Tours in Vancouver

Discovery West Aviation's commercially licensed pilots sail passengers through the air on charters, private lessons, and tours above urban and rural areas sprawling out toward the horizon. In private flight or commercially based lessons, flight instructors put students at the controls of Cessna C-172 or C-150 planes, explaining flight basics before teaching their protégés how to hide from gravity. During charters, professionals take the helm of the winged craft to soar over sites such as downtown Victoria with its watery inlets and architectural outcroppings or high above the banks of Campbell River with its snowy mountain peaks and views of eagles slicing through neighbouring clouds. Discovery West recently purchased Island Pacific Flight Academy, acquiring some of their fleet as well as a greater understanding of avian sign language.

Vancouver native Jewel Taylor envisioned Taste Vancouver Food Tours as a fun and informative introduction to some of the finest restaurants in her historic city. Centered on the city's oldest neighbourhood, Gastown, these tours are designed for groups or private parties and are guided by none other than Captain John "Gassy Jack" Deighton, as played by professional actor Tom Daley. Tours take in such historic landmarks as Rogers' Chocolates, established in 1885, and the city's only steam clock, where guests can get seconds for free.

Iconic buildings rise up on either side of tour groups as they trail guides who regale them with stories and historical insights. Traversing a total of 12 Victoria and Vancouver neighbourhoods, the Architectural Institute of British Columbia’s walking architecture tours illuminate pivotal and noteworthy structures throughout the city. In Victoria, explorers can ramble through Chinatown—the oldest Chinatown in the nation—or feel the waterfront breeze as it braids their hair on the famous harbour’s inner shores. Alternatively, Vancouver tourists can embed themselves in the city’s first neighbourhood, Strathcona, or investigate industrial expansion by roaming Yaletown.

The tours are just one of the many tools the Institute uses to raise architecture awareness. Established in 1920 to bring the profession's interest in line with the public, the institute doles out annual awards for outstanding architecture, displaying the winners in a public gallery. Meanwhile, their free architectural advice program for do-it-yourself homebuilders prevents common mishaps, such as building a second storey before building the first floor.

Cutting across the glassy waters surrounding the Gulf Islands, Salt Spring Tours' skiff navigates along the picturesque coast of Salt Spring beneath the steady hand of Captain Tom Burnett. Aboard the 43-passenger vessel nicknamed The Salty Cat, riders enjoy uninterrupted 360-degree views from multiple desks, with the occasional Orca sighting. In addition to cruises and private charters, Salt Spring Tours curates kayak trips, dinner cruises, and new take-away lunches served at the dockside to business people taking an underwater lunch.