Victoria is a port of call on Pacific Northwest and Alaska cruise itineraries from April through October, with Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess, and Holland America among the lines calling there.
Perched on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is British Columbia's capital and a city long shaped by its British colonial past, from the ivy-clad Fairmont Empress Hotel to the manicured lawns fronting the Inner Harbour. Double-decker buses, horse-drawn carriages, and afternoon tea traditions lend the city an old-world air, while totem poles and museums nearby speak to deep Indigenous and maritime histories along this stretch of the Salish Sea.
Just outside the city, the Butchart Gardens unfold across more than fifty acres of sunken gardens, rose walks, and seasonal blooms, a favorite excursion for those with time beyond the harbor. The surrounding waters draw wildlife-watching trips in search of orcas, seals, and eagles amid the Gulf Islands. The Inner Harbour sits within easy walking distance of the pier, making the historic core, waterfront shops, and cafés simple to reach on foot.
Pavlus Recommendations
How our planners would spend a day in Victoria.
High Tea at the Empress
Take afternoon tea beneath the ivy-clad Fairmont Empress, a century-old ritual of scones and finger sandwiches overlooking the Inner Harbour; book ahead, as seatings fill quickly.
Wander Butchart Gardens
Roam the sunken gardens, rose walks, and Japanese garden of this fifty-acre estate outside town, best reached by a short excursion or taxi since it lies beyond easy walking distance of the pier.
Scan the Salish Sea for Orcas
Join a small-boat wildlife trip through the Gulf Islands in search of orcas, seals, and eagles, a two-to-three-hour outing best booked before arrival for limited spots.
