely the best deal - if you can use both days. I can't believe how much I learned on this! read more

Purchased tickets in front of Empress Hotel..sellers are under red umbrellas. We boarded the bus but no one checked ticket. In theory, we could have boarded and rode bus for free. We sat in the open air seating upstairs..supposedly we were supposed to hear the driver point out the sights via audio but we couldn't hear a thing. We went through Chinatown etc but then the rest of the ride was just riding all over expensive neighborhoods..I felt I was on a real estate voyage. Yes saw scenery..nautical..terrain..but..ashame couldn't hear driver ..she was quite knowledgeable and talkative but no one upstairs could hear her. Not worth the $$ for a glorified bus ride. August 26, 2025. Boarded bus around 12 noon. read more

Spent twice as much time on the bus as we did at Butchart Gardens. Spend your money elsewhere. Uber , taxi or bc transit

Pretty good tour if you want to see some different areas of Victoria and you don't have a car. The hop on - hop off is good in theory, but the stops are not well marked. We were trying to get back on at a stop other than the one we got off at after eating brunch and exploring Chinatown but watched the bus drive past us as we were looking for the small sticker for the stop. Sort of like a scavenger hunt. We had to either wait an hour or walk all the way back to the Empress and start the loop again. read more

My wife and I purchased tickets for the "hop-on, hop-off" tour when they said they had several stops to get off and back on in the same spot. We rode the bus to the Warf and hopped off. My wife expressly asked if we would be picked up in the same spot we hopped off and the bus driver said yes, it's the same spot. We had lunch and then went back to the very same spot where we were dropped off. We waited over a half an hour for the next bus to return. When we saw the bus turn the corner we went to the edge of the curb only to see the bus go flying past us as the bus driver waved and smiled at us as she drove by. At that point we just walked back to the ship. This was an absolute waste of money. They should rename it "hop-on and don't get off" because you will not get back on! read more

Could hardly hear the driver and he was rude. Before we even left the Empress he targeted my children warning them not to be loud. My children are older, generally well behaved, and had hardly said a word, only exchanging words to select a seat. Not many buses running so you'll be waiting a while for the next one if you get off. Also, if you know you operate in a wet climate, don't forget the tops of the buses. After getting rained on for 30 minutes we abandoned hope and got off. Glad I didn't pay full price. We were happy to ditch at that point. I don't usually write negative reviews, but don't expect this one to operate like other Gray lines in other cities. It doesn't. read more

HORRIBLE! I would have given negative if an option. Our narrator norm was callous and rude. He had me in tears as he made rude, callous joke after joke about hitting people and wildlife, "splatting" them with the bus. My daughter died due to a car pedestrian accident. Not funny or appropriate to make these callous klj9kes. It was hurtful and very unprofessional. I got off the bus in tears. Very inappropriate narration. Only to realize grayline has a prerecorded narration driver norm decided not to use. He should be fired and I should be refunded in full. read more

DO NOT TAKE THE GRAY LINE HOP ON HOP OFF BUS IN VICTORIA!!! We took the Victoria tour this morning. There were several problems. First, the stations are not clearly marked and it is difficult to locate them. Second, the buses are not all uniform in appearance and the ticket agent never told us that the buses might be red (like the one we originally hopped on) or black. Third, the buses were at least 30 minutes behind schedule. Fourth, and this is the real kicker, the bus stopped running this afternoon mid-route and dumped us 30 minutes from the station where we originally boarded, the bus driver telling us the bus was out of fuel because "we forgot to fuel up last night." He actually snickered when he said it. Gray Lines made no accommodation for these inconveniences and acted like we needed to just take it in stride. My wife and I paid $60 EACH. Needless to say, we did not get our money's worth. read more

Thank you, Sightseeing Victoria. You customer service is fantastic. We had booked a hop on-hop off tour for Friday, our only full day in Victoria. Unfortunately we were unable to use the passes due to unexpected circumstances. Grayline was kind enough to give us a full refund for our unused tickets. We will be coming back and will certainly use Sightseeing Victoria/Grayline services. Again, thank you for your good customer service. read more

