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Stay tuned! 2022 dates will be released for this tour by the end of summer. Check back in soon.
Self-Guided Biking
Starting From
6-day Air Package
$2,395
5-day Bike Tour Only
$1,695
Per person, double occupancy
Cycle into the soul of the Western Canadian coast during this scenic Vancouver Island sojourn. You’ll ride breathtaking routes and old railway lines into coastal forests that spill into the sea. Experience bike-friendly Victoria nestled beside serene waters surrounding the Saanich Peninsula. Follow the historic Galloping Goose Trail past bucolic pastures, fertile farms, and rocky outcrops. Along the way, explore the magnificent 55-acre Butchart Gardens which has been impressing visitors for over a century, take refreshing dips in pure crystalline lakes, and learn about the First Nations Salish people, known for their weaving and creative use of western red cedar trees. Pace yourself. You’ll want to savor every moment of this self-guided bike tour of Vancouver Island.
This tour offers a combination of easy terrain and moderate hills and is ideal for beginner and experienced cyclists. Rides are on relatively flat paved roads and bike lanes within the city and out into the suburbs of Victoria and into the countryside and along the coast, in places on extremely hard packed gravel. Please verify your bike selection for this tour as it is not always possible to change bikes once you arrive on tour. Travel with your friends and family—we can accommodate multiple guests on this self-guided vacation. Our 24/7 support system is available if needed.
Average High /
Low Temperature (°F):
May64º/46º
Jun70º/50º
Jul75º/54º
Aug74º/54º
Sep69º/52º
Oct58º/46º
Average
Precipitation:
May1.0 in
Jun0.8 in
Jul0.9 in
Aug0.9 in
Sep1.1 in
Oct2.0 in
Air Package | Tour Only |
|
---|---|---|
Roundtrip international airfare | ||
Detailed information for your independent travel to/from arrival and departure airports | ||
1 night in Victoria in a conveniently located hotel with daily breakfast | ||
4 nights in boutique hotels | ||
4 meals: 4 breakfasts |
Road Bicycle (Carbon frame)
See More >Step-Through (Mixte Hybrid) Comfort Bicycle
See More >Step-Over (Diamond) Comfort Bicycle
See More >Electric-Assisted Bicycle (E-bike)
See More >Tour Day | Choose Your Route Option | Miles per Option | Hours per Option** | Feet Gain per Option** | Activity Level |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ride | 23 | 02:30 | 1000 | easy-moderate |
2 | Shorter Longer |
26 33 |
02:45 03:30 |
400 1300 |
easy-moderate easy-moderate |
3 | Ride | 28 | 03:00 | 1300 | easy-moderate |
4 | Shorter Longer |
8 24 |
01:00 02:30 |
400 900 |
easy easy-moderate |
**Route mileage, hours and gain are approximate.
Custom VBT bike, helmet, and bike bag
Welcome orientation and bike fitting with local host
Luggage transfers
Ride with GPS and daily route notes
VBT Road Book with destination information
24/7 support system
Flat kit and multi-tool
Your choice of VBT branded gear for your adventure
Itinerary
Sun, Jun 12 to Fri, Jun 17 - 2022
Show Itinerary:
Depart for Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary.
Upon arrival at the Victoria airport, make your own travel arrangements to downtown Victoria. For details, refer to your VBT Handbook. Upon arrival, consult your VBT Victoria city information for recommendations on what to see and where to dine during your time in Victoria.
Continue your explorations of Victoria this morning.
Meet your VBT Local host at 1:00 p.m. for your Welcome Orientation, along with any other VBT guests arriving on the same day.
Please be dressed and ready for cycling. Your local host will be carrying a VBT sign.
The Welcome Orientation with your VBT local host includes:
Get to know your bicycle—and ease into the relaxing, bicycle-friendly pace of Vancouver Island—on a short ride past scenic points and sweeping bays that leaves you with time to explore Victoria later in the afternoon. You’ll set out directly from your hotel, riding past Victoria’s lovely Inner Harbor. Follow the shoreline, admiring views of the Trial Islands en route to James Bay and Ogden Point Breakwater. You may leave the saddle if you’d like to walk out to the lovely white lighthouses at the end of the breakwater’s walkway. On the south coast, Dallas Road and Beacon Hill Park—home to spontaneous cricket matches—lead to picturesque Clover Point and the links of the Victoria Golf Club. Pause at Oak Bay or Willows Beach, then round out your loop with a ride past Cadboro Bay and Mt. Douglas Park before joining the Lochside Trail past Swan Lake and its marshy lowlands. Lochside connects you to the Galloping Goose Trail, your route back into Victoria.
