Vancouver Island - Victoria, B.C.
I’ve been wanting to get back to Victoria, B.C., since we visited on our Alaskan cruise. The city’s energy is inviting and there’s so much to explore. Not to mention their mild climate (only 1-2 days of snow/year) makes visiting year-round possible. Vancouver Island is a family & pet friendly area. It’s also known as the newly wed capital of Canada.
In this post, I’ll be covering our 5-day itinerary and sharing helpful information, so you too can be inspired to add this to your vacation list. Hint, hint I’ll be putting together a group trip to visit in December (year TBD) as they have excellent Christmas displays and activities. If you’re looking for holiday plans for this year, let me know and I’ll put together a Christmas you’ll remember for a lifetime.
Fun fact Canada shares 3 holidays with the US – Labor Day, Christmas and New Year’s. Something to keep in mind for your visit.
Let’s start off with the helpful tips and then I’ll get into the activities. To keep this post from becoming a book, I’ll leave restaurants out, but will be happy to make recommendations, when you’re ready to visit. Victoria has more restaurants per capita than any other Canadian city! Pretty amazing considering its size.
There are many ways you can get to Victoria – flying into their international airport (YYJ) or taking a ferry or seaplane from Seattle or Vancouver. I’d suggest flying into their international airport as the logistics from either Seattle or Vancouver by ferry or seaplane gets complicated and you don’t arrive any faster. Getting to Victoria from YYJ also lends many options, but I’d suggest taking a taxi. The bus takes 3 times as long to get there, you’ll likely switch buses & they accept exact cash (not credit card). Besides walking or biking, taxis are the most common way to travel. Parking is very limited, all over the island, and expensive. Paying $25 for two hours is common, so I’d suggest not renting a car.
We stayed at their famous The Fairmont Empress hotel. Not only is the property gorgeous and loaded with fascinating history, it’s also the perfect location for most things, in the area. Staying here allows you to walk to most places and many tours pick up from this location. For instance, the Hop On/Off bus is located out front as well as taxis, which make getting around faster and easier. If this hotel is outside your budget, no problem, I have others I can recommend nearby.
As I mentioned, The Empress is the hub for many things and the Currency Exchange is one of them. It’s located across the street from the hotel. You don’t need to exchange your money. Most places take credit cards and US cash. We found it helpful to have local money for things like tips and taxis.
Now, let’s get into the fun stuff! Vancouver Island has much to offer. I have taken multiple trainings on this area and know there is much more to explore than what I am about to share with you.
Most people, when they visit, The Butchart Gardens are at the top of their list. Rightfully so, as they have done an incredible job laying out the gardens so there’s always something blooming year-round. You can expect to spend at least two hours getting through the gardens. The provided maps are useful in helping you not miss sections. I’d suggest getting there early in the day to help avoid crowds.
Vancouver Island is known for their High Tea experiences and if it’s something you enjoy or would like to try, The Butchart Gardens is an excellent choice. I’d suggest making an advance reservation for an indoor seating to avoid bees. High tea might be the same process most places, but the small bites and tea selection varies, so it’s fun to try different ones.
For those who enjoy castles and history, Craigdarroch Castle is an interesting, self-guided tour. It’s located only 1 mile from The Empress; however, it’s an uphill walk, so I’d recommend taking a taxi. For your return, feel free to ask the ticket counter to call you a taxi. There are many stairs at this castle, so unfortunately, it’s not an accessible tour. This castle dates back to the 1800’s and you’ll enjoy exploring the various bedrooms (large family), staff quarters and entertainment rooms. The stained-glass windows throughout the castle and the tower are quite beautiful.
You all know I consider myself a foodie and if you are too, I’d suggest a food tour! It’s a great way to eat your way through the city – stopping at places you might not try on your own. I have found food tours to also be great city tours and suggest doing one early on in your trip, as you might learn about other things you want to do, during your visit, or for a return trip.
The restaurants we visited on our tour served large portions, so you will have plenty to eat. If you have food allergies, many food tour companies can accommodate for those as well, if they know about them beforehand. There are different tours to choose from, which put a focus on different parts of the city. Current starting locations for tours are walkable from The Empress.
The best tour we did was a private, all-day tour that took us outside the city to the waterfalls and rainforest on the island. Who would’ve thought Vancouver Island would have a rainforest! I prefer private tours, when available, as you’re not waiting on a bus full of people and you’ll likely get to stop at more places. Doing a private, guided tour allows one to learn way more than they would have on their own, plus you don’t have to worry about driving.
Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the island. He easily answered all of our questions. He also offers many other tours, so I plan on hiring him again for our return group trip. He was willing to stop anywhere we wanted for pictures, and he took many pictures for us, as he knows the best backdrops.
Also on our tour, we stopped in a cute town called Chemanius, which is known for its murals, beautifully painted all over the town. Overall, we had a great time getting out and exploring places not everyone knows about.
Right up there with food tours are spas. I love trying different spas, when we travel. We were staying at The Empress, so it made sense to try their spa. Even if you’re not staying at The Empress, many people visit the hotel just for their spa and high tea (more on that to come).
With your spa service, you get access to their other amenities – pool, hot tub, mineral pool (over 60 minerals for detox), sauna, steam room & of course showers/locker room. You can make a day of it just relaxing and getting pampered. Of course, there are other spas in the area if this one doesn’t interest you.
One spot I feel you can skip is called Victoria Public Market. It’s advertised as a great place for food and shopping; however, it’s very small and only ½ of the spots have businesses (when we were there). It’s also not well ventilated, so it gets quite toasty inside.
If you have extra time, China Town is a fun place to visit. There are lots of places for food and shopping. Lots of history as well. Make time to walk through their famous Fan Tan Alley.
Looking for something to do at night? Try one of their Ghost Tours. It’s fun for all ages and the kind of ghost tour that tells you the history of the area, not one that tries to scare you. It’s a fun way to spend an evening. There are different tours on different nights, so it’s not the same tour every night. They also do themed holiday tours where they tell different stories at Halloween & Christmas. The city boasts of over 500 ghost stories, so you’re sure to learn something new, even if you’ve done one before.
One more High Tea to mention is at The Empress Hotel. Reservations are required as they do book up well in advance. It’s a fabulous experience to be part of a time-honored tradition at the hotel. Their presentation is quite elevated from others I’ve experienced.
I will be bold and say, if you do high tea at The Butchart Gardens, you can skip this one. Main reason is the price. The Empress is twice the cost of The Gardens and both are lovely experiences. The teas and small bites offered are different, but they both provide the same amount of each. I’m just letting you know the main differences ahead of time, in case you’re looking to try only one.
Now, you have an idea of what awaits you on Vancouver Island. I hope you’re able to visit sometime as it’s such a fun place for all ages and interests. As always, I welcome your travel questions and look forward to helping you with your next adventure!
To see more pictures, from this trip, click here.
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