Victoria in One Day Sightseeing Tour

A varied and most interesting day. Ours was a small group 4 people and the guide JP. The Castle stop was most interesting. We chose the Butterflies not the Wine Tasting. The Gin Tasting, and our Empress Tea picnic was in a lovely facility. Much more enjoyable and peaceful than if we had had tea at the Empress Tea Room! Thank you JP for a fun day. Pete and Janet.

This could have been a great tour but was completely ruined by our tour guide, Shawn, In the beginning he made two long stops at not very scenic places. He completely missed the historic importance of the first stop and just left us to look at the bluffs. We were late for Craigdarroch Castle which is one of the reasons we took the tour. Then he wasted another 15 minutes because he had no clue how to sign us in. We were late for the gin tasting and the wine tasting. In fact, when we went to the wine tasting, the waiter had no idea who we were and tried to charge us. Our guide Shawn who should have been with the group was outside making phone calls. The woman from the winery had to go find him to tell him we would be late as they didn't have enough staff and were running behind. We again ran late because of this, so our time at Butchard Gardens was also shortened. Shawn told us we could take a later shuttle but that was a full 2 hours later. Also he seemed to have many facts mixed up. He told us the settlers to Victoria in 1846 used the Panama Canal which didn't open until 1914. He told us Craigdarroch Castle was used as a hospital in the 30's for soldiers returning from WWI, which ended in 1918. He gave misinformation about the killer of John Rattenbury stating he went back to prison after fighting in WWI. He actually fought in WWII and then retired to a quiet life. Shawn obviously only knows WWI happened. It's not my job to fact check after a tour, but so little made sense when he was talking that I had to. So while the stops should have been great, poor planning destroyed it, making it a rushed mish mash. The lunch from the Empress Hotel was good.

Confusion in the beginning. The people in charge at the tour signup directed us to the bus. The bus driver took our ticket and told us that was all we needed for the tour. After boarding the bus - we still questioned where the rest of our tickets were to any of the attractions, so we got off the bus - questioned the girl that gave us the ticket and she realized she gave us the wrong ticket. Finally, we connected with our small group in the Mercedes Van and we were off on a wonderful tour. Our tour guide, Chris, was born and raised on the Island and gave us great information and stories about the Island and growing up there. Loved the places he took us and the picnic lunch from the Empress Hotel. We were on our own at the Butchart Gardens which was nice because we wanted to go at our own pace and take photos. We asked him for a dinner recommendation and after giving us several we ended up having him drop us off at The Irish Times - we loved the fish and chips and selection of beer. We watched the World Cup and felt like we were at a party. Everything we did was a must see adventure. It was a very full day just make sure you get on the right bus.

This tour was the best !!! Our driver Gary is one in a million !!! Sounds kinda cheesy but he made the day fabulous!! Thanks Gary

Exceeded expectations. Excellent Mercedes van used to transport customers. The driver/guide was Spence. He knew the area well and had many interesting stories to tell. His timing was exquisite as we managed to avoid large crowds and traffic. The box lunch was from the Fairmont Empress Hotel, a real treat for the eyes and taste buds. Highly recommended. Ask if Spence is the guide for your tour.

We had a good time on this tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating. We saw lots of things we wouldn't have been able to see by ourselves in just one day. The lunch at noon provided by the Fairmont Empress Hotel was delicious. I would highly recommend this tour.

We loved our Victoria in One Day sightseeing tour!! Our guide, Chris, was sooooo knowledgeable and we could never have seen all the sights he showed us on our own. We would definitely recommend Viator!!

We enjoyed this tour. However, we were expecting tea at Buschart Gardens. We ended up touring a distillery and having lunch there. It was an interesting tour, but since we had our young daughter with us it wasn't really appropriate for her. We also had trouble hearing the driver after he turned on the air conditioner on the bus. We were allowed 1 1/2 hours for Buschart Gardens which was a quick visit.

A great full day trip!!!!!