Exploring Victoria BC: Must-Do Activities for an Unforgettable Adventure

Nestled on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Victoria is a charming city (and also my home) that offers a perfect blend of historical charm and natural beauty. From lush gardens and historic architecture to a thriving arts scene and outdoor adventures, there is something for everyone in this picturesque city. I’ll explore a bunch of must-do activities in this post, as well as steer you clear from a few things.

One thing to note – the majority of Victoria is crime-free. I don’t want to say it’s without its problems (as Victoria does have an over-abundant supply of drug addicted homeless encampments), but for the most part, you can walk around worry-free at all hours of the day or night. Where I live (just outside the city), nobody locks their doors. Victoria is also a very accepting city, where citizens tolerate all races, religions, and sexuality.

One thing Victorians do not tolerate (and you will get called out for it) is poor manners. If you’re verbally abusive to servers and wait staff, other customers will definitely call you out for your poor behavior. As they say, treat others as you wish to be treated and that’s the golden rule here in Victoria.

Butchart Gardens: A Floral Wonderland

No matter what time of year you visit Victoria, Butchart Gardens is an absolute must-do, #1 rated activity. Budget to spend the better part of a whole day here as there’s so much to see. If you think there’s nothing to see mid-December with snow on the ground, you’d be sorely mistaken and you’ll miss out in one of the absolute best light shows you’ll ever see. I honestly think winter is the BEST time of year to visit Butchart as there’s significantly less tourists everywhere and the gardens are set up to have gardens that bloom all year-round. The light show at night with a cup of hot coco is to just die for.

Butchart Gardens is world-renowned and was established in the 1900s by Jennie Butchart. The meticulously designed gardens encompass various themes, including Sunken Gardens, Rose Gardens, and Japanese Gardens.

There are numerous tour operators that shuttle visitors here via bus, or you can drive as there’s plenty of parking available. If you’re coming early to Victoria, the Butchart Gardens is in the Saanich peninsula, so you can stop here for several hours immediately after arriving on the island from either the ferry (from the mainland), or by airplane.

A camera is a MUST at this location!

Victoria’s Inner Harbour: The Heart of the City

The Inner Harbour has something to see all year round. In the spring and summer months, buskers and entertainment acts draw huge crowds down at the waterfront. Sure, you might think you’re seeing any ol’ act, but the City vets the buskers and performers each year to ensure only top-quality talent is performing here.

The harbour is located right at hotel district (directly across the street from the Empress), so most people grab a coffee and wander around. In the summer, this is ground-zero for tourist activity as it’s here that you can book all your excursions.

I highly recommend a stroll around the inner harbour at night. In the evening, the legislature buildings light up and you can take stunning photographs from the harbour. I also highly recommend night or low-light photography activities around the inner harbour as there’s plenty to see with ships and neon signs. I know of several camera clubs that come to Victoria to only photograph the inner harbour at night as it’s so picturesque.

Royal BC Museum and IMAX Theatre

OK, while most museums border on tourist-only activities, the Royal BC Museum is one that is frequented by locals every year. I’ve lived in Victoria for over 30 years and I’ve been to the museum dozens of times.

Every year the museum is doing something new with special exhibits. Recently they had an Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs exhibit that was incredible.

They also have the IMAX Theatre. Why is the IMAX theatre a must-do? Well, the screen is roughly 25% larger than a normal motion picture screen, so things that are lost in the motion picture cinema are displayed on the IMAX. Because of the size of the IMAX, it’s gained popularity for 3D movies. I highly recommend watching one of the documentaries that are playing at the IMAX over a kids movie (sorry parents), as the documentaries are done in 3D like you’re actually there.

Like Butchart Gardens, plan to spend a day here.

Tour the Legislature (and grab a bite to eat)

It comes at a surprise that most residents of Victoria don’t realize that they can take a tour of the Legislature. You can go on a free guided tour all year round and takes around an hour. If the Legislature is in session, you may just see our Premier walking the halls!

Another even more secretive thing about the Legislature is their dining room. Not only is the dining room open to the public, it’s some of the BEST food in all of Victoria. The dining room is located in the basement of the Legislature and offers not-for-profit fine dining! The menu has regularly found items, but they also run specific seasonal additions.

I highly recommend that if you’re planning to take the Legislature tour, that you book reservations (early) for the dining room as it books up very fast, especially when the Legislature is in session.

Beacon Hill Park

So here’s your first free activity.

Beacon Hill Park has manicured grounds much like Butchart Gardens, with duck ponds, a petting zoo for the kids, golf putting and chipping greens, etc. There’s numerous paved walkways (wheelchair and walker friendly) that meander through the park. Don’t miss the famous totem pole display, a testament to BC’s indigenous culture.

