10 things to do in Victoria Canada without a car (from a cruise ship!)

Hi there!

I’ve been to Victoria by cruise ship 3 times, and I’ve also stayed a few nights in Victoria when I arrived by ferry and departed by ferry!

So, I’ve had the chance to do a bunch of things in Victoria. I got around Victoria by walking and by bus.

This means that I have many activity ideas for you!

If you only have a few hours in the evening, that does limit your activity choices, but it’s still worth doing a 1.5 hour walk from the cruise ship to take a few iconic evening pictures.

Or, if you just don’t feel like going far from the cruise port because you’re at the end of your Alaska cruise and you just want to take it easy, you can go for a short walk from the cruise port along the coast nearby!

The Victoria cruise port is located in a pretty convenient spot, so there are a few things that you can walk to from the cruise port. The more you are willing to walk, the more choices you have!

Otherwise, there is a bus stop located near the cruise port, and there’s also a cruise ship shuttle that will take you to downtown.

 

There are partner websites that are listed below.

 

I have been to Victoria on the Norwegian Sun (Alaska cruise), Majestic Princess (California coastal cruise), and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth (Japan to Alaska cruise). All of these cruise ship visits had long days in port.

I also have gotten to Victoria on BC ferries (from Vancouver) and the Coho ferry (from Port Angeles aka gateway to Olympic National Park without a car), and have left Victoria on the FRS Clipper ferry (to Seattle).

You can even stay in Victoria before a cruise from Vancouver. You can arrange transportation to get you directly from Victoria to the Vancouver cruise port on the day of your cruise. (Or you can do it on your own by bus/taxi and ferry.)

 

👆 Walking through the Butchart Gardens is one of the most popular things to do in Victoria.

 

👆 You can do a seaplane tour in Victoria.

 

👆 Walking around the Parliament Buildings is one of the best things to do in Victoria for free.

 

I was most recently in Victoria in June 2025.

Here are things to know about Victoria!

Note that dollars mentioned are in Canadian dollars. Canadian $10 is around US$7.

 

 

1. Butchart Gardens (popular excursion or on your own)

One of the tops things that Victoria is known for is Butchart Gardens.

This is one of the most popular Victoria excursions, and Victoria is known for its gardens, and Butchart Gardens is the most famous.

It’s also a national historic site of Canada.

You can spend a few hours walking through the different gardens or just sitting around surrounded by the plants and flowers.

 

👆 It’s a nice walk through the Sunken Garden.

 

👆 More walking in the Sunken Garden.

 

👆 Walking around Butchart Gardens.

 

👆 You’ll see a variety of flowers.

 

👆 There’s a Japanese Garden at Butchart Gardens.

 

👆 You can see totem poles in Victoria at Butchart Gardens.

 

 

How to get to Butchart Gardens

If you only have a short time in port, I think it’s best to do this as an excursion directly through the cruise ship.

If time is not as big of a concern because you have a longer time in Victoria, and you would rather have the transportation planning done for you, you can book a day trip tour to Butchart Gardens (admission ticket included).

There is also a shuttle to Butchart Gardens (admission cost not included) but there seem to be mixed reviews about it, with some saying there’s not enough time at the gardens and/or being concerned about not enough first come first served seats on the way back.

Otherwise, then it’s also possible to go to Butchart Gardens on your own from the cruise ship through public transportation.

The cheapest way to get to Butchart Gardens is on your own by bus. It’s $6 for a day pass for the bus. See current bus fare.

There’s a bus stop located right at the Butchart Gardens entry. (map)

You can also go by public transportation one way and then uber or taxi back. When I went there were lots of taxis waiting at Butchart Gardens.

It’s $35 per person for the entry fee. Plus you’ll want an extra $8 for gelato at the gardens. 😉

See current garden admissions fee.

There is free luggage storage at Butchart Gardens, so if you have an overnight in Victoria, you can take a ferry from Vancouver with your luggage and make the gardens your first stop before heading to your accommodation! (That’s what I did!)

Butchart Gardens is also something people do even when staying in Vancouver. You can do it on your own, or there are day tours to Butchart Gardens from Vancouver. Be prepared for a long day!

 

I took the bus plenty in Victoria. After you know a few things, it’s pretty easy (and cheap!) to take the bus.

Basically, make sure you have exact change for the bus fare, use google maps to figure out the bus stops, follow along on google maps with GPS while on the bus to know when to get off, and pull the yellow cord when your stop is next! If you have any questions, Victoria bus drivers are really nice so you can ask them!

 

 

2. Inner Harbour and Parliament buildings (free on your own)

The Parliament Buildings of Victoria are one of the most famous icons of Victoria.

So it’s a must-visit in Victoria to go to the Inner Harbour and Parliament Buildings, which are located right near each other in downtown Victoria.

 

👆 You can walk around the parliament buildings.

 

👆 You can see a totem pole walking around.

 

👆 You’ll want to walk the Inner Harbour Pathway.

 

👆 You can see a totem pole at the inner harbour.

 

Even if you have a short time in Victoria cruise port in the evening, your thing to do will be to see the Parliament buildings!

