Victoria, BC

Know the town

About Victoria

Victoria is British Columbia’s capital and the oldest city on Canada’s west coast. Its downtown wraps around the Inner Harbour, where float planes, harbour ferries and whale-watching boats share the water, and the walkable core holds the government, the big museums and a dense mix of shops, restaurants and pubs. It is the centre of Greater Victoria, a cluster of municipalities that together make up the largest urban area on the Island.

The Inner Harbour

The harbour is the city’s front porch. The Parliament Buildings, outlined in lights after dark, face the water across from the Fairmont Empress hotel, and the Royal BC Museum sits between them. The lower causeway fills with buskers and artists in summer, and little harbour ferries putter between stops on the waterfront for a cheap and scenic way to get around.

Old Town and Chinatown

A few blocks north, Victoria’s Old Town keeps its brick warehouses and Victorian storefronts, many now home to independent shops and cafés. Chinatown, the oldest in Canada, is marked by its ornate gate on Fisgard Street, and Fan Tan Alley — barely wider than a person — squeezes small shops between its walls.

Parks and the waterfront

Beacon Hill Park, a large green space south of downtown, mixes manicured gardens, ponds and wild Garry oak meadows, and the Mile Zero marker of the Trans-Canada Highway stands at its edge on Dallas Road. The shoreline path along Dallas Road is a favourite for walking, kite flying and watching the Olympic Mountains across the strait. James Bay, Fairfield, Fernwood and Cook Street Village each have their own character and their own local main streets.

Getting here

Most visitors arrive on BC Ferries at Swartz Bay, half an hour north, or fly into Victoria International Airport near Sidney. Passenger and car ferries also link the downtown harbour with Washington State. Neighbouring Oak Bay, Esquimalt and Saanich are minutes away.

Victoria’s verified local businesses are listed below, from downtown restaurants to the trades that keep its older homes standing, along with events coming up in the city.

For council, permits, garbage and recycling, parks bookings and other local services, visit City of Victoria.