Victoria

2% Jazz Coffee

Coffee roaster and coffee shop, with regular blends and a rotating selection. For people who support socially-aware businesses, their single-use cups are biodegradable, and they pay their staff a living wage.

Mon-Fri 7:30AM-3:30PM, Sat-Sun 8AM-2:30PM

Abkhazi Gardens

Love affairs make great stories, and this one resulted in a great garden. Prince and Princess Abkhazi along with designer John Wade came together and created a garden that took over 40 years to come together on a beautiful property overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. There's also a teahouse that does afternoon tea and light lunches.

Apr-Sep: daily 11AM-5PM; Oct-Mar: Wed-Sun 11AM-5PM·By donation, $10 suggested

Afternoon Tea, at the Empress Hotel

This is quintessentially Victoria or unbearably kitsch, depending on your taste. Afternoon Tea, served from noon, includes fine teas, fruit with cream, and elegant petite sandwiches. Altogether it is a full meal. West Coast Tea, served Th-Sa from 7PM onwards during the summer only, builds on the concept but is designed for cruise ship visitors. $109 per person. Reservations required, and should be made 1-2 weeks in advance. Dress-code is "smart casual": dresses and ties not required, but avoid tank tops and flip-flops.

Price changes with the season, from $48 per person in summer to $38 in the winter

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Art gallery with some notable works from BC artist, Emily Carr, and one of the largest collections of Asian art in Canada. There are also rotating exhibitions. The outside grounds include an Asian garden and the only authentic Japanese Shinto Shrine in North America.

Mon-Wed Fri Sat 10AM-5PM, Thu 10AM-9PM, Sun noon-5PM (closed on Mondays mid-Sep to mid-May)·$13 (adult), $11 (senior, student), $2.50 (youth 6-17)

BC Whale Tours

3-4 hour whale watching trips with a choice between open Zodiac-style boats or boats that have outdoor and indoor seating. Maximum number of passengers on a trip is 12.

Two daily departures from Mar-Oct. Winter tours (Nov-Feb) are run on demand·$121 (adult), $81-101 (children), a trip on the Luna costs an additional $10

Beacon Hill Park

Large park close to downtown with trails, lakes, gardens, splash pads/playgrounds for the kids and sports fields. The south end is on the waterfront, with a walking path and a view of the Olympic Mountains across the strait. There are plenty of ducks, some wild peacocks running around and herons. Attractions within the park include the Beacon Hill Children's Farm, which features a goat petting area, Mile 0 (the western end of the Trans-Canada highway) and the Beacon Hill Park Story Pole, which, at nearly 39 m, was the tallest free-standing totem pole in the world when it was first raised in 1956.

Free

Bent Mast Pub and Restaurant

Burgers, sandwiches and pub fare in an old Victorian house. A great place to drink, eat, make friends, and have fun. Talk to the staff for a bit of the history of the house.

Mon-Thu noon-midnight, Fri noon-2AM, Sat 10AM-2AM, Sun 10AM-midnight·Starters $6-14, mains $10-20

Big Wheel Burger

A classic American cheeseburger joint with a focus on sustainability (it was Vancouver Island's first carbon-neutral restaurant). Delicious cheeseburgers and shakes gluten-free, vegetarian options and kid-friendly. Serves beer and wine as well.

11AM-10PM daily·$10-20

Blue Crab Seafood House

Beautiful harbor-view dining with elegant atmosphere. True to its name, there are a number of crab dishes, as well as other seafood options.

Sun-Thu 11AM-11PM, Fri Sat 11AM-midnight·Starters $10-26, mains $20-60

Bon Sushi

Small neighbourhood restaurant with eat in or take out. Authentic, no-frills, just good Japanese food.

