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Victoria island bc attractionsTHE TOP 15 Things To Do in Victoria | Attractions & Activities - Explore Greater.
12 Best Things to Do in Victoria, BC (with Map) - Touropia
Victoria island bc attractions. 16 Top-Rated Attractions & Things to Do in Victoria, BC
When it comes to beautiful Canadian cities, Victoria is definitely high on the list. A British settlement since and named after Queen Victoria, the city is home to a variety of historic buildings, including the beautiful parliament buildings and the world-famous Empress Hotel. Victoria is also ranked as one of the top 20 cities worldwide for its quality of life and is relatively snow-free in the winter months, something rather unusual for a Canadian city.
Although there are other smaller airports around the island, this is the one that gets used by most visitors. Victoria is also a great place to visit by car, especially if you plan on exploring more of Vancouver Island. Most people would be either driving west from interior BC and Vancouver or potentially south from Washington.
The crossing time is approximately 1. The other option is to take the ferry to Nanaimo, and then drive 2-hours to Victoria. Depending on timing, you want to arrive hours earlier than the ferry departure as it can be very busy. Upon arrival, you will be in Sidney, BC, which is 32 km 20 miles north of Victoria, taking approximately 30 minutes by car to reach downtown Victoria.
You could also take a ferry to Nanaimo and travel to Victoria from there. For more information on how to take the bus from Vancouver Airport to the Victoria ferry. You can take public transportation from the airport to the ferry, or if you rent a car, just drive to the ferry terminal.
Seattle to Victoria Ferry: Another really cool feature about Victoria BC is that you can actually take a ferry right from downtown Seattle to downtown Victoria, sailing through some really beautiful coastal scenery. Just like driving to Victoria, the only way to get to Vancouver Island is to take the ferry. There is no bus that takes you all the way to Victoria from Vancouver. However, you can take a bus to the ferry, and then another bus from the ferry to Victoria. This entire route will take approximately 4 hours.
Basically, you need to take the Canada Line and ride the SkyTrain to Bridgeport Station and then take bus from bay 11 to Tsawwassen ferry terminal 45 minutes or more. Jump on the ferry and take it to Swartz Bay 1.
Victoria is not a huge city, and thus, there is no subway train system. There is, however, a pretty good public bus network, as well as taxis to get you around.
You could also rent a car, or if not going too far, Victoria is also a great place to walk or bike. Bus: Public bus will take you almost anywhere you need to go within Victoria, as well as to the airport and the ferry terminal.
Another option is to take the Hop-On Hop-Off double-decker bus, which takes you to all the popular tourist sites, allowing you to get on and off as you please.
Taxi: Like most of Canada, taxis are not cheap but they can be convenient. Bicycle: Victoria is a wonderful city to traverse by bike. There are a variety of options for renting a bike, including electric bikes as well. Another option is the u-bike , which you just grab-and-go across the city. There are even self-guided walking tours and paid tours you could partake in. Carshare: Another way to get around is by carshare, which is currently operated by both Modo and Zipcar.
Harbour Ferry: For inner-city travel, the Harbour Ferry is a great way to get around and enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery. It runs from mid-February until the end of October weather permitting.
It does, however, get quite a bit of rain during the winter months. March-May: The spring months are actually a great time to visit Victoria, as this is when many flowers being to bloom and the weather warms up.
June-August: Like most of Canada, the summer months are the busiest and costliest time to visit. However, this is when the weather is at its warmest. With maximum warmth and minimum rain, this is the best time for getting outdoors and going walking, biking or hiking.
September-November: The fall is also a great time to visit the island, though you should expect more rain.
We also went whale watching on the last day of the season and had the best whale watching tour of our lives. You just never know. December-February: These months represent the winter and is known as the offseason in Victoria. Victoria is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Canada, which creates loads of attractions, activities, and other things to do. Below is a list of some of the best things to do when visiting Victoria.
Visited by more than one million people each year, the Butchard Gardens has become an icon of Victoria, as well as a National Historic Site of Canada. This breathtaking acre garden is home to bedding plant varieties, 26 greenhouses, and 50 full-time gardeners! However, they also have a Saturday firework show, boat tours, evening entertainment, and a lovely gift shop. Roses, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and Japanese maples are just some of the magnificent flora you might see at this world-famous garden.
