Victoria Self-Guided Walking Tour: Riddles & Scavenger Hunt

Riddles lead you through Victoria's harbour, history and narrowest street.

A self-guided walking tour of Victoria using the Explorial app to solve riddles and trivia challenges at landmarks around the Inner Harbour. You download the app, enter a game code, and set off on foot at any time: no guide, no fixed schedule, just your group and the city. The tour takes around two hours and includes interactive photo tasks and a leaderboard that tracks your score against other players and the city's high score.

What’s included

• Free download of the Explorial app for iOS or Android.
• self-guided walking route with interactive riddles, trivia challenges and photo tasks.
• live location mapping so you always know where you are.
• points and scoring system to compete within your group and against the city's high score.
• learn about Victoria's stories, history and local legends.
• total flexibility to start anytime, walk at your own pace and take breaks whenever you want.

Times

• Every day No fixed time

Before you book

Group Private

Live guide English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Cantonese, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian

Meeting point and pickup No hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Ages Adult (10 to 90 years) · Child (under 9): free

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Good to know

Low physical effort Pets welcome Public transport nearby

Operated by Explorial

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Traveler reviews

4.83 ★★★★★ Exceptional 18 verified traveler reviews

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The experience

Around two hours of walking starts at the Steamship Terminal on Belleville Street, where you download the Explorial app, enter your 6-digit game code and open the riddle-led route. There's no guide waiting and no start time to meet. You leave when your group is ready. The app marks your location on a map and feeds you riddles that point you toward each stop, so you navigate the route yourself while the game unfolds around you.

Parliament Buildings preside over the water with their domes outlined by more than 3,000 lights after dark, and riddles sit in session on the lawn. The Fairmont Empress (the ivy-clad hotel that has poured afternoon tea for over a century) comes next with trivia challenges served in proper etiquette. Then the route narrows into Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley, barely a shoulder-width of gambling-den history turned boutique lane and Canada's narrowest street. Photo tasks ask you to capture moments at each landmark, and the leaderboard declares a winner when the two hours close.

You need a fully charged smartphone with active mobile data and the Explorial app downloaded before you arrive. The app works in 24 languages. Choose yours when you start the game. There's no entrance fee for any of the sights. All puzzles use public areas only. If weather or illness forces a reschedule, you can move the tour to another day, switch to a different city or request a refund.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Romanian, Danish, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Ukrainian, Czech, Norwegian, Hungarian, Cantonese, Greek, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Hindi and Turkish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 9): free.

Can I start the Victoria walking tour whenever I want, or is there a set time?

The tour is 100% self-guided with no fixed start time. You download the Explorial app, enter your game code and leave whenever your group is ready. Walk at your own pace and take as many breaks as you need. The two hours is the total time most groups spend, not a timed slot.

What exactly is Fan Tan Alley and why is it part of this tour?

Fan Tan Alley is Canada's narrowest street, barely a shoulder-width wide, located in Victoria's Chinatown. It was once a gambling den and is now a boutique lane lined with shops. The tour includes it as one of the landmarks you navigate to using app-based riddles.

Do I need to pay entrance fees to visit the Parliament Buildings and Fairmont Empress?

No entrance fees are required for this game. All riddles and trivia challenges use only the public areas of the sights, so you can complete the tour without paying to enter any attraction.

What do I need to bring to start this self-guided tour?

Bring a fully charged smartphone with an active mobile data connection. The Explorial app must be downloaded from your app store before you arrive at the Steamship Terminal. Disable any VPN and avoid city Wi-Fi, as these can cause the app to malfunction. Wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing.

How many people can be in my group for this walking tour?

Up to 15 people can book together in one group. If your party is larger, you'll need to make multiple separate bookings, though all groups can play at the same time and compete on the same leaderboard.