Solo travel · Victoria · Canada
Solo travel in Victoria
How to enjoy Victoria at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Victoria is calm, compact and easy to explore alone, with walkable sights, bar seating in pubs and many group tours to join. Many solo travellers base themselves in Downtown and Old Town.
Key facts
- Base
- Downtown and Old Town
- Getting around
- Walking
- Emergency number
- 911
- Language
- English
Solo travel tips
- Stay downtown or by the Inner Harbour to walk everywhere.
- Join a whale-watching or kayak tour to meet other travellers.
- Craft-beer taprooms are sociable places to sit at the bar.
- Rent a bike for the Galloping Goose trail; it is flat and safe for solo riders near the city.
- Take care around a few downtown blocks near Pandora Avenue late at night.
Where to stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, food lovers, shopping, nightlife and solo travellers
Downtown and Old Town
North of the harbour, Government Street, Market Square, Bastion Square and Lower Johnson Street ('LoJo') hold restored 19th-century buildings full of shops, pubs and restaurants. Chinatown, with Fan Tan Alley and the Gate of Harmonious Interest, is at the northern edge. Most mid-range hotels and the best-value dining are here.
- Good
- Most restaurants and bars in walking distance; Wide hotel choice; Five minutes to the harbour
- Watch out
- Visible street disorder in some blocks; Weekend noise near the bars
- Nearby
- Chinatown, Fan Tan Alley, Market Square, Bastion Square
Great on your own
Architecture · Inner Harbour and James Bay
BC Parliament Buildings
Come back after sunset to see the building lit up, reflected in the harbour.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Free
- After dark
- History
Landmark · Inner Harbour and James Bay
Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea
Even without tea, walk through the lobby and the rose garden at the side of the hotel.
- Time needed
- 2 hours for tea
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Couples
- Food
- Architecture
Experience · Inner Harbour and James Bay
Victoria Harbour Ferry
Buy a harbour tour rather than a single hop for the full loop, including the Gorge waterway.
- Time needed
- 15–45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
- Iconic
Museum · Inner Harbour and James Bay
Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park
Check which galleries are open before you visit; Thunderbird Park's poles are free to see at any time.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Art
Castle · Rockland
Craigdarroch Castle
Climb the narrow stairs to the tower top; the view south across the strait to the Olympic Mountains is the reward.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Views
Neighbourhood · Downtown and Old Town
Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley
Walk Fan Tan Alley early in the day when it is quiet enough to notice the old doorways and narrow courtyards.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Food
- Photo spot
Meeting people
- Afternoon tea at the Empress — The city's signature splurge: a long tea service in the Empress's Lobby Lounge overlooking the harbour. Dress smart-casual and book ahead.
- Fish and chips at Fisherman's Wharf — Take the harbour ferry to the wharf, order halibut and chips and watch the seals and float homes.
- Downtown and LoJo — Pubs, cocktail bars and live-music venues around Johnson, Yates and Wharf streets.
- Rock Bay and Vic West — Craft-brewery taprooms and waterfront brewpubs.
Sensible precautions
Victoria is generally relaxed for visitors, but there is visible homelessness and some street disorder in parts of downtown, especially around Pandora Avenue; keep valuables out of sight in cars. On the coast, the water is very cold year-round, beach logs can roll in waves, and tides can cut off rocky shelves, so check tide tables.
- Emergency number
- 911
- Staying connected
- Free Wi-Fi is common in cafés, hotels and public buildings; mobile coverage is good in the city but patchy on the west coast highway.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Victoria good for solo travellers?
Victoria is calm, compact and easy to explore alone, with walkable sights, bar seating in pubs and many group tours to join.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Victoria?
Downtown and Old Town: Victorian brick shopfronts, Chinatown and the LoJo boutiques.