Victoria

No reviews yetCity British Columbia, Canada

The neo-Baroque Parliament Buildings face the Inner Harbour on Belleville Street, Victoria, British Columbia

The Fairmont Empress opened in 1908 and faces the Inner Harbour, Victoria, British Columbia

The Royal BC Museum has galleries on natural history, the province and First Peoples, Victoria, British Columbia

Fan Tan Alley is known as the narrowest commercial street in North America, Victoria, British Columbia

About Victoria

Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, sits at the southern tip of Vancouver Island on land long home to the Lekwungen-speaking peoples. A Hudson's Bay Company fort grew into a colonial city in the nineteenth century, and much of that era still shows in its stone buildings, gardens and compact harbourfront. The climate is among the mildest in Canada, which helps explain the city's abundance of parks and flower baskets.

Most visits begin at the Inner Harbour, framed by the domed Parliament Buildings and the ivy-covered Fairmont Empress. The Royal BC Museum stands nearby, with galleries on natural history and Indigenous cultures. A short walk north leads to Chinatown, the oldest in Canada, and the narrow passage of Fan Tan Alley. Craigdarroch Castle, built for coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, sits on a rise in Rockland, while Beacon Hill Park stretches toward the ocean. Fisherman's Wharf has floating homes and seafood stands, and Butchart Gardens, north of the city near Brentwood Bay, draws visitors in every season.

The downtown core is walkable, and quieter neighborhoods such as Oak Bay, James Bay and Fernwood reward slower wandering. Victoria suits couples, garden lovers and travelers who prefer an unhurried city. Summer is busiest; spring arrives earlier here than almost anywhere else in the country.

Best seasonLate spring through early fall brings dry, mild weather and gardens at their peak bloom.

Ideal stayThree days covers downtown, Butchart Gardens and a neighborhood or two at a relaxed pace.

ArrivingTravelers arrive via Victoria International Airport, BC Ferries from the mainland, harbour floatplanes or ferries from Washington State.

WiserMap travel guideVictoria British Columbia Inner Harbour and Butchart GardensPlan a trip to Victoria with this guide to the Inner Harbour, Parliament Buildings, Butchart Gardens, Chinatown, food, where to stay and the best time to visit.Read the guide

Your Victoria Bucket List: 12 Top Picks

Downtown 4

Victoria Inner Harbour

Victoria's postcard view comes together around this sheltered basin, framed by the domed Parliament Buildings on one side and the...

British Columbia Parliament Buildings

Designed by a young Francis Rattenbury and finished in the late 1890s, the provincial legislature is a grand stone building of dom...

The Fairmont Empress

Opened in 1908 as a Canadian Pacific Railway hotel and also designed by Francis Rattenbury, the Empress has presided over the Inne...

Victoria Chinatown

Founded in 1858 during the Fraser River gold rush, Victoria's Chinatown is the oldest in Canada and the second oldest in North Ame...

Museums 3

Royal BC Museum

British Columbia's provincial museum sits right beside the Inner Harbour and is known for immersive natural history displays, incl...

Craigdarroch Castle

Coal baron Robert Dunsmuir commissioned this towering sandstone mansion in the late 1880s but died before it was finished, leaving...

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

In the Rockland district, a short walk from Craigdarroch Castle, the city's main art museum blends a Victorian-era mansion with mo...

Waterfront and Parks 3

Beacon Hill Park

A short walk south of downtown, this large park mixes formal flower beds, duck ponds and stone bridges with patches of wild Garry...

Ogden Point Breakwater

Built of huge granite blocks in the 1910s, this breakwater juts roughly 800 metres into the sea at the mouth of Victoria's harbour...

Victoria Fisherman's Wharf

West of the Inner Harbour, this working wharf has become one of Victoria's most cheerful corners thanks to its colourful float hom...

Beyond the City 2

Butchart Gardens

About twenty kilometres north of downtown at Brentwood Bay, this celebrated garden began when Jennie Butchart transformed her fami...

Hatley Castle

West of the city in Colwood, this Edwardian castle was completed in 1908 for James Dunsmuir, son of the man behind Craigdarroch, a...

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