The port of Victoria, Canada is located on Vancouver Island in southwest Canada. Victoria is a popular cruise ship port of call on many Alaska itineraries partly because it’s located not far from the city of Vancouver. It is a beautiful city with a number of things to see and do and is only a short ferry ride or plane trip away from the city of Vancouver.
Where Your Ship Docks
Most cruise ships now dock at the cities port facilities within walking distance of downtown. There is a terminal with public facilities and taxis are usually available.
Wheelchair Accessibility
Disembarking – This port has a developed cruise ship pier but the ease of disembarking varies by the individual ships gangway designs. The Victoria pier disembarks in a mostly residential neighborhood with about a mile trip into downtown. For passengers using wheelchairs there can be a moderate ramp incline to deal with.
Port Area Characteristics – This port has an average wheelchair infrastructure typical of large cities. The port area has moderate inclines in sidewalks. Intersection crosswalks may have a few curbs or other wheelchair obstacles.
Transportation
Taxis are readily available and local bus service is provided by the Victoria Regional Transit System, a fleet of modern single and double-decker buses that offer frequent service to Victoria BC’s main attractions. LINK HERE.
Typical options for bus fares include:
Cash Fare C$2.50 Single boarding only – No Transfers. Drivers do not carry change.
10 Tickets C$22.50
DayPass C$5.00 and are only available on bus. Drivers do not carry change.
There are also water taxis and float planes available on the cities waterfront.
Vancouver Island is connected by a regional ferry service with frequent service to the city of Vancouver. The ferry terminals serving Vancouver and other areas are located almost an hour out of town.
There is a combined service for trips to Vancouver cruise terminal that offers one fare to take a bus from Victoria, the ferry to Vancouver and a bus over to the Canada Place Terminal.
If you need to go from Victoria to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal you can use BC Transit or take a private shuttle to the ferry terminal with the BC Ferries Connector.
Money
The local currency is the Canadian Dollar and unlike the cities in the east of Canada US Dollars are not generally accepted. If they do take the US Dollar expect them to charge an additional amount in addition to current exchange rates. Most credit cards are welcome and ATMs are common.
Attractions
The Butchart Gardens – Located in Brentwood Bay, near Victoria. The gardens receive over a million visitors each year. The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
Chinatown – It is the oldest Chinatown in Canada and the second oldest in North America after San Francisco’s. Victoria’s Chinatown had its beginnings in the mid-nineteenth century in the mass influx of miners from California to what is now British Columbia in 1858. It remains an active place and continues to be popular with residents and visitors.
BC Museum – Founded in 1886, the Royal British Columbia Museum consists of The Province of British Columbia’s natural and human history museum as well as the British Columbia Provincial Archives.
The Victoria Bug Zoo – This unique facility is a two-room minizoo that is located in downtown Victoria, just one block north of the Fairmont Empress Hotel.
Victoria is also home to several architectural landmarks and parks of note and offers a number of great pubs and cafes.
Vancouver Island is now home to a very good and growing number of vineyards with a number of wine country tours available. Winemaking began on Vancouver Island in the 1920s, with fruit wine, honey wine (mead) and still and sparkling wine from grapes. A government research project in the 1980s, tasked with identifying grape varietals that could thrive in the maritime climate, that really fueled Vancouver Island’s modern wineries. Today the Island boasts around thirty wineries, from the Comox Valley on the northeast coast down to Sooke, near the southern tip.
Read our article about disembarking in Victoria and taking the ferry over to Vancouver to beat the Jones Act (technically it’s the Passenger Vessel Services Act) HERE.
A popular port of call on Alaska cruises, Victoria is located on Vancouver Island and features great gardens, nearby wine country, and much to see in its own right.
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