This evening, enjoy the many gardens, parks and impressive Parliament buildings of North America’s most English city. Refer to your VBT Victoria city information for dinner recommendations. Reservations are recommended if dining at your hotel and it is suggested that you inquire upon check-in.
Today’s Ride Choices
Afternoon Victoria Seaside to Lochside — 38.9 km (24.1 miles)
What to Expect: Today’s loop ride leaves city streets behind for suburban roads and coastal communities, leading to the eastern reaches of Victoria. The majority of the ride follows paved streets and roads. The Lochside and Galloping Goose bicycle paths lead back into the city. This is a popular bike route, so motorists are used to cyclists.
Cumulative Distance Range: 38.9 km (24.1 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast
During this Stay Put Day, explore laid-back Victoria however you wish. Head over to the Royal BC Museum to view its gigantic woolly mammoth exhibit, see the mask gallery of the First Peoples exhibit, and stroll through a replica of an old colonial street. Another option is a visit to the Craigdarroch Castle to see how the upper-class lived during the Victorian era.
If you prefer to spend the day in the saddle, head north on the island’s Saanich Peninsula to the famed Butchart Gardens, a National Historic Site of Canada (tickets can be purchased online or on site). These lush and vibrant gardens spread across 55 acres and feature 900 plant varieties and 26 greenhouses. To get there, cycle along the Selkirk Water to the Selkirk Trestle on the Galloping Goose Trail, retracing yesterday’s ride, and then connecting to another bike route that leads you up the west side of the peninsula. Take your time exploring this botanical and cultural treasure of Vancouver Island. Stroll the Sunken Garden, Japanese Garden, Italian Garden, and more. This is the ideal spot for lunch, but you can also continue to Brentwood Bay.
Afterward, ride over to the island’s east side to join the Lochside Trail once again. This old rail bed once belonged to the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway, whose General Electric gas car transported up to 74 passengers between Victoria and a dock at Patricia Bay in the early 20th century. Today, it offers a picturesque cycling sojourn past weathered barns, fertile fields, and horse paddocks. During this tranquil ride, pass the sweeping expanse of Cordova Bay, Mt. Douglas Park and its 700-foot summit, and the marshy wetlands of Blenkinsop Lake—traversed by the Blenkinsop Trestle. This rural pathway is also frequented by horseback riders, so take care not to spook the horses! Bird lovers take note: the waters here are a haven for ducks and other waterfowl, wading marsh birds, hunting raptors, and more. The bike path loops you back to the Galloping Goose Trail and your initial route. Reservations are recommended if you plan on dining at your hotel this evening.
Today’s Ride Choices
Victoria to Butchart Gardens loop — 55.6 km (34.5 miles) | Victoria to Butchart Gardens out-and-back — 42.6 km (26.5 miles)
What To Expect:
Victoria to Butchart Gardens out-and-back:
Cumulative Distance Range: Up to 55.6 km (34.5 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast
Depart Victoria for Sooke this morning on the Galloping Goose Rail Trail. Named for the horn of the gas-powered freight cars that served the communities of southern Vancouver Island during World War I, it is affectionately known as “the Goose.” Today’s thrilling ride leads you into some of the region’s most scenic corners, from hidden lakes and canyons to rocky outcrops straddled by twisted Garry oaks and towering Douglas firs.
You will begin your ride in Victoria’s urban environment, softened by lush poplars, willows, and maples. After crossing several trestles and bridges, you will make your way to the island’s Western Communities. You’ll ride over the Colwood Delta, silted up by glacial deposits some 13,000 years ago. Pastures, wetlands, and fern-cloaked rocks point you to the National Historic Sites of Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse. Stop here to learn about the island’s coastal defense and marine navigation.
Next, you’ll ride through one of Vancouver Island’s first pioneering communities: Metchosin. This bucolic region of rural farms, gentle hills, and softly flowing creeks hosted one of Western Canada’s first public schools. Farther on, ride into a wilder and greener region of red cedar and skunk cabbage swamp, admiring the lush steep rainforest surrounding Matheson Lake and the primordial shelter of Roche Cove. Later, cross the babbling waters of Veitch Creek, followed by the Sooke River Valley and an ascent up a canyon with breathtaking views of the river below.
If you’d like to visit the scenic rock pools of Sooke Potholes Provincial Park, you can detour onto Sooke River Road, or return here tomorrow. The deep crystalline pools strewn with smooth rocks are ideal for a refreshing dip. Afterward, return to the Goose for an invigorating and steady ascent to trail’s end and the town of Sooke, where the rainforest meets the sea.
A two-mile spin through town delivers you to your resort hotel, with splendid views of the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. Advanced reservations required at Le Sooke Spa. For more information visit lesookespa.com.