You’ll be able to see it even at night, because it’s lit up with lights starting at sunset. The fountain out front is also lit up.

So these can make for iconic pictures of Victoria. See more about Victoria at night.

 

 

Walking around the Inner Harbour

Walking from the cruise ship to the Inner Harbour and Parliament Buildings is about a 30 minute walk. (map)

On google maps, the landmark for the parliament buildings is the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

You can make it a 1.5 hour walk by walking from the cruise ship to the inner harbour and parliament buildings, around the area, and then back to the cruise port.

If you’re at the inner harbour, you won’t want to miss getting a picture with the Canada sign! (map)

If you are walking from the cruise port to downtown Victoria, then you can take a slight detour to Fishermans Wharf too.

 

👆 Fishermans Wharf is within walking distance of Victoria cruise port.

 

👆 You can go and see the Victoria houseboats of Fishermans Wharf.

 

Also located at the inner harbour is the Fairmont Empress hotel where you can go for afternoon tea. Read the reviews for the hotel.

For more afternoon tea spots, you might also be interested in the Abkhazi Garden teahouse.

 

Cruise port to downtown Victoria

If you don’t want to walk, there is also a bus stop near the cruise port so you can go from the cruise ship to the parliament buildings and downtown Victoria by bus. (map)

There is also a paid cruise ship shuttle that goes to downtown Victoria from the cruise port.

 

👆 There is a cruise ship shuttle to downtown Victoria. In 2024, the Victoria cruise port shuttle was $18 round trip.

 

 

Walking in Victoria

Create your own themed route!

• Gardens in Victoria
• Totem poles in Victoria

 

 

3. Craigdarroch Castle

The Craigdarroch Castle is an iconic castle in Victoria that is a national historic site of Canada.

You can go inside the castle through a self-guided tour that is $23 per person. See current fees.

The castle is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so you can’t go inside for a tour on these days. But even if it’s closed you can still see the castle from the outside. It’s in a residential neighborhood.

While going inside costs money, it’s free to go and see Craigdarroch Castle from the outside.

 

👆 You can see the Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria for free from the outside.

 

 

Craigdarroch Castle by bus

You can see Craigdarroch Castle as part of the Victoria castles and neighborhoods bike tour.

Otherwise, you can go to the Craigdarroch Castle on your own by bus. (map)

 

Things to do near Craigdarroch Castle

Gardens: After you’ve checked out the castle, you can walk 5 minutes over to the Government House for a nice walk through the gardens there! (map)

Food: For a historic food spot in Victoria, you can eat at Christie’s Carriage House Pub which is a 20 minute walk from the castle. (map + reviews)

 

👆 It’s free to walk through the Government House gardens.

 

👆 You can walk around Government House.

 

👆 There’s a rose garden at Government House.

 

👆 You can take an easy stroll through the Government House gardens and stop to smell the roses!

 

👆 There are a variety of plants and flowers.

 

👆 Cary Castle Mews is a collection of historic buildings.

 

👆 You can see a totem pole at Government House. This is a replica. Be sure to see the original (and the story about it!) at Cary Castle Mews.

 

 

4. Dallas Road Waterfront Trail

The Dallas Road Waterfront Trail stretches for miles along the shoreline in Victoria.

This means that there are many places that you can access it.

You can walk to it from the cruise port and Beacon Hill Park, among other places.

If walking from the cruise port, you’ll walk towards the Breakwater Walkway, and then shortly you’ll be on the Dallas Road Waterfront Trail. You can continue walking to the Holland Point Shoreline Trail, which branches off from the Dallas Road Waterfront Trail. (map)

And/or you can walk the waterfront trail to get to Beacon Hill Park! (map)

 

👆 The Dallas Road Waterfront Trail is a paved path where you can walk for miles along the shoreline.

 

👆 Walking to the Holland Point Shoreline Trail from Dallas Road Waterfront Trail.

 

👆 Walking the Holland Point trail.

 

👆 You can look for fun rocks at Victoria beaches.

 

 

Along the Dallas Road Waterfront Trail, there are also many beaches that you can stop by along the way. These are not your typical sandy beaches, but rocky beaches. These are more places that you can look for fun pebbles and rocks on the beach!

 

👆 You can access the water from the Dallas Road Waterfront Trail.

 

👆 You can look for fun rocks at the many beaches along the waterfront trail.

 

👆 You can see mile 0 of the Trans-Canada Highway near the Dallas Road Waterfront Trail.

 

 

5. Breakwater Lighthouse

An easy thing you can do from the cruise ship if you want to take it easy is walk out to the breakwater lighthouse, which is more like a small light station at the end of the walkway.

 

 

Your cruise ship will be docking at Ogden Point, and the pier out to the light station is located right nearby.

Your landmark for google maps can be the Ogden Point sundial.

From there, you can walk out onto the pier to the light station. (map)

I saw people snorkeling alongside the walkway! Similar to snorkeling in Alaska, they were decked out in cold water swimming gear. It looked like they were collecting sea urchins.

Yes, you can do a snorkeling tour in Alaska! 🤣 You can even do a snorkeling tour in Vancouver too!

