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Alternative Excursions in Victoria


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We have a full day in Victoria coming up this summer. Looking for any suggestions on something to do other than whale watching and Butchart gardens. I don't plan on booking any ship sponsored excursions. I would like to just explore more on our own. Is Chinatown worth spending time at? What other suggestions can you guys provide?

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I just returned home and had the best time in Victoria. I started by walking to the Waterfront and had lunch at The Fish Store. I walked into town and visited the shops along Government Street. Then I walked to the public market. I wish I had been hungry as they have many choices for food. I did get the largest meringue I had ever seen at the bakery and spent quite a bit of time in Olive the Senses. They have a large selection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars that you can taste. They have a sampler pack where you get 6 oils/vinegars for $28. Shipping to the states is only $20 no matter what you buy so I bought gifts there. I walked back down Government Street and bought some Roger’s Choclates and t-shirts at Cowichan Trading Company. These aren’t your run of the mill shirts as they feature artworks from Native Artists on them. They also have a gallery of Native carvings in the back that are beautiful. Finally, I walked back to the Empress and took a water taxi to the wharf. I walked 9.5 miles and had a blast!

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We have a full day in Victoria coming up this summer. Looking for any suggestions on something to do other than whale watching and Butchart gardens. I don't plan on booking any ship sponsored excursions. I would like to just explore more on our own. Is Chinatown worth spending time at? What other suggestions can you guys provide?

 

We didn't have a full day in Victoria but took a cab from the port to Chinatown ($12 CDN) and walked around a bit - checked out Fan Tan Alley and then had dinner at Wah Lai Yuen. Its the oldest Chinatown in Canada and the second oldest in N America and has some funky features - street lamps, bike racks and trash cans, but its not really something you would want to spend a whole lot of time at. Its not very big but sorta kinda interesting. We walked back to the Inner Harbor and checked out The Empress.

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Have been to Victoria many times (one of our favorite cities!)--I looked for something a little different and booked the Taste of Victoria walking tour. Starts at the Public Market and goes to many of the vendors that CynCyn mentioned. Wasn't too bad price wise--$49 CA per person.

 

 

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Have been to Victoria many times (one of our favorite cities!)--I looked for something a little different and booked the Taste of Victoria walking tour. Starts at the Public Market and goes to many of the vendors that CynCyn mentioned. Wasn't too bad price wise--$49 CA per person.

 

 

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Where did you book this tour from? That sounds like a lot of fun.

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Where did you book this tour from? That sounds like a lot of fun.

 

I booked the tour through atasteofvictoriafoodtours.com. They offer two tours a day--one at 11 and the other at 2--and lasts about 2.5 hours. We are going on the afternoon tour and then going pub crawling downtown afterwards. We're in Victoria on Sunday, June 3.

 

I would suggest you read the reviews of the tour on tripadvisor. There are pictures and more detail about the tour.

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We are in from 8 am - 5 pm. We're renting electric bikes from Ride the Glide. Looks like a blast. Like you, we wanted to venture out on our own and do some exploring, but wanted to make the most of our time, so we found the electric bike rental that will meet us right at the pier. 8 hrs for about $85 US. Not bad!!

 

We plan on riding along the coast for a bit then turning into town, heading to the Public Market, China Town, then restaurant/bar hopping our way back to the pier. Cannot wait!! Hope the weather is nice!

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  • 4 weeks later...

The wife and I spent two nights in Victoria at two different hotels summer 2016. The Oswego close to the ferry terminal then over to the Delta on the other side of the bay. We never used a car/bus and walked everywhere during our time there....I'm sixty with a new hip and was able to walk everywhere. We are ported there this September and are planning to just walk into town....it looks doable.

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