Reservations are required if dining at your hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, West Coast Grill. Enjoy casual dining with no reservations required at the hotel’s Vault Lounge.
Today’s Ride Choices
Galloping Goose Trail from Victoria to Sooke — 47.4 km (29.4 miles)
What to Expect: An easy ride that stays almost entirely along the Galloping Goose Rail Trail from Victoria to Sooke. The surface is paved until about 13.3 km (8.2 miles), then becomes hard-packed gravel until about the 41.5 km point (25.7 miles). The last six km (3.7 miles) are paved. You wind out of the paved city streets into the suburbs, gently ascending to the highest point of the day at around 18 km (11 miles), then descending as you head south and west toward the Matheson Lake area. The ride is somewhat more undulating as you approach the waters of the Sooke Basin. You leave the rail trail around Saseenos, joining the paved Sooke Road with traffic, into the town of Sooke and your waterside hotel.
Cumulative Distance Range: 47.4 km (29.4 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast
Explore as you wish during this Stay Put Day. Nestled between the lush rainforest and the dramatic Pacific Ocean, Sooke offers an abundance of outdoor activities. In Sooke Harbor, explore myriad coves and bays by kayak or sail. Hike the ancient coastal forest or set out on a cruise to seek out whales, seals, dolphins and sea lions. If you prefer a slower tempo, reserve a massage at the hotel spa, followed by a classic afternoon tea in the garden.
Enjoy a pleasant three-mile walk to the end of the narrow Whiffin Spit, marking the entrance into the Sooke Basin from the Juan de Fuca Strait or cycle the short distance to the Sea to Sea Regional Park, where two short hikes offer spectacular views. If a longer ride in the saddle calls you, take the Galloping Goose Rail Trail to Sooke Potholes Provincial Park for a refreshing swim or follow it to its end at the “ghost town” of Leechtown. The town briefly prospered on the gold that was first discovered in the Leech River in 1864. Six general stores, three hotels, and 30 saloons supported a small community of gold diggers, but the boom only lasted a year or so. Today, a cairn marker and some stone foundations are all that remain.
Today’s Ride Choices
Sooke to Sooke Potholes out-and-back — 40 km (24.8 miles) | Sooke to Sea to Sea Regional Park out-and-back — 13.6 km (8.4 miles)
Cumulative Distance Range: Up to 40 km (24.8 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy an included breakfast at your hotel in Sooke. Public transportation is available from Sooke to Victoria or transportation can be arranged at your expense to either downtown Victoria or the Victoria airport based on your departure time. Please refer to your Handbook for options and exact rates and contact VBT prior to departure to reserve private transportation. Depending upon your destination, it may not be possible to depart for the U.S. on the last day of the tour. Please check airline schedules carefully. If you plan to schedule return flights immediately following the tour’s conclusion, please call your airline directly for specific check-in requirements.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Mon, Jun 13 to Fri, Jun 17 - 2022
Show Itinerary:
Meet your VBT Local host at 1:00 p.m. for your Welcome Orientation, along with any other VBT guests arriving on the same day, in the lobby of the Hotel.
Please be dressed and ready for cycling. Your local host will be carrying a VBT sign.
The Welcome Orientation with your VBT local host includes:
Get to know your bicycle—and ease into the relaxing, bicycle-friendly pace of Vancouver Island—on a short ride past scenic points and sweeping bays that leaves you with time to explore Victoria later in the afternoon. You’ll set out directly from your hotel, riding past Victoria’s lovely Inner Harbor. Follow the shoreline, admiring views of the Trial Islands en route to James Bay and Ogden Point Breakwater. You may leave the saddle if you’d like to walk out to the lovely white lighthouses at the end of the breakwater’s walkway. On the south coast, Dallas Road and Beacon Hill Park—home to spontaneous cricket matches—lead to picturesque Clover Point and the links of the Victoria Golf Club. Pause at Oak Bay or Willows Beach, then round out your loop with a ride past Cadboro Bay and Mt. Douglas Park before joining the Lochside Trail past Swan Lake and its marshy lowlands. Lochside connects you to the Galloping Goose Trail, your route back into Victoria.
This evening, enjoy the many gardens, parks and impressive Parliament buildings of North America’s most English city. Refer to your VBT Victoria city information for dinner recommendations. Reservations are recommended if dining at your hotel and it is suggested that you inquire upon check-in.
Today’s Ride Choices
Afternoon Victoria Seaside to Lochside — 38.9 km (24.1 miles)
What to Expect: Today’s loop ride leaves city streets behind for suburban roads and coastal communities, leading to the eastern reaches of Victoria. The majority of the ride follows paved streets and roads. The Lochside and Galloping Goose bicycle paths lead back into the city. This is a popular bike route, so motorists are used to cyclists.