 

 

6. Beacon Hill Park

Beacon Hill Park is another one of the parks in Victoria that can make for a nice walk.

 

👆 You can go for an easy walk in Beacon Hill Park.

 

👆 There’s a garden that you can walk through.

 

 

You can make it a part of a loop from the cruise port that includes downtown Victoria.

You can walk from Victoria cruise port by taking the Dallas Road Waterfront Trail to get to Beacon Hill Park.

Your destination landmark when coming from the waterfront side of the park can be the Beacon Hill totem pole, and then from there you can continue walking throughout the park… and then to the parliament buildings and the inner harbour! (map)

Or, you can go in the opposite direction! Maybe you want to first go to Fishermans Wharf, then to the inner harbour and parliament buildings, then to Thunderbird Park, and then you can make your way to Beacon Hill Park.

Your destination landmark when coming from the downtown side of the park can be the stone bridge. (map)

There are horse-drawn carriage tours to Beacon Hill Park.

 

 

7. Hatley Castle + Hatley Park gardens (free + on your own)

The Hatley Castle is another castle you can visit in Victoria that is a national historic site.

There is also the Hatley Park gardens that you can walk through next to the castle.

Hatley Castle is located further away than Craigdarroch Castle so you’ll need more time to get to it.

You can go inside the castle through a guided tour.

You can walk through the gardens even without a tour.

Hatley Park (and therefore the castle and gardens) are located on a university campus but anyone can visit.

 

👆 Hatley Castle National Historic Site in Victoria.

 

👆 Walking around Hatley Park.

 

👆 You can go for a walk in Hatley Park Gardens.

 

 

Hatley Castle by bus

You can go to Hatley Castle by bus.

The bus stop near Hayley Castle and the gardens is a 20 minute walk away. (map)

 

For more gardens, you may be interested in the Gardens at HCP.

 

 

8. Fort Rodd Hill + Fisgard Lighthouse national historic sites (on your own)

Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse are located on the same grounds with the same entry.

These are national park sites managed by Parks Canada.

Parks Canada is the Canadian equivalent of the National Park Service in the US.

This can be a combined history and nature visit!

You can walk around learning about what Fort Rodd Hill used to be like, and you can also go and take a walk out to the shoreline stepping over the driftwood and look for fun rocks on the beach.

 

👆 You can go to a national park site when you go to Victoria.

 

👆 You can walk around at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site.

 

👆 You can visit Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site.

 

👆 There is shoreline access at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse.

 

👆 You can look for fun rocks at the beach.

 

👆 You can see the lighthouse from the beach. (You can walk up to it too.)

 

 

 

Fort Rodd Hill by bus

You can go to Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse by bus.

The bus stop near Fort Rodd Hill is a 30 to 40 minute walk away from the national site entry. (map)

 

I walked from Hatley Castle to Fort Rodd Hill.

With the walking around the castle, the walking around Fort Rodd Hill, and the walking between the places… it’s a lot of walking! So just be prepared to walk a lot if you want to do both, but it can be done. I did this during a cruise ship visit when I had a long day in port.

I just followed google maps for walking directions. (map)

I did check the uber app when I was at Hatley Castle, and there were uber drivers available.

 

 

9. Victoria’s Chinatown National Historic Site of Canada

Parks Canada says the Chinatown in Victoria is the oldest Chinatown in Canada.

Chinatown is in downtown Victoria. You can go for a quick walk around by walking past the main gate and then onto Fan Tan Alley (it’s short), or stay a little longer to check out the shops.

 

👆 Walk through the main gate of Victoria’s Chinatown National Historic Site in downtown Victoria!

 

👆 Walk through the narrow Fan Tan Alley when you are in Chinatown in downtown Victoria.

 

Walking to Chinatown

You can make Chinatown a part of a Victoria food tour through the hidden Chinatown and old town food tour.

Otherwise, it’s easy to go to Chinatown on your own. It’s in downtown Victoria, and you can walk 15 minutes to get to Chinatown from the inner harbour and parliament buildings. (map)

 

 

10. Thunderbird Park

Totem poles are unique to the northwestern region of North America, and that includes Victoria! (And Alaska!)

They are created by natives of the region. (Or people of “First Nations” as they are called in Canada.)

There are many places you can see totem poles in Victoria, and if you want to see a few of them in one spot, then an easy place to see them in downtown Victoria is Thunderbird Park.

 

👆 You can walk to see totem poles in Victoria at Thunderbird Park.

 

 

Walking to Thunderbird Park

Thunderbird Park is in downtown Victoria, and it’s an easy 5 minute walk from the inner harbour. (map)

The Royal BC Museum is right near Thunderbird Park.

 

There are also lots of totem poles to be seen during your Alaska cruise! Look for totem poles in Alaska!

 

 

More ideas for your travels

You can make it a Vancouver Victoria Seattle trip! (With an Alaska cruise starting from either Vancouver or Seattle. 😁 There are also one-way cruises that end in Vancouver. You can start your cruise from Anchorage Alaska.)

I took a ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, then I took another ferry from Victoria to Seattle.

• Things to do in Vancouver
• Things to do in Seattle

 

HAPPY PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO VICTORIA!