Things to do · Victoria · Canada
18 best things to do in Victoria
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Victoria are BC Parliament Buildings, Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea and Butchart Gardens. Of the 18 picks below, 7 are free, 3 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- BC Parliament Buildings
- Free sights
- 7
- Good on a rainy day
- Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC Parliament Buildings | Inner Harbour and James Bay | 1 hour | Free |
| Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea | