About this experience
Seven stops, one Secret Dish, and enough Pacific seafood, heritage chocolate and barbecue pork to skip lunch: this is how Victoria eats, on foot, in three hours. The route links two neighbourhoods most visitors never connect on their own, Old Town, built on 1858 gold rush money, and Canada's oldest Chinatown, settled after it.
Guests start at a takeaway window on the causeway for seafood chowder eaten standing up (a South Indian dosa replaces it October to March, when the window closes for the season), then move through Old Town for an oil and balsamic tasting, dark chocolate cream from an 1880s chocolatier, and a Fort Street bakery item that changes with the day. A tuna taco at a beer hall in a restored market square leads into Chinatown, where the tour closes with a barbecue pork bun under the carved stone lions of the gate, and a Secret Dish on Tuesday to Saturday departures.
Groups stay small, capped at 12, guided by a local who knows the city's history block by block.
At a glance
- Duration: 3 hr
Plan your experience
Set aside 3 hr for the experience itself, with additional time to reach your meeting or pickup point.
Before you go
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What is included
- South Indian dosa (Oct-Mar)
- Barbecue pork bun at a Chinatown counter
- Our Secret Dish, on Tuesday to Saturday departures
- A dark chocolate cream at a heritage chocolatier
- Local tuna taco
- Seafood chowder (Apr-Sep)
- Sweet or savoury treat depending on the day, at a loved local bakery
- Olive oil and balsamic tasting at a specialist tasting bar
Not included
- Guide's Gratuities
- Pick-up & Drop-off
Itinerary and highlights
The tour meets here, outside the visitor centre, and the first food stop is on the causeway below the boardwalk.
In full view across the water from the first stop, where guests eat standing on the causeway steps.
The other landmark on the harbour skyline from stop one, and the building most responsible for Victoria's afternoon tea reputation.
The route passes through the square on the way inland from the harbour, on the site of the old Fort Victoria bastion. Its public market runs several days a week in the warmer months
A courtyard of restored nineteenth-century buildings, and where the fifth stop sits.
The oldest Chinatown in Canada and the second oldest in North America. The last part of the route runs through it.
The narrowest commercial street in Canada, off Fisgard Street, a few steps from the final stop.
The tour ends under the gate at Fisgard and Government, between the two stone lions carved in Suzhou, one of Victoria's sister cities.
Meeting and pickup information
- Destination Greater Victoria Visitor Centre, on the Inner Harbour. Meet your guide outside the entrance, harbour side.
Languages and tickets
- English — Guide
- Mobile Only
Tour operator
- Secret Food Tours
Meeting points and locations
Accessibility and practical details
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note: the itinerary and menu is subject to change, based on the locations' availability, weather, and other circumstances.
- Please ensure to contact us in advance of the tour for any dietary requirement, to ensure we can cater for them the best we can.
- This tour involves a fair amount of walking; comfortable shoes are recommended.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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