Cumulative Distance Range: 38.9 km (24.1 miles)
During this Stay Put Day, explore laid-back Victoria however you wish. Head over to the Royal BC Museum to view its gigantic woolly mammoth exhibit, see the mask gallery of the First Peoples exhibit, and stroll through a replica of an old colonial street. Another option is a visit to the Craigdarroch Castle to see how the upper-class lived during the Victorian era.
If you prefer to spend the day in the saddle, head north on the island’s Saanich Peninsula to the famed Butchart Gardens, a National Historic Site of Canada (tickets can be purchased online or on site). These lush and vibrant gardens spread across 55 acres and feature 900 plant varieties and 26 greenhouses. To get there, cycle along the Selkirk Water to the Selkirk Trestle on the Galloping Goose Trail, retracing yesterday’s ride, and then connecting to another bike route that leads you up the west side of the peninsula. Take your time exploring this botanical and cultural treasure of Vancouver Island. Stroll the Sunken Garden, Japanese Garden, Italian Garden, and more. This is the ideal spot for lunch, but you can also continue to Brentwood Bay.
Afterward, ride over to the island’s east side to join the Lochside Trail once again. This old rail bed once belonged to the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway, whose General Electric gas car transported up to 74 passengers between Victoria and a dock at Patricia Bay in the early 20th century. Today, it offers a picturesque cycling sojourn past weathered barns, fertile fields, and horse paddocks. During this tranquil ride, pass the sweeping expanse of Cordova Bay, Mt. Douglas Park and its 700-foot summit, and the marshy wetlands of Blenkinsop Lake—traversed by the Blenkinsop Trestle. This rural pathway is also frequented by horseback riders, so take care not to spook the horses! Bird lovers take note: the waters here are a haven for ducks and other waterfowl, wading marsh birds, hunting raptors, and more. The bike path loops you back to the Galloping Goose Trail and your initial route. Reservations are recommended if you plan on dining at your hotel this evening.
Today’s Ride Choices
Victoria to Butchart Gardens loop — 55.6 km (34.5 miles) | Victoria to Butchart Gardens out-and-back — 42.6 km (26.5 miles)
What To Expect:
Victoria to Butchart Gardens out-and-back:
Cumulative Distance Range: Up to 55.6 km (34.5 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast
Depart Victoria for Sooke this morning on the Galloping Goose Rail Trail. Named for the horn of the gas-powered freight cars that served the communities of southern Vancouver Island during World War I, it is affectionately known as “the Goose.” Today’s thrilling ride leads you into some of the region’s most scenic corners, from hidden lakes and canyons to rocky outcrops straddled by twisted Garry oaks and towering Douglas firs.
You will begin your ride in Victoria’s urban environment, softened by lush poplars, willows, and maples. After crossing several trestles and bridges, you will make your way to the island’s Western Communities. You’ll ride over the Colwood Delta, silted up by glacial deposits some 13,000 years ago. Pastures, wetlands, and fern-cloaked rocks point you to the National Historic Sites of Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse. Stop here to learn about the island’s coastal defense and marine navigation.
Next, you’ll ride through one of Vancouver Island’s first pioneering communities: Metchosin. This bucolic region of rural farms, gentle hills, and softly flowing creeks hosted one of Western Canada’s first public schools. Farther on, ride into a wilder and greener region of red cedar and skunk cabbage swamp, admiring the lush steep rainforest surrounding Matheson Lake and the primordial shelter of Roche Cove. Later, cross the babbling waters of Veitch Creek, followed by the Sooke River Valley and an ascent up a canyon with breathtaking views of the river below.
If you’d like to visit the scenic rock pools of Sooke Potholes Provincial Park, you can detour onto Sooke River Road, or return here tomorrow. The deep crystalline pools strewn with smooth rocks are ideal for a refreshing dip. Afterward, return to the Goose for an invigorating and steady ascent to trail’s end and the town of Sooke, where the rainforest meets the sea.
A two-mile spin through town delivers you to your resort hotel, with splendid views of the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. Advanced reservations required at Le Sooke Spa. For more information visit lesookespa.com.
Reservations are required if dining at your hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, West Coast Grill. Enjoy casual dining with no reservations required at the hotel’s Vault Lounge.