Beacon Hill Park is also famous for attracting numerous varieties of birds. It’s not uncommon to see people with large lenses photographing rare birds here.

WARNING: While Beacon Hill Park is 100% safe to visit and walk through during the day, I would not recommend visiting the park after dark – stick to daylight hours only.

Chinatown

Chinatown is a nice walk from the inner harbour hotel district. Just continue down Government Street until you come to the big lion gate at Fisgard Street. The archway has a Chinese inscription that translates “to work together with one mind” and “to help each other to achieve harmony”. Having your picture taken at the gate is a must-do activity.

Victoria’s Chinatown is also the oldest Chinatown in Canada!

If you’re looking for Chinese food, there’s plenty establishments to be found. Don Mee’s is famous for their dim sum.

If you’re looking for the paranormal, take a walk down Fan Tan Alley. It’s said that a young man from China fell in love with a girl from Chinatown. He proposed to her, but she rejected him and he retaliated by murdering her. He fled through Fan Tan Alley and hid in a hotel there where he worked. He was tried and sentenced to hang (this was the 1800’s) but he killed himself instead. His ghost is said to appear running through Fan Tan Alley pushing people out of its way. I’ve tried many times to see his ghost and verify the story, but so far, I’ve been out of luck…

The Fairmont Empress

You don’t need to be a guest off the Empress to explore it and its wonderful grounds. It’s a time-honored tradition for visitors to enjoy “afternoon tea” at the Empress. Enjoy a selection of teas, finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries while admiring the view of the Inner Harbour.

As the Empress is one of the oldest buildings and hotels in Victoria, it’s also safe to say it’s haunted. It’s featured on local ghost tours that you can book, but I believe they only recount just one of the ghosts here. It’s said that the architect of the Empress still haunts the building, even though he was murdered and buried in England. Many people have seen the ghost of a maid who still cleans the 6th floor of the Empress. But don’t freak out and not stay at the Empress as it’s a 5-star high-class hotel that if you can afford it, I recommend you stay here.

The Empress also back-on to the Victoria Conference Centre. You can meander through the Empress and the shops and pop out on Douglas Street through the Conference Centre.

Victoria Butterfly Gardens

This is out in the Saanich peninsula, so pair this visit with going to Butchart Gardens.

I wouldn’t normally recommend this as it screams ‘tourist’, but this is different. If you’re looking to photograph butterflies, insects and birds, then this is a GREAT place to visit. Bring multiple lenses and be prepared to spend a lot of time here. Young kids may get bored, but they do have a lot of kid-friendly activities. I go for the photography alone as they have nearly 100 different species of butterflies.

Take a Walk on the Breakwater

Another must-do (free) activity and highly recommended during storms as the waves crash in to the breakwater! This is a great year-round activity where you can walk all the way out on the breakwater to the lighthouse at the end. There’s so much to see here with the Victoria Coast Guard on one side and scuba divers on the other. Due to safety concerns, wire railings were installed on the breakwater, but when I first moved here, there was nothing except a drop down to the rocks below!

If walking the breakwater isn’t your thing, you can sit and have a coffee at the Breakwater Bistro and Bar, which is located at the entrance to the breakwater.

Note: The Victoria Breakwater is an underwater historic sight. If you’re a scuba diver, this is a must-hit location as there is PLENTY of marine life here. There are also undersea plaques all around the breakwater that explain to divers what they might see at a particular point of interest and then provides compass navigation settings so divers an find the next plaque. This is where local scuba shops take new divers, as well as taking advanced divers out for underwater navigation (due to the plaques) and rescue diver training during storm surges.

Victoria Carriage Tour

This is another magic moment and I highly recommend it. You can book your horse drawn carriage tour across from the Inner Harbour and Legislature Buildings. They give you a fantastic tour of Victoria via horseback and if you’re taking a ride either around dusk or in the fall/winter, you’re provided with a blanket to snuggle under.

This is truly a magic moment in the winter months! I’ve always wanted to pair a carriage tour with a drop-off at the McPherson Playhouse when they’re running The Nutcracker. Now THAT would be dream-like.

While this would be one of the more expensive things to do in Victoria, it’s also the most worthwhile. No trip is complete for a 1st timer without doing this.

Note: Several people complain thinking we’re mistreating animals by making them ‘work’. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert equestrian, but these are not your typical horses that are used in the carriage tours. These are draft horses that are designed and bred to work. In fact, if a draft horse is not worked, they can end up with all sorts of health problems. The horses are very well cared for, fed, washed, and exercised. At the end of the day they go home to their stables. I can honestly say people care for these horses better than you or I care for our cats or dogs.