The natural history collection alone has more than , records of specimens that are almost exclusively from the province. Simply walk up Belleville Street past the Museum of Natural History and the Imax Theatre to Douglas Street, take a right, and then climb a short hill until you reach the top.
Beautiful inner-city nature awaits you. However, do note that the park is a whopping acres in size, so plan your visit accordingly. One of the best things to do in Victoria is to simply stroll along the inner harbour, which is one of the most beautiful harbours in the world.
However, taking a 3-hour food tour with A Taste of Victoria Food Tours will add the experience of trying a variety of delicious food from local restaurants and bakeries.
This was one of our favourite ways of exploring Victoria as we got to learn some history while sampling things like Italian baked goods, perogies, homemade ice cream, balsamic vinegar and olive oils, and some delicious meatballs. Right next to the Inner Harbour is the impossible-to-miss British Columbia parliament buildings.
Overlooking stunning Victoria Harbour, these beautiful historical buildings are as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside. Visitors are able to do self-guided tours of the buildings or can go on a regularly scheduled minute guided tour, which occurs seven days a week during the summer months.
One of the top things to do in the warmer months is whale watching. Thanks to an abundance of orcas killer whales , the areas around Victoria and Vancouver Island are some of the best places in the world for these majestic marine animals. Highly recommended! Honey, I shrunk the kids! Remember that movie? Now you can somewhat experience that at one of Victoria top tourist attractions — Miniature World.
Talk about attention to detail! Complete with an exquisite heritage home, the beautiful Abkhazi garden was created in by Prince and Princess Abkhazi. First, a miniature world and now a miniature zoo? For those interested in insects and spiders, this is the place to be! The Fairmont has done it again. This hotel is not only one of the top tourist attractions in the city but also one of the most historic buildings as well. Stepping inside is like stepping back in time to the days of the British Empire.
Admiring the flora crawling up the building from the outside is just stunning. Created by Chinese immigrants more than years ago, Chinatown has become a testament to the resiliency of the culture and traditions brought overseas long ago.
Regardless if this is your first kayaking adventure or if you consider yourself a pro, Victoria is an awesome place to paddle and is the gateway to world-class paddling destinations around Vancouver Island.
Being surrounded by water, Victoria offers a huge variety of paddle sports experiences from the serenity of a calm lake, or the joy of an urban paddle on the inner harbour, all the way up to the excitement of a quick-moving current. Paddle-boarding is also popular, as are canoeing and other water vessels. There are many companies offering rentals and tours.
As you might imagine, with so much water surrounding the city, sailing is another popular activity in Victoria, BC. Whether you want to learn how to sail or just go for a scenic tour around the harbour, this is a great place to do it. With so much nature surrounding the city, Victoria is an awesome base for stunning hiking opportunities.
Whether you hike in the city or outside the city, there is no shortage of trails and natural sites, including waterfalls, mountaintops, historic sites, and coastal treks. Trailheads are well signposted, usually with maps, and trails are very well maintained. Most hiking trails are open year-round and are dog-friendly as long as they are on a leash. Well, now you can step into an indoor tropical rainforest filled with thousands of butterflies fluttering about the place.
There are over 70 species of these magical creatures to see , as well as koi fish, turtles, poison dart frogs, parrots, flamingos, and many tropical flowers. These make for excellent day trips. Once on the little islands, you can simply relax in nature, go biking or hiking, visit local artisans and eateries, or find yourself a nice beach to whisk the day away.
While some certainly visit Victoria just for Victoria, we highly recommend taking another week or more and exploring more of Vancouver Island. Where will you go? With a little effort, you can turn Vancouver Island into an affordable travel destination.
Most of the outdoor stuff is free so if you stick to that and cooking your own food, you can keep your costs pretty low! Here are some of my ways to save money when you travel to Vancouver Island:. Couchsurf: Although Couchsurfing requires quite a bit of upfront work, it can be a great way to meet locals while saving mega dollars on accommodation.
Camping: Vancouver Island is home to a plethora of camping opportunities for those well-equipped. Use the DiscoverCamping. Happy Hours: When looking for pubs and restaurants, find out if they have a happy hour. This is a great way to save money on food and drinks, while still enjoying the dining scene of each place.
Go Biking: Vancouver Island is one of the top places in the country for mountain biking, so if you have the experience, you can save a lot of money by biking from destination to destination. Hitchhike: Considering its popularity, there are many opportunities to try hitchhiking.
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