See

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.

free

Address: 501 Belleville St
Getting there: at the Inner Harbour
Hours: Late May-early Sep: Mon-Fri 8:30AM-5PM, Sat Sun 9AM-5PM; Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM at other times of the year
Price: Free
Website: leg.bc.ca (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Victoria (British Columbia), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Royal British Columbia Museum
This tells BC story, especially from 1850 to 1920. It has amazing exhibits, and is easily worth half a day. There are three permanent galleries: Modern History, story of the European settlement; First Peoples, pre-contact and post-contact; and Natural History, mainly oceans, large animals, and climate. All are explained with phenomenal immersive exhibits.
Daily 9AM–5PM (10AM-5PM in winter)$32 (adult), $22 (senior, youth 6-18), $19 (student 19+ with ID). Prices vary for special exhibitions
Eat
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
Do
Prince of Whales
Three-hour whale watching tours with a choice of semi-covered boat (with an elevated viewing deck) or open Zodiac in summer. Winter tours (Nov-Mar) are in Zodiac boats only.
Three sailings daily in Jul & Aug, one sailing daily at other times. Zodiac tours are on demand$120 (adult), $85-95 (child). Adult tickets $15 cheaper in winter
See
Miniature World
An extensive display of miniature landscapes, cities, etc., some rather bizarre or at comically mismatched scales. Includes the world's smallest working saw mill at a scale of 1:12.
Mid-May to late Sep: 9AM-9PM; 9AM-5PM at other times of the year$19 (adult 18+), $11 (youth 13-17), $9 (child 5-12), Tots under 5 (FREE)