The cost was a bit on the expensive side but probably not atypical for a tourist destination. Good balance between the driver and the pre-recorded tour narration. Stop and pick-up times were on point and there was always enough capacity for my family of 4 to get on. read more

My out of town family and I took the Hop On Hop Off bus in Victoria this morning. As you know, the tickets are $60.00 CAD each and there were 4 of us; total $240.00 CAD. Our driver was Norm, who was very engaging and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, our experience turned into an hour and a half bus ride with narration. We did not 'Hop Off' the bus at all as, beside one of the stops being pick up of other passengers at their hotel, the most popular stop, Craigdarroch Castle was closed on Monday & Tuesday, along with most everything else. This was not found out until our tour was underway and we had already paid the $240.00 CAD. We are very disappointed and upset that: 1. No one let us know that the Castle was closed at the time of ticket purchase. If this would have been communicated we would not have given up $240.00 and more than likely chosen not to take the tour. 2. No one let us know that nothing on the route was open until 10 am or later. We offer a training/customer service suggestion please coach your team to advise early passengers (9:30am bus) of the timing of Fisherman's Wharf, stores and the church at time of ticket purchase for the first bus. Or consider starting your tours at 10:00am or later. We provided our constructive feedback and didn't hear a thing back from the customer service person. We also requested a partial refund and this was ignored. Clearly Customer Satisfaction is not a priority, the money is. Ensure you know what you are getting for your money before you pay them! read more

The first "hop on hop off"?bus we rose was 20 minutes late. When we went back to get on another "hop on hop off" bus after lunch, we were told by a representative of this company a bus was going to be arriving in 10 minutes. This was around 1:55pm. As of 2:44PM, we still haven't seen a bus! I'm tired and in pain due to chronic illness and not being able to trust this tour bus in arriving on time (or even close to its scheduled time) is very upsetting! If I could rate this company zero stars, I would. read more

I did the double decker bus tour around Victoria and I'm glad I sat on the top because the views were wonderful and there was a lot to see in this beautiful town. Our driver was very funny and added a lot of humor to the tour which made it super fun and out of the ordinary. I would say it's well worth it. He was also very knowledgeable about the history of Victoria. I really do want to go back to this beautiful place. Just make sure to watch your head as you're making your way on the second story of the bus. I would also recommend to bring a sweater because when you're in the coastal area it can get chilly. read more

Gray Line Sightseeing Victoria - Tours Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Just what we expected for a small city. Really liked Norm, our tour guide/driver. He was easy to understand and had great stories and recommendations. Purchased our tickets off Groupon which indicated is was only good for half day starting at 1:30. When we went to exchange our voucher ... representative said it was good for 24 hours! read more

Really enjoyed taking a "Grand Tour " around the south end of Vancouver Island. We did this on our last day as a time filler between checking out of the hotel and the Victoria Clipper departure. Wish I had taken this tour the day we arrived! An overview of the area with some very interesting history tweaked my interest in another visit to the area. Our driver filled in details around the recorded narrative with things only a local would see. An I interesting luxury of the ride was the a availability of lap blankets onboard the bus. Weather was cold so having a blanket to cover our legs was very pleasant. read more

It felt a little spendy ($38 pp Can). We were hoping for a more interactive experience, but the first hop on we did, the driver was stone-faced and didn't speak to any of us. That first part (between the Empress and the castle) was just did a zig-zag through the crowded streets of downtown. Not very impressive and we didn't learn much from the pre-recorded "tour guide." When we hopped on a second time, our driver did some talking and was quite charming and funny. Looking back, I wish we'd just done some research and had used the public bus system instead of paying for this non-tour tour bus. read more

