3 walks to do in Victoria cruise port (free + easy) on your own! Alaska cruise tips

Hi there!

Victoria BC in Canada doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to Alaska cruises.

This is mostly because a lot of Alaska cruises only stop in Victoria for just a short time when it’s already dark out. This really limits what you can do… or what you will want to do.

There’s a maritime law for cruise ships starting in Seattle, San Francisco, or any other US cruise port, to stop in a “foreign country” during a cruise.

So often times for Alaska cruises, Victoria (or less commonly Prince Rupert) is used as a quick stop in the foreign country of Canada to fulfill this requirement, without actually getting much time in port.

So it’s kind of understandable why people think Victoria is a waste of a stop. Some people will even say it’s not worth getting off the ship in Victoria.

But if you’re on a cruise ship that will actually be in Victoria while it’s still light out, it is worth getting off the cruise ship to go for a walk!

So the first thing you want to do is check your cruise itinerary to see how much time you have in Victoria, and during which hours!

You can still go for a walk even if it’s dark out. Your mission will be to see the Parliament Buildings and the Canada sign!

My first time in Victoria, I had a full day in Victoria during my 10-day Alaska cruise from Seattle on the Norwegian Sun.

With the Alaska cruise ports already done by the time the cruise ship arrived in Victoria, I more or less felt like the cruise was over. Alaska was the goal, after all, not Canada.

So I really didn’t feel like doing too much, but I still had a nice walk around Victoria.

Partner websites are included below.

If you have enough time in port, some of the most popular things to do in Victoria are the Butchart Gardens, a whale watching tour, and a seaplane tour.

You can also do a pedicab tour straight from the cruise port, or head to downtown Victoria so you can do a horse-drawn carriage tour.

Now, here’s some walking you can do!

I did this as one long walk, but you can pick and choose one or more of the places below as your destination for your walk in Victoria from the cruise ship!

1. Fisherman’s Wharf

It’s about a 15 minute walk from the cruise port to Fisherman’s Wharf.

This is where you can see some of the houseboats in Victoria.

There are also some food spots.

Google map reviews have people reporting that you might see seals at the fisherman’s wharf in Victoria. I didn’t see any but you may want to be on the lookout for wildlife!

👆 You can walk from Victoria cruise port to see floating homes at Fisherman’s Wharf.

2. Peter Pollen Waterfront Park + David Foster Harbour Pathway

The Peter Pollen Waterfront Park and David Foster Harbour Pathway is a waterfront walkway that I ended up on as I was walking from Fisherman’s Wharf to the parliament buildings.

This is a nice place to walk and there are benches along the way too.

3. British Columbia Parliament Buildings

I walked around the outside of the parliament buildings, basically from the fountain in the front to the fountain at the back.

Along the way to the parliament building was the Victoria Causeway Marina. This is where I got a picture of a totem pole with the parliament building in the background.

If you have a late evening visit, then you’ll also want to see my post about Victoria cruise port at night. (I had another cruise ship visit that was in port past dark.)

If you are only going to do ONE thing with a late evening visit, you want to go to the parliament buildings!

Well, this can be the case if you also just want to take it easy and do one easy thing during the day! Walk around the inner harbour and see the parliament buildings!

👆 You can walk around to the back side of the parliament buildings.

In the summer, you’ll also want to take the steps down and walk alongside the water at the marina so you can see the flowers blooming at the Welcome to Victoria Garden sign! (map)

👆 This is the marina near the parliament buildings with the same totem pole. There are many totem poles in Victoria that you can see.

Victoria cruise port shuttle

It’s possible to walk to downtown Victoria, so you don’t need to take a shuttle from the Victoria cruise port.

But if you don’t want to walk 30 minutes to go downtown, there is a cruise ship shuttle available for a fee.

The shuttle price was listed as around $15 during my cruise in 2023. It was possible to show up and pay. Since the price was listed in both US and Canadian currency, I would think that means you can pay using either.

Victoria walking route map

Here is the general walking route I took: map. This might not be the exact walking route, but I’ve listed some of the key spots mentioned above!

Google maps shows this as a 45 minute walk one way.

After I walked to the fountain at the back of the parliament building, I walked back to the cruise ship.

But if you move the map around, you can see there are more places that you can walk to if you are up for it!

This includes the Royal BC Museum and Beacon Hill Park.

If you zoom into the map and move it around, you’ll see a bunch of different things you can walk to at the park like the Moss Lady and the “World’s tallest free-standing totem pole”!

For a different route back to the cruise ship, see my Victoria totem pole walking route! That walking route goes from the inner harbour to the cruise port, but going a different way, including through Beacon Hill Park and then along the Dallas Road Waterfront Trail to get back. (Even if you don’t care about totem poles so much, it makes for a nice walk so have a look!)

One easy thing near the cruise port that I missed out on my first cruise ship visit is the Breakwater Lighthouse.

This is located right next to the cruise port, so if you’re looking to do something quick and easy from the Victoria cruise port, walking out onto the pier to the Breakwater Lighthouse is something you can think about doing! (map)

👆 The easiest and closest thing to do from Victoria cruise port even if you don’t have much time is a walkway to the Breakwater Lighthouse! (It’s a small light station.)

Once you get off the cruise ship in Victoria and start walking around, you’ll see maps so you can figure out your walking route! Look for these!

Or, you can download the official Victoria map to your phone before you go. Here is a pdf map from the Victoria Visitor Center.

👆 This was a map that I saw almost immediately upon walking off the cruise ship. Look around for the map!

If you have a full day in Victoria, then top attractions you may want to look into (not by walking) are the Butchart Gardens and Craigdarroch Castle (aka “Canada’s Castle”)!

Well, you can walk to Craigdarroch Castle from the cruise port, but it’s a long walk. (1 hour.) But otherwise, there’s a bus that goes there. There’s a bus stop near the cruise port. If you take the shuttle to downtown, then it’s a 30 minute walk from the inner harbour to the castle.

I was in Victoria on October 29, 2023. Your experience may vary!

Since that first cruise ship visit I have had another cruise ship visit, as well as spent a few days (overnights) in Victoria. So for more ideas see my post about more things to do in Victoria without a car.

Also see things to do in Seattle without a car.

More easy walks: Ketchikan | Juneau | Skagway | Icy Strait Point | Sitka | Seattle | Vancouver

More walking: Hiking in Alaska cruise ports

HAPPY WALKING AROUND VICTORIA FROM THE CRUISE SHIP!