Victoria, British Columbia: Things to See, Do and Eat

1. Royal BC Museum

Located next to Victoria's Inner Harbour, the Royal British Columbia Museum was established in 1886, with the archives added in 1894. Today, it houses British Columbia’s provincial museum and archives, which aim to collect and safeguard artifacts, specimens, and documents pertaining to British Columbia’s human and natural history. The museum has three permanent galleries: modern history, natural history, and BC First Nations history.

The collections comprise about seven million objects, including artifacts, natural history specimens, and archival records. The natural history gallery has about 750,000 specimens, mostly from BC and neighboring provinces, states, or territories. The museum also offers touring exhibitions and some notable previous exhibitions have focused on the RMS Titanic, Egyptian artifacts, Leonardo da Vinci, the Vikings, and many others. The museum also houses the IMAX Victoria theater, which offers films that are both educational and entertaining.

675 Belleville St, Victoria, British ColumbiaV8W 1A1, Canada, Phone: 250-356-7226

2. Beacon Hill Park

A favorite of Victoria residents and deeply connected to the city’s history, Beacon Hill Parkk spreads over 75 acres along the shore of the Juan de Fuca Strait. Formalized in 1882, Beacon Hill Park is an oasis in the midst of a busy urban setting, consisting of a mix of natural areas and artfully landscaped parks. The views from all corners of the park are breathtaking, whether the fields are covered with miles of seasonal wildflowers or a storm is painting the sea and sky all shades of gray.

Beacon Hill Park has sports fields, a children’s petting zoo, miniature golf, several playgrounds, a cricket pitch, a lawn bowling club and a water park. Cameron Bandshell hosts many concerts during the warm summer evenings and the wind carries the smell of flowers from Victorian flowerbeds and a rose garden, while trees, lakes, and bridges provide lovely walking paths. As you stroll through the park, you can spot herons, otters, raccoons, and squirrels, and the waterways offer home to turtles and crays.

100 Cook St, Victoria, BC V8V, Canada, Phone: 250-361-0600

3. British Columbia Parliament Buildings

British Columbia Parliament Buildings is a magnificent cluster of buildings in ornate Neo-baroque style located north of Belleville street and facing the Inner Harbour. Its construction was completed in 1897 and it started operating a year later. The whole complex is on a grand scale - the façade is 500 feet across, with two wing pavilions and an enormous central dome. The combination of Baroque symmetry, brilliant white marble, several domes, and the rusticated surfaces of the Romanesque Revival style made the buildings an impressive seat of legislature for the young province.

There is a statue of Queen Victoria on the front lawn as well as a statue of a soldier in honor of the province's dead soldiers from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Perched on top of the central dome is a gold-covered statue of Captain George Vancouver. There are free daily tours of the buildings and visitors are also invited to observe debates while the House is sitting as well as dine in the parliamentary dining room

501 Belleville St, Victoria, BC V8V 2L8, Canada, Phone: 250-387-3046

4. Scenic Marine Route

The Pacific Marine Circle Route is the perfect way to see much of the Cowichan region and southern Vancouver Island, from the sheltered east coast to the wild, rugged west coast. The picturesque 255-kilometre paved Scenic Marine Route passes through dozens of diverse communities. Between Cowichan Lake and Port Renfrew is a 55-kilometer long section that is a wild landscape of grand mountain vistas, ancient old-growth forests, and cold, clear rivers.

Along the way, you can explore wine country, visit some of the most beautiful West Coast parks and beaches, learn about First Nations history and visit a range of colorful villages, towns, and cities, all on one spectacular road trip.

5. Craigdarroch Castle

Perched on top of the hill in Victoria's Rockland neighborhood, Craigdarroch Castle is a massive Victorian castle built in the 1890s for the coal baron Robert Dunsmuir and his family. It was a proud symbol of his wealth, which he had newly acquired from Vancouver Island coal. Today, the four-story building is a house museum that is beautifully restored and open to the public, showing how the rich lived in the era of Queen Victoria.

Spread over 25,000 square feet, Craigdarroch Castle has 39 rooms and no expense was spared in its construction. Granite was brought from British Columbia, an oak staircase came from Chicago, and the tiles were shipped from San Francisco. Originally, the castle was surrounded by 28 acres of landscaped land, but now the majority has been sold. Most of the lavish furniture, intricate woodwork, and magnificent stained glass have been preserved, as well as much of the original furniture, making tours of the castle a pure pleasure.

1050 Joan Cres, Victoria, British Columbia, V8S 3L5, Canada, Phone: 250-592-5323

6. Fisherman's Wharf

Located next to Victoria's Inner Harbour, Fisherman's Wharf is the place where locals bring their visitors. There’s great food on every corner, live music, a wonderful atmosphere, stunning views, a whole floating city next door, expensive pleasure yachts moored in the harbor, and sturdy fishermen’s vessels bringing in the catch of the day.

Grab an ice cream, a plate of fish and chips, or a cup of coffee and sit on one of many benches or picnic tables to enjoy the feel and buzz of a true working harbor. Fisherman’s Wharf is also where you can book kayaking and whale watching trips or board one of many ferries to the neighboring communities.

1 Dallas Rd, Victoria, British Columbia V8V 0B2, Canada, Phone: 250-383-8300

7. Ogden Point Breakwater

The Ogden Point Breakwater is a narrow 800-foot-long walkway not far from the Inner Harbor that ends with a beautiful lighthouse and offers incomparable views of the harbor and surrounding landscape. The walk starts at the Ogden Point Café on Dallas Road where you can find an interesting interpretive exhibit that tells the story of the construction of the breakwater and the local marine life.

The breakwater was completed in 1916 and is made of concrete and concrete blocks on a rock base. A recently added attraction is the Na’ Tsa’ maht or Unity Wall mural, a huge public piece of art painted on the inside of the breakwater portraying the relationship between First Nations and settlers, creating a symbolic bridge between cultures.

Dallas Rd, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

8. Miniature World

Located on the north side of the Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria, Miniature World lets you immerse yourself in a bit of fantasy and history and bring out your inner child with more than 80 miniature yet very detailed displays of places, events, and themes, all accompanied with appropriate sounds, making the experience both exciting and real.

You can see the smallest operational sawmill in the world, which took eleven years to make, two of the world’s largest doll houses, and one of the world’s longest model railways. There is also a very detailed Circus World, Frontierland, Space 2201, Fantasyland, King Arthur's Camelot, and so much more.

649 Humboldt St, Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 1A6, Canada, Phone: 250-385-9731

9. Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours

Whale watching is a rare pleasure that cannot be enjoyed in that many places and going with a reputable and highly acclaimed tour company such as Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours makes that pleasure even greater. Aboard their comfortable and safe open or closed boats, you can spend about three hours looking for and following these magnificent creatures that frequent the waters around Vancouver Island.

All staff members are highly trained and experienced, and certified marine naturalists and biologists and will help you learn and understand both this unique marine ecosystem and the animals that live here. You can see orca whales, humpback whales, several kinds of seals, bold eagles soaring above, sea lions, and much more. And just in case it isn’t your lucky day and no whales show up, you can come back for free and try again.

12 Erie St | Fisherman's Wharf, Pier #2, Victoria, British Columbia V8V 4X5, Canada, Phone: 250-384-8008