Organized Tours

Bus Tours

Gray Line of Victoria, 700 Douglas St. (tel. 800/663-8390 or 250/388-6539; www.grayline.ca), conducts a number of tours of Victoria and Butchart Gardens. The 1 1/2-hour "Grand City Tour" costs C$21 (US$17/£9) for adults and C$10 (US$9/£4.50) for children ages 5 to 11. There are daily departures throughout the year, usually at 12:30 and 2:30pm. For other tours, check the website.

Specialty Tours

Victoria Harbour Ferries, 922 Old Esquimalt Rd. (tel. 250/708-0201; www.victoriaharbourferry.com), offers a terrific 45-minute harbor tour for C$20 (US$17/£9) adults, C$18 (US$16/£7) seniors, and C$10 (US$8/£4.50) for children under 12. Harbor tours depart from seven stops around the Inner Harbour every 15 or 20 minutes daily 10am to 5:30 (May-Sept daily 9am-8pm). If you wish to stop for food or a stroll, you can get a token good for reboarding at any time during the same day. A 50-minute Gorge Tour takes you to the gorge opposite the Johnson Street Bridge, where tidal falls reverse with each change of the tide. The price is the same as for the harbor tour; June through September, gorge tours depart from the dock in front of The Fairmont Empress every half-hour 9am to 8:15pm; at other times the tours operate less frequently, depending on the weather. The ferries are 12-person, fully enclosed boats, and every seat is a window seat.

Heritage Tours and Daimler Limousine Service, 713 Bexhill Rd. (tel. 250/474-4332; www.islandnet.com/~daimler), guides you through the city, Butchart Gardens, and Craigdarroch Castle in a six-passenger British Daimler limousine. Rates start at C$75 (US$63/£34) for the Daimler per hour per vehicle (not per person). Also available are stretch limos that seat 8 to 10 people, starting at C$85 (US$72/£38) per hour per vehicle.

The bicycle-rickshaws operated by Kabuki Kabs, 613 Herald St. (tel. 250/385-4243; www.kabukikabs.com), can usually be found on the causeway in front of The Fairmont Empress or hailed in the downtown area. Prices for a tour are C$1 (US85¢/45p) per minute for a two-person cab.

Tallyho Horse-Drawn Tours, 2044 Milton St. (tel. 250/383-5067; www.tallyhotours.com), has conducted tours of Victoria in horse-drawn carriages and trolleys since 1903. Horse-drawn trolley and carriage excursions start at the corner of Belleville and Menzies streets. Fares for the trolley are C$15 (US$13/£7) for adults, C$11 (US$9/£5) for students, C$8 (US$7/£3.60) for children 17 and under. Trolley tours operate daily every 30 minutes 9am to 3pm during summer. An assortment of private carriage tours (maximum six people) are available throughout the year and in the summer from 10am to 10pm; cost runs from C$40 (US$34/£18) for 15 minutes, or C$200 (US$170/£90) for 1 1/2 hours.

To get a bird's-eye view of Victoria, take a 30-minute tour with Harbour Air Seaplanes, 1234 Wharf St. (tel. 800/665-0212 or 250/384-2215; www.harbour-air.com). Rates are C$99 (US$84/£45) per person. For a romantic evening, try the "Fly and Dine" to Butchart Gardens deal; C$215 (US$183/£97) per person includes the flight to the gardens, admission, dinner, and a limousine ride back to Victoria.

Fresh Air Tours Ltd. (tel. 877/868-7790; www.freshairtours.com) offers year-round scenic sightseeing minicoach and cycling tours to Victoria's highlights, wineries, Butchart Gardens, the town of Sidney, Salt Spring Island, All Fun Recreation Park waterslides, and seasonal tours such as the Halloween pumpkin patch and Christmas lights. The company provides complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off; on cycling tours, bicycles, helmets, and support van are provided.

Victoria's Cemetery Tours -- The Old Cemetery Society of Victoria (tel. 250/598-8870; www.oldcem.bc.ca) runs regular cemetery tours throughout the year. Particularly popular are the Lantern Tours of the Old Burying Ground, which begin at the Cherry Bank Hotel, 845 Burdett St., at 9pm nightly in July and August. The tour lasts about 1 hour. On Sundays throughout the year, the Society offers historically focused tours of Ross Bay Cemetery. Tours depart at 2pm from Starbucks in the Fairfield Plaza, 1516 Fairfield Rd., across from the cemetery gate. Both tours are C$5 (US$4.25/£2.25) per person.

Walking Tours

If you'd prefer to have a guide, Victoria Bobby Walking Tours (tel. 250/995-0233; www.walkvictoria.com) offers a leisurely story-filled walk around Old Town with a former English bobby as guide. Tours depart at 11am daily, May through September 15, from the Visitor Centre on the Inner Harbour; cost is C$15 (US$13/£7) per person.

Discover the Past (tel. 250/384-6698; www.discoverthepast.com) organizes interesting walks year-round. In the summer, Ghostly Walks explores Victoria's haunted Old Town, Chinatown, and historic waterfront; tours depart from the front of the Visitor Info Centre on Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm from October through May, and nightly at 7:30 and 9:30pm from June through September. The cost is C$12 (US$10/£5) adults, C$10 (US$8/£4.50) seniors and students, C$8 (US$7/£3.60) children 6 to 10, and C$30 (US$25/£13) for families. Check the website for other walks.

The name says it all for Walkabout Historical Tours (tel. 250/592-9255; www.walkabouts.ca). Charming guides lead tours of The Fairmont Empress, Victoria's Chinatown, Antique Row, and Old Town Victoria, or will help you with your own itinerary. The Empress Tour costs C$10 (US$8/£4.50) and begins at 10am daily in the Empress Tea Lobby. Other tours have different prices and starting points.

The Victoria Heritage Foundation, No. 1 Centennial Square (tel. 250/383-4546; vhf@pinc.com), offers the excellent free pamphlet James Bay Heritage Walking Tour. The well-researched pamphlet (also available at the Visitor Info Centre) describes a self-guided walking tour through the historic James Bay neighborhood.

Ecotours

The 2-hour wilderness cruise departing from the marina and ecoadventure center at Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa (tel. 888/544-2079 or 250/652-3151), provides an extremely informative and enjoyable exploration of Finlayson Inlet, a deep fjord with a fascinating history. On the cruise it's not uncommon to spot eagles, seals, and sometimes whales. A marine biologist provides the commentary. Cost is C$60 (US$51/£27) per person; cruises are daily in summer, and only on the weekends in the winter; call for departure times.