Victoria Waterfront on Foot

You can walk most of the way around Victoria's waterfront from Westbay Marina on the Outer Harbour's north shore, to Ross Bay on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The entire 11-km (7-mile) route takes several hours, but it passes many of the city's sights and great scenery. Waterfront pubs and cafés supply sustenance; ferries and buses offer transport as needed. A new bridge should replace the Johnson Street Bridge by late 2015.

Begin with a ride on Harbour Ferries to Westbay Marina, the start of Westsong Way. This 3-km (2-mile) pedestrian path follows the Vic West waterfront to the Johnson Street Bridge. The views across the harbor are rewarding, as is a stop at the waterfront Spinnakers Brewpub. Harbour Ferries stop at Spinnakers and at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort, so you can choose to start from either point.

Once across the bridge, you can detour to Chinatown and Market Square, turn right and head south on Wharf Street toward the Inner Harbour, or turn right again at Yates (a "Downtown Walk" sign shows the way) and follow the waterfront. The route runs past floatplane docks and whale-watching outfitters to the Inner Harbour Causeway. Snack options en route include fish tacos at Red Fish Blue Fish—a waterfront take-out spot—or burgers and fish-and-chips at The Flying Otter—a café floating at the seaplane dock. Starting from the Visitor Information Centre, this waterfront walkway—busy all summer with street entertainers and crafts and snack vendors—curves around the Inner Harbour. It's only about a quarter-mile around, but the walk could take a while if you stop to watch all the torch jugglers and caricature artists. The Fairmont Empress, the Royal BC Museum, and the Parliament Buildings are all here—just across the road from the water.

Detour along Belleville Street past the ferry terminals and pick the path up where it enters Laurel Point Park just past the Clipper terminal. From here, the route leads through the pretty waterfront park and past a marina to Fisherman's Wharf, where you can stop for fish-and-chips on the dock or grab a ferry back downtown. To keep going, follow Dallas Road to the Ogden Point Cruise Ship terminal, where you can walk out on the breakwater for a view of the ships or grab a snack on the ocean-view deck at the Ogden Point Café.

You're now on the shore of Juan de Fuca Strait, where a footpath—the Dallas Road Waterfront Trail—runs another 6.5 km (4 miles) along clifftops past Beacon Hill Park to the historic cemetery at Ross Bay. Dog walkers, joggers, and kite flyers are usually out in force on the grassy clifftop; stairways lead down to pebbly beaches. A hike north through Beacon Hill Park will get you back downtown. You can also do this route by bike, though you'll have to follow the streets running parallel to the waterfront, as most of the pathway is pedestrian-only. The ride along Dallas Road and through Beacon Hill Park has the least traffic.

If you have a car, the Scenic Marine Drive starts at Ogden Point on Dallas Road (you can also pick it up at the foot of Douglas Street) and follows the shores of Juan de Fuca and Haro straits, offering views of Washington's Olympic Mountains across the water and glimpses of beautiful seaside homes. The drive runs past Beacon Hill Park to Oak Bay, with its marina, seafood restaurant, and waterfront coffee bar, to Willows Beach Park at the foot of Dalhousie Street. It then winds through the Uplands—said to have more millionaires per square kilometer than anywhere else in Canada—past Cadboro Bay Beach and through Mount Douglas Park to the stretch of sand at Cordova Bay. Cordova Bay Road joins Highway 17, which leads back to town or north to Sidney. You can follow this route by bike as well (follow the Seaside Touring Route signs). At Cordova Bay, you can pick up the Lochside Trail, a car-free path that you can follow downtown or up to the Saanich Peninsula.