About Victoria Harbor Ferry
Victoria Harbor Ferry operates the fleet of small, brightly painted "pickle boats" that have become an emblem of Victoria's Inner Harbor. Running since 1990, the company combines a hop-on water taxi network with narrated sightseeing cruises, its twelve-passenger vessels weaving between float planes, water taxis and kayakers in one of North America's busiest small harbors. The office is at 343A Bay Street, with departures from docks around the harbor.
The signature 45-minute Harbor Tour circles the Inner Harbor with captain-narrated history of the waterfront, Fisherman's Wharf and the shipyards, while the longer Gorge Tour follows the narrow Gorge waterway upstream past parks, bridges and reversing tidal rapids. Water taxi routes link stops including the Empress dock, Fisherman's Wharf, Songhees and Westbay, letting visitors build their own harbor itinerary. Service runs daily from spring through fall, and boats can be chartered for private groups and special occasions.
The ferries are famous well beyond their practical role: the fleet's synchronized "water ballet" performances have become a beloved harbor spectacle, and for many visitors a ride on the tiny green ferries is as much a Victoria landmark experience as the Empress itself.
