Victoria Inner Harbour: Pub Crawl by Ferry & Local Brews

4.65

(130 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

First thing I noticed was the smell—salty, a bit of seaweed, mixed with that faint tang of beer as we squeezed into the first pub right on Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Our guide, Jamie (who knew everyone behind the bar), waved us in like we were old friends. There was this weird comfort in starting somewhere so familiar but seeing it from the water’s edge, with the Parliament Building lights flickering behind us. I’d never thought about how different Victoria looks when you’re not rushing from place to place on foot.

The real surprise was hopping onto those tiny harbour ferries between stops. I mean, you’d think it’d be touristy, but honestly? It felt more like sneaking into a secret part of the city. The wind whipped my hair as we zipped past float homes painted every color you could imagine—one even had a plastic flamingo wearing sunglasses. Fisherman’s Wharf smelled like fried potatoes and brine; I still remember the crunch of those wedges and watching seaplanes land so close you could almost feel their engines humming in your chest.

One of the pubs had live music—some guy strumming old Tragically Hip covers while locals argued about hockey scores at the bar. Jamie kept tossing out trivia questions (I got one right about BC breweries, which earned me a free sticker). By then, most of us were laughing too much to keep track of who was winning what. The last stop was this old brick brewery near Chinatown, all creaky floors and windows looking out at that blue bridge. Something about ending there made it feel less like a tour and more like we’d just spent an evening out with friends—strange ones you only met three hours ago.