We weren't even planning on getting off the ship but decided to jump off and see if we couldn't…read morepick up a few last minute souvenirs. On the way off the dock we ran into the John T. with Victoria Pedicab Co. who offered us a scenic tour of Victoria and the opportunity to do a little shopping. We figured what the hell, it's more interesting than Uber. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our vacation. John was personable and interesting, friendly and engaging. We got to see all the highlights of the beautiful city, plus the history and stories that went along with it. The historic neighborhoods, the beautiful city park, parliament, and China Town. John stopped at cool places for photos & offered to take pics for us. He also stopped by great shops where we could grab those last minute gifts for family. As the sun went down, he offered a blanket to keep us warm and made sure we saw the magnificent sunset. When it was all over, we felt like we had a decent knowledge of Victoria, and we had a new friend in Canada. If your cruise ship stops in Victoria, I highly recommend taking a trip with the pedicabs, especially if the weather is great. It's well worth your time.

We used them to get to and from our cruise ship, and in both cases our guides were sweet,…read moreinformative, and convivial. Nate took us past some amazing houses, and shared his love of the island and city while steering us into the city. We had a blast with him. On the way back Brian took us a different route so we saw another side of the neighborhoods, and learned about housing on the island. Both were great rides and if you find yourself in Victoria, these fine people will make getting around a dream.

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.

We had a great experience with Tally-Ho. The tour was fun and relaxing, and the staff were friendly…read moreand easy to talk with. They answered questions without making us feel rushed. I especially appreciated how patient they were with older adults in our group. It was a very pleasant way to see part of Victoria.

We had a fabulous 75-minute ride around town. Thank goodness they provided blankets, as it was a…read morecold, windy day. Samson, the handsome horse who brought us around town, was very mild tempered and up to the task. Elijah, our carriage driver was super informative about the history of Victoria and had a very friendly demeanor. We could tell he had a deep respect for Samson. We loved the ride and highly recommend it!

What a top quality historical tour! John Adams is an expert in the history of the Chinese in…read moreVictoria. He was informative, entertaining and incredibly knowledgeable! I went on 3 different tours with his company and they were all great! I especially appreciated the depth of historical knowledge, sensitivity to diverse perspectives and respectful sharing of our history both good and not-so-good. Highly recommended! It felt like an inviting lecture by an expert, not at all a canned presentation by a guide. Bonnie O

Ghost Walk Tour Jill was a great guide through Route 1 of…read moreVictoria. She was knowledgeable and nice, giving us a glimpse of Victoria's haunted past. The tour is a little over an hour and a great low price.

REVIEWER #18…read more Visiting Victoria? Want to head to Butchart Gardens or the Butterfly Garden without renting a car? If you answered yes to all of these questions then CVS tours is definitely the way to go! Super easy, convenient and no driving necessary- for you atleast. I was looking into tour buses that will take me to Butchart Gardens as I was visiting Victoria for two days. I came across CVS Tours on the website: Viator as an option. For less than $55 you get a ride to and from Butchart Gardens, as well as entry in. Can't beat that, right? The buses pick you up right in front of the Empress Hotel, which is located on Government Street, right downtown! They advise you to arrive 10 minutes before your departure time to check in and receive your tickets. I love that the bus that are double decker! It makes the ride so much more fun and interesting as you're able to see the view from up high. Once you get to your destination, the buses drop you off right in the front. You're able to venture out on your own and the buses leave from the destination upon every hour of the hour. The last bus leaves Butchart Gardens at 5 p.m. The ride to The Butchart Gardens was great! The buses are very comfortable and doesn't seem to fill up quickly. During the ride, the drivers usually provide history and helpful information about the Gardens. For the price that you pay and the comfortable seats on the bus, it definitely makes the pricing all worth it! I would for sure recommend that you book through CVS if you plan to visit Butchart Gardens!

Booked a tour with this company to visit Butchart Gardens last Summer in 2019 while visiting the…read morecity of Victoria on a 1 day stop on a cruise ship They have a small booth in front of the Empress Hotel to reserve tours and to be picked up by their buses. We waited for over an hour on the street for their tour bus to come pick us up and were reassured it was "coming soon". After 1 hour we gave up and asked for a refund and wasted time standing around waiting for nothing. They said their tour bus broke down, but we later found out this company went to pick up and take care of cruise ship booked tours. Bottom line is they will simply drop you or leave you stranded if more lucrative or more profitable tours come their way...Buyer beware.

Larry was quick to reply to my emails and the entire booking service was simple. The day we…read morearrived Dale and "Fancy Nancy" were waiting for us on the dock. Fancy Nancy is a 1954 Cadillac. Dale spent about five minutes asking us what we wanted to do with our limited time in Victoria. We came up with a plan and then jumped into Fancy Nancy and off we went. Dale is familiar with the area and gave us a nice overview tour of the city. We opted to go to the Butchart Garden and he waited with the car while we toured. Then after our tour of the Butchart Garden we headed back to town. Then we were able to Craigdarroch Castle . It was closed but Dale did a wonderful job giving us the history of the building and the family. Then we headed to Government Street right in front of the Empress Hotel for views of the Hotel and the Parliament Building. Dale gave us more history of the harbor, the Parliament Building and the Empress hotel while numerous people came up and asked him about Fancy Nancy. Then, sadly it was time to return to port. Dale parked Fancy Nancy in a way we were able to get a picture of her and our cruise ship in the back ground. One of my favorite pics of the day. Overall a fantastic afternoon. It was a perfect way to maximize our time in the city. It was myself, my husband and my 78 year old father. This was the highlight of our Alaska cruise for my dad. He tells everyone about Fancy Nancy. Victoria will be on our short list to come back when we have more time to explore. We more than likely will hire Classic Car again to show us around. Thank you Dale and Fancy Nancy for a wonderful trip and memories.

This was the best tour ever! Larry took me and my girlfriend all over Victoria for about 2 hours…read moreand it was so much fun to hear him talk about the history of this awesome city. His family has lived there for four generations, so he really knows his stuff. He also offered to take lots of pictures of the two of us at the most scenic spots along the tour, and the pics all came out great. Thanks for making our trip unforgettable, Larry! -Zack & Maddie

I cannot recommend their inn to inn biking tour enough! Hannah was a fantastic guide. The…read morepicnics/happy hours were delicious. We saw orcas on our age watching tour. The inn and restaurants were perfect. Totally loved it!

Great guides, but terrible management and false advertising…read more While the actual cycling roads were great and our on-the-ground guides worked hard, TerraTrek/Crystal Seas fell far short of the premium experience they advertise. Management's canned response to their after tour survey reinforced how disengaged they are. The Bad: Tour activities advertised such as "Farm -to-Table" dining and a local winery tasting that didn't happen. The "one night on our own" was 2 nights of buy your own dinner. Zero Behind-the-Scenes Coordination: We were routed to points of interest that were closed. Management clearly didn't coordinate with local businesses for our tour group. Disappointing Meals: Picnic lunches were frequently salads assembled by our guides while we waited --not fulfilling for a bike tour. At our group dinner and breakfast at Friday Harbor House, service was embarrassingly slow once they realized we were a tour group. Management did cancel future sit down breakfasts at a nice restaurant and substitute takeout breakfast sandwiches picked up by the guides. Tour reps did not attend restaurant meals to advocate for us when service and food was subpar. The Good: Our guides were great and did an admirable job managing snacks, lunch prep, and sharing local info. They did the best they could with minimal support from management. Bottom Line: You are paying for a premium guided tour, but getting a poorly coordinated itinerary with subpar meal planning. Management needs to step up.

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.