Royal Roads University & Gardens

Royal Roads University is actually part of the University of Victoria where it’s now a public university that specializes in advanced degrees in business, leadership, environmental science, and communications. It’s located in Colwood (a suburb of Victoria and about a 30-minute drive from downtown) and FREE to go on the grounds and in the early summer (end of June), it’s filled with students graduating from local high schools getting photographs. It’s THAT kind of place!

Prior to becoming a public university in the mid 1990’s, it was Canada’s premier military college. So our neighbors from the south have West Point, we had Royal Roads Military College where we provided education and training to our military officer elites.

Royal Roads is known for two distinctly famous gardens (on par with Butchart Gardens – just at a smaller scale). The Hatley Park Gardens consist of both the Italian Gardens and the Rose Garden and the Japanese Gardens.

The Italian Gardens boast elegant terraces, fountains, and sculptures. It offers a classical European garden experience. The Rose Garden, with its numerous rose varieties, is another popular feature within the Hatley Park Gardens. I highly recommend visiting the gardens here during the week or on a Sunday. Saturdays are usually devoted to weddings (I had all my wedding photos here at the Hatley Park Gardens).

The Japanese Gardens at Royal Roads are a serene and tranquil space designed in the traditional Japanese style. The gardens were designed by renowned Japanese landscape architect Mr. Isaburo Kishida and were opened in 1908. The gardens feature a koi pond, wooden bridges, stone lanterns, and various Japanese plants and tress. These gardens provide a peaceful atmosphere for meditation and reflection, and they often serve as a location for cultural events and ceremonies. Like the Hatley Park Gardens, I recommend going here on weekdays or Sundays as Saturdays are often filled with wedding photography (I had my engagement photos taken here). When my kids were little, we used to explore the Japanese gardens as we found them absolutely magical.

It’s also commonplace to see peacocks wandering through the university grounds, so don’t be alarmed. There’s also dozens of hiking trails that you can take through the grounds. The grounds are patrolled by university security, so you’re also not far away from help if you get lost.

I also recommend taking the Castle Tour here of Hatley Castle. It’s about an hour or so and you walk through the castle and learn about its history of the Dunsmuir family that had it built. There’s been nearly 100 movies filed at Hatley Castle and the Royal Roads university grounds, but the most famous is the X-men series. If you’re an X-men fan, you must take the Castle tour!

Like Victoria’s Chinatown, if you’re looking for the paranormal, you just might find it here with Laura Dunsmuir searching for her lost son.

Witty’s Lagoon & Sitting Lady Falls

If you’re heading out for a few hours at Royal Roads University, make sure you drive another 10-minutes out towards Metchosin to Witty’s Lagoon.

Witty’s Lagoon is a bird-watcher’s paradise, but that’s not what makes it famous. It’s famous for it’s waterfall – Sitting Lady Falls. I’ve taken numerous photography groups here to photograph the falls and while you can see it all year round, the best times are in the late fall to early spring.

There’s a great walking trial through Witty’s Lagoon that passes Sitting Lady Falls that will end up down at the ocean. It’s a 5 minutes hike (easy hike) to the falls, but if you want to follow the path all the way, it’ll be a good 40-minutes to the ocean and back. If you’re visiting here in the summer months, pack a picnic lunch and spend time at the lagoon.

Lastly – if you find yourself at Witty’s Lagoon, drive another 5-10 minutes to MyChosin Cafe for dinner. It’s a much kept secret of the locals. The food an service is so good here, that people travel from Sidney (other end of the island) to come here for dinner!

Take a Harbour Ferry Tour

You likely have never heard of this in any travel guide for Victoria, but this is another ‘must do’. Taking a tour of the small Victoria Harbour ferries is a delightful experience that immerses yourself in the charming coastal beauty of Victoria. These compact and colorful ferries offer a unique perspective of the city. As you step aboard, you’re welcomed by the gentle lapping of the harbour’s waters and the salty sea breeze in the air.

The small Victoria Harbour ferries are more than just a means of transportation; they are a popular attration in their own right. These ferries transport passengers around the Inner Harbour, providing them with stunning views of Victoria’s iconic landmarks. Passengers can also glimpse the bustling life of the Inner Harbour, where seaplanes take off and land, and vibrant street performers entertain the crowds.

What makes these ferry tours particularly special is their narrated commentary, which offers insights into the city’s history and culture. Passengers learn about the indigenous peoples of the area, Victoria’s colonial heritage, and its contemporary life.

There are 2 types of tours you can book – the Victoria Harbour Tour which runs around an hour and is focused on the downtown area, or the Victoria Gorge Tour which takes about an hour and a half and takes you through the inner harbour to the Gorge shipyards.

Additionally, they offer a water taxi service where you can hop on/off at any stop!