Today’s Ride Choices
Galloping Goose Trail from Victoria to Sooke — 47.4 km (29.4 miles)
What to Expect: An easy ride that stays almost entirely along the Galloping Goose Rail Trail from Victoria to Sooke. The surface is paved until about 13.3 km (8.2 miles), then becomes hard-packed gravel until about the 41.5 km point (25.7 miles). The last six km (3.7 miles) are paved. You wind out of the paved city streets into the suburbs, gently ascending to the highest point of the day at around 18 km (11 miles), then descending as you head south and west toward the Matheson Lake area. The ride is somewhat more undulating as you approach the waters of the Sooke Basin. You leave the rail trail around Saseenos, joining the paved Sooke Road with traffic, into the town of Sooke and your waterside hotel.
Cumulative Distance Range: 47.4 km (29.4 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast
Explore as you wish during this Stay Put Day. Nestled between the lush rainforest and the dramatic Pacific Ocean, Sooke offers an abundance of outdoor activities. In Sooke Harbor, explore myriad coves and bays by kayak or sail. Hike the ancient coastal forest or set out on a cruise to seek out whales, seals, dolphins and sea lions. If you prefer a slower tempo, reserve a massage at the hotel spa, followed by a classic afternoon tea in the garden.
Enjoy a pleasant three-mile walk to the end of the narrow Whiffin Spit, marking the entrance into the Sooke Basin from the Juan de Fuca Strait or cycle the short distance to the Sea to Sea Regional Park, where two short hikes offer spectacular views. If a longer ride in the saddle calls you, take the Galloping Goose Rail Trail to Sooke Potholes Provincial Park for a refreshing swim or follow it to its end at the “ghost town” of Leechtown. The town briefly prospered on the gold that was first discovered in the Leech River in 1864. Six general stores, three hotels, and 30 saloons supported a small community of gold diggers, but the boom only lasted a year or so. Today, a cairn marker and some stone foundations are all that remain.
Today’s Ride Choices
Sooke to Sooke Potholes out-and-back — 40 km (24.8 miles) | Sooke to Sea to Sea Regional Park out-and-back — 13.6 km (8.4 miles)
Cumulative Distance Range: Up to 40 km (24.8 miles)
Included Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy an included breakfast at your hotel in Sooke. Public transportation is available from Sooke to Victoria or transportation can be arranged at your expense to either downtown Victoria or the Victoria airport based on your departure time. Please refer to your Handbook for options and exact rates and contact VBT prior to departure to reserve private transportation. Depending upon your destination, it may not be possible to depart for the U.S. on the last day of the tour. Please check airline schedules carefully. If you plan to schedule return flights immediately following the tour’s conclusion, please call your airline directly for specific check-in requirements.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Days 1-5
Guest Reviews This tour doesn't have any reviews because it is a new tour. Be the first to review it!
Dates & Prices
Departing Airport :
Select Year :
Air Package
6 days, includes round-trip international airfare and additional hotel night with included breakfast.
Single Supplement: From $445
Sun, Jun 12 - Fri, Jun 17, 2022
From
$2,495
Per person, double occupancy
Reserve OnlineSun, Jul 17 - Fri, Jul 22, 2022
From
$2,545
Per person, double occupancy
Reserve OnlineSun, Aug 14 - Fri, Aug 19, 2022
From
$2,545
Per person, double occupancy
Reserve OnlineSun, Aug 21 - Fri, Aug 26, 2022
From
$2,495
Per person, double occupancy
Reserve OnlineSun, Sep 11 - Fri, Sep 16, 2022
From
$2,495
Per person, double occupancy
Reserve OnlineSun, Sep 18 - Fri, Sep 23, 2022
From
$2,495
Per person, double occupancy
Reserve OnlineSun, Sep 25 - Fri, Sep 30, 2022
From
$2,395
Per person, double occupancy
Reserve OnlineSelect Year :
Tour Only
5 Days. Includes Self-Guided bike vacation only.
Single Supplement: From $595
For more information, call: 800-245-3868
Please note: Special savings cannot be combined with any other offer. Standard Terms & Conditions apply when purchasing this trip. Prices include all airline surcharges and Government taxes and fees. Ask our Tour Consultants for details. Every effort has been made to produce this information accurately. We reserve the right to correct errors. Prices are based on preferences selected above, including meals and sightseeing as specified in What’s Included. All prices are subject to change. Departure dates and prices shown may be updated several times daily, and apply to new bookings only.
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This bike tour through North Holland’s tulip country takes you to serene canals, Renaissance-era cities, cheese markets, untouched dunes, and breathtaking fields of springtime blooms.
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Self-Guided Biking
Starting from 6 days at
$2,345
Savor a free-spirited ride on Spain’s Costa Brava. You’ll set your own pace on this inn-to-inn self-guided bike tour of Catalonia’s coastal ranges and medieval enclaves.
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