Mon-Wed 11AM-8:30PM, Thu-Sat 11AM-9PM, Sun 5PM-8:30PM·$10-20

Brasserie l'École

A highly-acclaimed fine dining destination with the atmosphere of a classy but comfy Parisian restaurant. Has both a strong wine list and an extensive beer list, including a good selection of Trappist ales. Great steak-frites but hard to go wrong with anything on the menu. Considered to have some of the best food in Victoria.

Tue-Sat 5:30PM-11PM·Starters $10-20, mains $30-50, steaks from $50

British Columbia Parliament Buildings

The legislative assembly for the province of British Columbia since 1898, the domed neo-Baroque and Romanesque Revival architecture is a distinctive feature of Victoria's waterfront. The free public tours (usually offered throughout the day) are considered excellent. Self-guided tours are available on weekdays, booklets can be picked up at the Parliamentary Tour desk or downloaded from the website. The buildings are equally nice to view at night night, when they are lit up with 13,000 lights.

Late May-early Sep: Mon-Fri 8:30AM-5PM, Sat Sun 9AM-5PM; Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM at other times of the year·Free

Butchart Gardens

A large garden planted in a former limestone quarry. Quite remarkable. During the summer they have fireworks set to music and during winter evenings, the gardens are lit up and include displays illustrating the twelve days of Christmas. You can reach Butchart Gardens from Vancouver and Victoria on several bus tours and also by public transit from Victoria or the Swartz Bay ferry terminal.

Varies by season: generally 9AM-5PM but open until 10PM in summer (mid-June to Labour Day in September)·Adults: April to mid-June $35.40, mid-June to September $39.50

Cadboro Bay Beach

Cadboro-Gyro Park

Popular park with a stretch of sandy beach, many picnic tables, tennis courts, playground, play sculptures and a small zip-line. The view of the bay is pretty, and on clear days, you can see across to the Olympic Mountains in Washington state.

Cafe Brio Restaurant

Cured meats and Italian and local dishes in what Northwest Palate Magazine has called "a destination for serious diners from all over the U.S. and Canada."

Tue-Sat 4:30PM-9:30PM·$13-34

Chinatown

The oldest Chinatown in Canada and second oldest in North America. At its peak in the early 1900s, there were over 3,000 people living amongst its narrow lanes, businesses, theatres, schools, temples and opium dens. Some of the distinctive architecture remains, and a new generation of restaurants, Chinese fruit and vegetable stores, bubble tea and coffee shops have taken over. Other landmarks include The Gates of Harmonious Interest (at the corner of Fisgard & Government) and Fan Tan Alley, Canada's narrowest "road".

Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum

This castle was built in 1890 by a wealthy and powerful Scottish family who at that time owned a quarter of Vancouver Island. Great architecture. Its 39 rooms are still furnished with Victorian-era furniture and the building is noted for its stain-glassed windows and intricate woodwork. The castle had five different occupants before it was repurposed as a museum in 1979. Its exhibits and educational panels cover a vast range of Canadian history linked to those occupants, including Canada's equivalent of the Gilded Age, Canada's involvement in World War I, the development of Victoria's early suburbs, and the evolution of the educational system on Vancouver Island.

Mid-June to early September: 9AM-7PM; other times of the year: 10AM-4:30PM·$20.60 (adult), 19.60 (seniors) $14.80 (student), $10.00 (child 6-12)

Dino Lab Inc.

A hands-on tour of dinosaur fossils. You get to use professional tools to uncover real fossils and touch actual dinosaur bones. There are adults-only sessions and mixed-age sessions. Booking required.

$40

Eagle Wing Tours Whale Watching

Minimum 3.5 hour whale watching trips with open and semi-covered options. Maximum number of people per trip ranges from 12-50, depending on the boat.

$85-135 (mid May-Oct), $55-105 (Nov-mid May)

Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park

Popular park with two lakes (actually it's one lake with different names, connected by a channel), a number of beaches that are popular swimming locations and a 10-km trail that circumnavigates the entire lake. Picnicing, rowing, wind surfing and fishing are also popular. A nature center near the main entrance on Beaver Lake Rd has displays on the park's natural and cultural history and staff on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Park open daily year-round, Nature Center open June-Sept Sat-Sun noon-4PM·Free

Emily Carr House

Emily Carr is one of Canada's greatest and most loved artists. This is her childhood home, which has become a heritage site and museum on her art, writing and life.

