Outdoors · Victoria · Canada
8 best outdoor things to do in Victoria
Parks, viewpoints and open-air sights for the dry, bright days.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Butchart Gardens, Whale watching from the Inner Harbour and Beacon Hill Park. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 14–18 hours across 5 areas; 3 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 3
- Time to see them all
- 14–18 hours
- Areas
- Brentwood Bay, Inner Harbour and James Bay and Colwood
Outdoors in Victoria
Garden · Brentwood Bay
1.Butchart Gardens
Arrive at opening or in the last two hours before closing to see the Sunken Garden without the tour-bus crowds.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Nature
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Experience · Inner Harbour and James Bay
2.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.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Nature
- Kids
- Iconic
- Active
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Park · Inner Harbour and James Bay
3.Beacon Hill Park
Walk up Beacon Hill itself for a view across the strait, then down to the Mile 0 marker on Dallas Road.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Waterfront · Inner Harbour and James Bay
4.Dallas Road waterfront and Ogden Point Breakwater
Walk the breakwater at sunset, then continue east along the cliffs to the Mile 0 marker.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Photo spot
Historic site · Colwood
5.Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse
Bring a picnic; the grassy grounds and views of the Olympic Mountains suit a long afternoon.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Views
- Outdoors
Castle · Colwood
6.Hatley Castle and Gardens
Walk the old-growth forest trails on the estate after the gardens.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Nature
- Couples
Garden · Cook Street Village and Fairfield
7.Abkhazi Garden
Visit in April or May, when the rhododendrons and azaleas flower against the rock.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
- Photo spot
Nature · Vic West and Songhees
8.Galloping Goose Regional Trail
Rent a bike downtown and ride out to the Selkirk Trestle and back for an easy first taste.
- Time needed
- 2 hours to a full day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Active
- Outdoors
- Nature
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Brentwood Bay | Butchart Gardens | 2–4 hours |
| Inner Harbour and James Bay | Whale watching from the Inner Harbour, Beacon Hill Park and Dallas Road waterfront and Ogden Point Breakwater | 3 hours + 1–2 hours + 1–2 hours |
| Colwood | Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse and Hatley Castle and Gardens | 2 hours + 1.5–2 hours |
| Cook Street Village and Fairfield | Abkhazi Garden | 1 hour |
| Vic West and Songhees | Galloping Goose Regional Trail | 2 hours to a full day |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 3 free, 3 low cost, 1 mid-priced, 1 expensive. Book ahead for Butchart Gardens and Whale watching from the Inner Harbour. The longest visit is Butchart Gardens; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Butchart Gardens: Summer and December are busiest; buy tickets online ahead, and reserve dining or afternoon tea separately.
- 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.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Brentwood Bay): Butchart Gardens, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Inner Harbour and James Bay): Whale watching from the Inner Harbour → Beacon Hill Park, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Inner Harbour and James Bay and Colwood): Dallas Road waterfront and Ogden Point Breakwater → Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Colwood and Cook Street Village and Fairfield): Hatley Castle and Gardens → Abkhazi Garden, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Vic West and Songhees): Galloping Goose Regional Trail, at least 2 hours.
The best months to be outside
- July: highs of 22°C (72°F), about 4 rainy days, very busy crowds. Dry and sunny, rarely hot; peak season with Canada Day in the Inner Harbour and Butchart's summer fireworks.
- August: highs of 22°C (72°F), about 4 rainy days, very busy crowds. The driest, sunniest month; hotels are busiest and wildfire smoke from elsewhere in BC occasionally hazes the sky.
- September: highs of 19°C (66°F), about 6 rainy days, busy crowds. Often still sunny and dry, with fewer crowds after Labour Day; whales are still frequent.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Inner Harbour and James Bay — Parliament, the Empress and seaplanes on the harbour, with heritage houses behind
- Vic West and Songhees — Waterfront condos and hotels across the Johnson Street Bridge
- Cook Street Village and Fairfield — Chestnut-lined café street near the Dallas Road cliffs
- Sidney — Seaside town of bookshops near the airport and the Swartz Bay ferry
More of Victoria
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Victoria?
Butchart Gardens. From 1904, Jennie Butchart began turning her husband's exhausted limestone quarry into the Sunken Garden, now the centrepiece of 22 hectares of themed gardens including a Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and Italian Garden, all on the Saanich Inlet about 21 km north of downtown.
+Which of these are free in Victoria?
Beacon Hill Park, Dallas Road waterfront and Ogden Point Breakwater and Galloping Goose Regional Trail.