One day in Victoria

Day by day

1. Day 1: BC Parliament Buildings and Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea

   BC Parliament Buildings, Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea, Whale watching from the Inner Harbour and Victoria Harbour Ferry, then Downtown and LoJo in the evening.

   1. Morning

      BC Parliament Buildings

      Come back after sunset to see the building lit up, reflected in the harbour. Allow 1 hour.

   2. Late morning

      Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea

      Even without tea, walk through the lobby and the rose garden at the side of the hotel. Allow 2 hours for tea.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Afternoon tea

      The Fairmont Empress is the classic; tea rooms in Oak Bay and the Butchart Gardens Dining Room are alternatives.

   4. Afternoon

      Whale watching from the Inner Harbour

      Choose an operator that belongs to a responsible whale-watching association, and pick a covered boat if you get cold or seasick. Allow 3 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Victoria Harbour Ferry

      Buy a harbour tour rather than a single hop for the full loop, including the Gorge waterway. Allow 15–45 minutes.

   6. Evening

      Downtown and LoJo

      Pubs, cocktail bars and live-music venues around Johnson, Yates and Wharf streets.

Before you go

• Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea: Afternoon tea is popular year-round; reserve days or weeks ahead, especially in summer and December.
• Whale watching from the Inner Harbour: Book a day or two ahead in summer; many operators offer a free repeat trip if no whales are seen.

If it rains

• Swap in Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park (Inner Harbour and James Bay): Check which galleries are open before you visit; Thunderbird Park's poles are free to see at any time.
• Swap in Craigdarroch Castle (Rockland): Climb the narrow stairs to the tower top; the view south across the strait to the Olympic Mountains is the reward.
• Swap in Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea (Sidney): Combine it with Butchart Gardens or a ferry arrival at Swartz Bay; it is a short, easy visit for young children.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 6–7 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.3 hours in December to 16.1 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. The Inner Harbour, downtown, Chinatown, Beacon Hill Park and the Dallas Road waterfront are all within about 25 minutes' walk of each other.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Victoria
• 3 days in Victoria

Questions travellers ask