We actually saw the outside of this mansion/castle 2 summers ago on a city tour excursion from our…read morecruise ship. This summer, we were on a road trip and took the ferry across from Port Angeles to Victoria for a few hours. This was a perfect stop before lunch, and this time we did a self guided tour of the interior. Super friendly people work here. The ticket seller was very nice, the greeter inside the castle set us on our way, and even the souvenir shop lady was exceptionally nice. Maybe its just that they're Canadian? Or maybe they're just...nice. lol Be advised that there's a lot of stairs to tackle on this tour. This is a perfect place to see if you only have a few hours in Victoria. We took a cab from the ferry dock and back later. It was a short ride so not too expensive. Crowd wasn't tooo bad at the time we went in July.

I was here for Upstairs Downstairs a production from a local improv theater company. It was lovely…read more A whole bunch of fun in a beautiful castle!! Wow! This place is cool! I recommend a visit here if you can swing it. So nice! Lots of history of course. When it was built, the tower was the highest place anyone could stand in Victoria.

Had a great time yesterday wandering the streets of Chinatown and Old Town with Helen as our guide…read more I am local to Victoria but booked the tour with an out of town visitor. I got to try places I hadn't experienced before and loved every one. And Helen shared a lot of interesting stories and "geeky" stuff, as she would say. Very satisfying.

Our guide Erik was an expert on all things food in the Chinatown area. He knew each of our tasty…read moretreat vendors intimately and shared the stories that enhanced the food while the food most certainly enhanced the stories. Do not miss this tour.

Andy does a great job on this local food tour. He chooses a mix of local vendors that are places…read moreyou might not necessarily walk into on your own - but you'd be missing out if you didn't! He also balances the tour (about six stops) with anecdotes about the history of Victoria and how immigration built a food culture - adding immensely to the experience. Me and my vegetarian spouse both loved the tour. Highlights included an awesome and hearty meat ball and an Anjali Spring Roll with an amazing peanut sauce. You'll definitely feel full after the tour so plan on a lighter lunch and dinner!

A Taste of Victoria was a terrific tour for us, and Andy really made it so! He tells so much…read moreinteresting history and background not only of Victoria, but the various districts and even streets and alleys along the way. And he works hard to have six of the tastiest treats you'd want to try, ready at just the right time as you walk through Victoria. He even helped one shop prepare their Matcha lemonade for us when they were overrun with customers! Besides the lemonade, we had a fantastic meatball, terrific spring roll, Filipino pastry, delicious Korean fried chicken, and a top quality chocolate. We did NOT need to buy dinner that night, either. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! Easily 5+ stars. We'd repeat this tour next time we come. Thanks Andy!!

Such a great way to see the historic section of Victoria! Cassidy was our driver, she was…read moreextremely knowledgeable, fun and informative. Carson the Clydesdale was the star of the show and was a very good boy indeed. A must-do when visiting Victoria!

Great Time! Did the 90-minute tour - saw everything by carriage (so we didn't have to walk it)…read more Super nice people, great stories and historical stuff; really enhanced the trip while saving the knees. We had Jena & Tom (human & house). BEST THING: THEY'RE (well behaved) DOG-FRIENDLY! Was certainly the highlight of Peanut's trip (she'd had enough walking by then.

They picked us up right outside the Canada building on the pier…read more We did it for 3 hours and he got us back to the pier with an hour to spare. We never worried about making it back in time. Our driver was Dale and he is so knowledgeable about the town. He took us wherever we wanted and took time at each stop. We enjoyed his tales and hearing how he got a Dunsmuir Cadillac. They have a London taxi cab that seats up to 4, and a van for 4+. We got the van because originally there was 4 of us, my husband being a big guy he wanted a roomy vehicle. Highly recommend! The best Tour we have ever taken.

Had a great time with Sandra and John as our guide and driver in our tour of Victoria. This wasn't…read moremy first time to here but saw and did more than my previous visits. The "taxi" was a fun experience and we enjoyed our tour, Sandra is full of knowledge as she guided us through the streets of Victoria. We fed the peacocks with special food she provided us and even stopped in to have a pint at a pub! Now that is a unique tour in itself! Sandra and John are wonderful! Thank you!

This was actually a very fun spot for people/groups of all ages. Definitely a family friendly…read moreoption, and cute for couples as well. The only downside if you're coming as a family ... is that you'll be spending hundreds of dollars for about two-three hours of activity (most of that time is spent waiting in two lines). Price aside though, the views are beautiful, it's not overly crowded, and everything does feel high quality. The treewalk is beautiful and the alternative return route feels like a gentle, quiet hike through nature. For those two lines, one is for the glass box at the top floor (purely a photo opp spot as you'd get better views outside of the box) and the second is for the slide down (FUN, terrifying to me, but a must). There was a food area including one airstream trailer that served floats and soft serve/ice cream (I forget what exactly) which was pretty fun and tasty. There's another airstream trailer at the entrance by the gift shop that sold coffee and other desserts (I think). Parking was easy. The drive to get here could be part of the adventure. I felt like the cost was worthwhile!

While we enjoyed the overall experience, we felt that the admission cost was simply too high for…read morewhat amounted to about a one hour excursion. The novelty of the elevated platform design was very unique but in truth did not justify the ticket price. There are free scenic roadside pullouts with equally spectacular views.

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.

What a cool experience! It's a ferry that takes you to your destination when traveling around…read moreVictoria Harbour. You can totally see why it's needed just by looking at a map of the city. The harbor is divided into 4 active sections. The cruise ships dock at Ogden Point in the Outer Harbour. The water taxi services the Inner, Upper, and Middle Harbour. It's a great transport option that is more affordable than a standard taxi. There can be a wait time. You may want to book a water taxi ahead of time if you're traveling in a group. The boat can only take up to 12 passengers. Our BC Bites & Sights guide booked it in advance so there was only a 10 minute wait at the Fisherman's Wharf pick up point. We saw a couple of sights along the way. There was a great view of the seaplane port, and the Empress Hotel in the Inner Harbor. We also passed under the Johnson Street Bridge with its beautiful aqua blue lights. We arrived to our destination (Mermaid Wharf) in a matter of minutes. Yes, I know we could have walked to Chinatown. It was already part of the tour, so why not? It would have taken longer to walk, and it was a cold & windy day. Some people in our group said it felt like being near the Great Lakes. The wind around Shoal Point was brutal that evening. I'm sure it's much worse in the Winter. It was fun! I think this is considered to be a Top 10 attraction here, and not just a ferry service. They do offer tours of the Inner Harbour as well as the Gorge Waterway. The latter one would be great for wildlife enthusiasts. That's definitely a tour I'd like to take one day.

Such a delightful way to get around Victoria's waterfront…read more These adorable little ferries are such a fun and scenic way to get around. Whether you're hopping between docks or joining a guided tour, the experience feels personal and relaxed. Boats seat just 11-12 passengers, making it a cozy ride with front-row views of the harbor. Even if you're just catching a lift, one-way fares are available and super easy to pay. QR codes at the docks make it seamless, and for those who are old-school, tickets can be purchased from a few local businesses or directly from the captains onboard. We didn't have time to jump on one of their narrated tours through historic waterways and neighborhoods, but it's definitely on our list for next time.