We planned a vacation with 5 members of family. Bought tickets over 2 months ago for on- off Grey line tour of victoria. We bought our ticket from Grey line directly for July 1. After we arrived we were told that no tour was a available. The man at the Grey line off felt it was so funny we bought a ticket on a state holiday..off course they would be closed. No refund, no apology, just a complete fraud. We planned our entire vacation in Victoria BC around them. DON'T USE GREY LINE.. EVER..FRAUD Unless you enjoy being made a fool for buying tickets directly from them when the knew they would be closed I will keep fighting for a refund. And report their business practices to any agency that regulate this fraudulent practice read more

I'll say that I haven't taken the tour (hop on hop off) because when I went to check on price and the times of the next tour, the two girls who were dispensing the information were rude. I don't have time for that type of attitude but disappointed since this was recommended by someone we ran into. Oh well... read more

Four of us visited Victoria for a weekend - we decided to try this Hop On/Hop Off Tour so that we could see some of the city beyond downtown and also get off and on at some places we wanted to see. We are so glad we did! We had a great time! Our hotel was nearest the 2nd stop so we waited there to get on. We didn't realize that you could only buy tickets downtown by the Empress or near the Clipper. Oops! But that was no problem at all! The driver let us on and then let us hop off, and waited for us, while we bought tickets at the next kiosk on the tour! I've been to Victoria several times and this was my first tour. I enjoyed it immensely. I got to see so many parts of Victoria that I"d never seen before and it was such a joy to see how "real" Victorians live! We LOVED our driver, Doug! He was AWESOME! Great commentary - so many interesting facts. I learned so much about Victoria and he was such a nice man - always ready to answer questions and help us find things on our travels. We quickly became his groupies! We got off at the Castle - be aware that the bus doesn't go right by the castle, it stops about 2 blocks from it - and you have to walk a very steep hill up to get to the Castle - is that's an issue for you. We also stopped and got off in the Oak Bay area and then again at the Empress. We chose the Gray Line because the hours were the longest: 9:30-7:00 during August. That gave us the most flexibility. The inside of the buses do need some cleaning/updating - but it didn't really take away much from the experience. If you do choose to sit on top in the open air - beware of tree branches that try to decapitate you. I would, absolutely, take this tour again! It was the perfect way to get around - and also learn some really cool things about Victoria! And, give Doug a raise - he's awesome! read more

Really and truly impressively bad service. The whole reason we did this was for my 77 year old father in law whose knee was giving him trouble. We were told to show up for a special tour at 5 pm when we got our tickets. After returning and waiting in the rain for 20 mins, we were told by the bus driver that the tour was cancelled ... because it was raining. Apparently these busses are water soluble. Not to worry ... come back at 10am the following morning and we will make sure you are treated well. Of course when we showed up the following morning we were told the bus tour was cancelled because roads were closed for a 10k race that was happening. I understand that sometimes it rains and sometimes cities spontaneously organise races and close roads. These are apparently acts of God that poor tour operators are unable to predict or cope with. What I don't understand is why they weren't able or willing to provide us with a refund. If you don't plan to provide a service, please don't take my money. read more

A 90 minute tour of Victoria where you can hop on and hop off at designated spots. Like our tour guide suggested, make the complete trip the first time, then do the hop on, hop off on the second go round....... read more

Not quite a 'hop on hop off' concept as it implies there will be multiple opportunities to catch the bus conveniently while visiting Victoria. So if you were to hop off, the next available bus is an 1-1/2 hour wait. The first tour starts around 10:30A and the last bus ends around 3:30P leaving maybe 3 stops at the most for sightseeing. For a casual tour experience there is not enough time/stops to enjoy at your own pace. The staff were very polite, friendly and were very knowledgeable in terms of the city and its history. Very easy tour but a compressed schedule. read more

I would like to share my impression and gratitude to people who stand and work behind of Gray Line Hop on Hop Off tours,particularly to the bus driver/guide John Roberts.Very dedicated,knowledgeable and customer service oriented person.He made our tour on 05/23/2014 a breeze and our visit to Victoria to the memorable and interesting event. Although I am giving 5 star,there is something for improvement.This part I am addressing to company management. Clearly posted bus stop signs will make much easier and convenient for visitors to locate the bus stop and generally will improve the tour impressions. read more