May - Sep: Tue-Sat·$6.75 (adult), $5.75 (student/senior), $4.50 (child 6-18), $17 (family)

Ferris' Oyster Bar & Grill

Two restaurants — the grill and patio (with a focus on sandwiches, burgers and oysters) downstairs, and the upstairs oyster and seafood bar. A large menu and classy atmosphere, perfect for first dates or nights out with friends. Even the burgers are good.

Mon 11:30AM-10PM, Tue-Sat 11:30AM-11PM, Sun 10AM-11PM (Upstairs oyster bar opens at 5PM nightly)·Starters $5-16, mains $11-32

Five Star Whale Watching

Long operating family business (since 1985). Three hours whale watching trips in their catamaran that includes several outdoor decks and a heated indoor cabin. Maximum number of passengers is 45.

Two daily departures from early May to late Sep. Departures in Apr and Oct dependent on demand·$130 (adult), $95-109 (child)

Forged Axe Throwing

Forged Axe Throwing Victoria opened in 2023. This axe throwing arena will make you think you've been transported into a cabin in the woods where lumberjacks roam! The venue can accommodate groups of 2-50 people. Axe throwing league is every Thursday at 6:45pm.

1-9PM·$30

Galloping Goose Regional Trail

The Goose

A 55 km trail on a decommissioned rail bed from downtown Victoria through Langford and the West Shore and onto Sooke and the hills beyond. The varied scenery includes urban, rural and wilderness, and it connects with many other trails in the Greater Victoria area, including the Lochside Regional Trail and the E&N Rail Trail - Humpback Connector. In Victoria, the trail starts at the corner of Wharf & Pandora St and then crosses the Johnson St bridge to Harbour Rd. There are also a number of access points along the way to Sooke, several of which have parking. The Capital Regional District (CRD) website has directions to access points with parking lots. A few places rent bikes and this is a great afternoon or day trip.

Garrick’s Head Pub

A simple pub — and “One of the oldest English pubs in Canada” according to their website (est. 1867) — but with excellent food and amazing friendly service. As is typical in such pubs, not a great selection for veggheads, but their veggie burger (nuts and chick peas) is really fantastic. The fries are beer-battered to a lovely crispy dark golden colour and the fish is cooked really well, flaky, not squeaky. Mushy peas that come with the steak pie are very tasty. Lots of traditional British food... but with taste. There are also over 50 beers on tap. Not enough for you, how about that fireplace?

Mon-Sat 11AM-1AM, Sun 11AM-midnight·Starters $7-15, mains $13-19

Green Cuisine

Vegetarian Restaurant offers a buffet of 100% vegan dishes. $1.75 per 100g, with fruit drinks and soy milk shakes about $4 on top of that. A generous meal for two was under $30.

10AM-8PM daily

Hatley Park National Historic Site

This site in the Colwood area of western Victoria is home to historic Hatley Castle, which many movie fans will recognize as Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in the X-Men and Deadpool films produced by 20th Century Fox. The castle's exterior gardens are open to the public from 10 AM to dusk. The castle interior is home to the offices of Royal Roads University. Only the first floor is available for public viewing, and it can be seen only during seasonal walking tours which must be booked in advance.

10AM-dusk (gardens only)

Irish Times

Wonderful pub meals, good beer and lots of seating. Live music most nights.

9AM-1AM

John's Place

A local favourite with some of the best staff in town and excellent food at decent prices. Does breakfast, lunch and dinner, with brunch on weekends. The Eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce is to die for (10 varieties)!

Mon-Fri 7AM-9PM, Sat Sun 8AM-9PM·Breakfast $7-15, dinner mains $9-17