Honestly, this was the worst, most uninformative sightseeing tour bus tour that I have ever done in Victoria. I live in the city but my parent like to do the bus when they come and visit. We've gone with Gray Line in the past and it was great--we had a very funny and informative driver. We've also gone with one of the rival companies a few times, so we definitely know all the "talking points" for tours like this. On the tour this year the driver was, well, garbage. He didn't talk about any of the "talking points" on the entire tour. No mention of anything on Government Street, nothing about The Empress except when it was built, nothing about the Parliament, nothing about the churches, nothing about Johnson Street Bridge, nothing about James Bay and Beacon Hill Park, nothing about Fort Victoria, nothing about the First Nations, nothing about the Castle, nothing about Sealand of the Pacific, nothing about Mile 0 and the Terry Fox Statue. He did mention some stuff about Chinatown, but didn't mention Fan Tan Alley. He also made up some story about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 being filmed in Victoria, when all it takes is a quick Google search to see that it wasn't even filmed outside of the UK. Honestly, if I was a tourist and I took that tour, I would not know any more about Victoria than when I got on the bus. Gray Line, please make sure ALL your drivers actual talk about Victoria during the tours. We are a great city with a great history that visitors need to know! read more

The stops are far away from where you want to go. Twice we were lost looking for a destination after being dropped off. Buses are smelly and not very comfortable. Do not recommend nor would I do it again. Take a taxi or walk read more

I love walking when I explore strange cities but taking this bus widened that scope. We saw more of Victoria. Best of of all I love the flexibility of hop on-hop off. We got on at Empress Hotel, got off at Craigdarroch Castle, toured the Castle, caught the bus, got off at Cook St, had lunch, then caught the bus back home. It was awesome! It was cold but they provided blankets and it was an audio tour as well. The driver played a recording describing everything and talking about the culture and history of Victoria. We'll do this tour again next time we come back. read more

One of the funny things about this service was that we had a live voice which was the driver and he was interesting and entertaining. The seats were reasonably comfortable. However, the last bus we took had hard plastic seats, was uncomfortable and used a recording-as others mentioned, 2 voices, insipid comments. The trip around the area was good with good narration and funny jokes by the driver. We got to see a lot of the area and got off at the Oak Bay Marina and then at the Empress Hotel. We caught the last bus from the Empress to get back to our hotel. That was the part of the trip that we could have done without. It was much nicer with a live voice. We did get to see a lot of areas and the history and information was worth the trip. Had we just had the last portion, we couldn't have enjoyed it as much. It's a good way to see the area and learn about places to return to. We appreciated that the tickets were good for 24 hours from when purchased. The bus stops were not marked at all so if you didn't start at the Empress Hotel, you might have a hard time finding a stop to get on.The buses were pretty much on time though and that was appreciated. read more

It was the end if the day and the last run. So we could not hop on off and was an 1.5 hour trip. BUT IT IS GOOD FOR 24 hours so can use next day. I thought the price was a but high as we would nit able to use the day. Wrong again. It was a great tour and lots if information and history about not only Victoria but BC. WELL Worth The money. read more

I went to visit Victoria, BC for the first time after docking from a cruise ship that sailed from the Los Angeles, CA area. My parents and I were lucky to find the Gray Line double decker bus that showed us around the city. The 6 minute stopover at the Catholic Church was absolutely incredible and I was able to learn a lot more about the city. The tour guide was helpful and Silvia (or Sylvia, not sure if this is spelled correctly) was a great person to talk to. She really made the tour more enjoyable. I absolutely recommend this tour. You'll really learn more about Victoria BC if this is your first time going. read more

Our driver was somewhat knowledgeable when giving neat tips for the locations we were passing, but his driving was not good. There were a few times we almost hit pedestrians and at one point he drove too close to branches and they came in and scratched people on the right side sets up top. The audio they play is super hokey and is sure to induce eye rolls from a majority of the passengers. I would much rather get in a taxi or a ride share to see the island for less money and for a more relevant tour. read more

We got the two day hop off hop on package and added one extra day of water taxi rides for an additional $6.00. The buses aren't in tip-top shape, and unless you get there early, the top fills up really fast. Depending on your driver, you do get some commentary. None of it is stellar, almost like the driver's are kind bored with making the trip. It's 90 minutes for the whole loop, which we did on Day #1. We wanted to get the layout of the land, first. We really got our money's worth with the Water Taxis, though. Don't miss that! I loved getting around the harbor, and enjoyed seeing Victoria from that angle. read more

We did the "Be A Tourist in Your Home Town" bus tour on Saturday morning. This bus tour was one of the many activities to do during this event (February 26 - March 8, 2015). The bus is an older double decker with the front of the top seating area partially enclosed. We sat there as it was a cooler morning and I was traveling with an elderly family member. (The circular stairs to the second level are really narrow) The tour started and finished at the Empress Hotel. We had been told that the ticket booth would show up an hour prior, but it was more like 35 minutes before the tour started. Apparently this is common practice for them. The tour itself was billed as a 1-hour tour, but it lasted almost 1-hour 20 minutes. Our driver/tour guide was excellent. There was so much interesting info that he had and we learned a lot about the city. The ride was surprisingly smooth considering some of the small streets he had to maneuver. Oh, and his jokes? Um yeah, they were lame, but got chuckles and groans from the passengers. I would have taken photos, however the windows were dirty, so nothing would come out clear. Clean windows are necessary when taking a bus tour that doesn't stop. That was a bit of a bummer, but I was able to retrace some of where we went later that weekend and take a few photos. Overall I recommend this tour. I believe this particular tour happens once a year during the "Be A Tourist in Your Home Town" event, but I'm not local to there, so you'll have to check for yourself. Enjoy. read more

We decided to do the hop on hop off bus tour and got on at the Oak Bay Marina without a ticket as we had just arrived. Our driver Doug welcomed us on and said we could get the tickets when we arrived at the Empress . He provided great commentary and interesting stories about the local area , which we really enjoyed hearing. In fact , we decided to just stay on the bus for several additional stops so that we could hear the commentary Doug provided. Later, we had a different driver who never said a word and just played the prerecorded spiel that was rather blah and very annoying and loud. You need to try to get Doug for a driver if you intend to ride the bus for a tour of the city. Otherwise it's just a bus ride. read more

Very dissatisfied with this company. We were 5 adults, 2 kids, and we bought the one day tickets @ 38$ each. No senior discount. The schedule says every half hour but this is not true. We waited 50 minutes one time and 45 another time then had to end up taking two taxis (7 people do not fit in one taxi) because the hop on bus never came. We ended up spending about an hour total on the actual bus. I would not recommend this company unless you have time and money to waste. read more

Stop schedule a complete joke. Drivers were good but we spent hours at several stops where buses just did not arrive. Missed ferry due to late arrival of scheduled bus. read more

This was an OK little quickie tour. Nothing bad, but not spectacular. Not bad if you don't have all day for a more comprehensive tour. The commentary is a little cheesy, but you do learn a few interesting facts about Victoria. read more

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Very disappointing. It's probably a very different experience if you're in the lucky half that finds seats upstairs in the open air. But if you're in the unlucky half who gets stuck in the lower deck, it's basically a stuffy, smelly, noisy bus ride; not pleasant at all and certainly not worth the ticket price. Perhaps, you are told, you can get off at one of the stops--such as Craigdarroch Castle--and then get on another bus that comes by an hour later. But, of course, it turns out that the later bus is also packed upstairs. We gave up and just walked back to downtown. read more

Hop on hop off bus narration is insipid. A prerecorded couple narrate with dumb comments and bad jokes. We love hop on hop off busses in lots of cities, less so this one in Victoria. read more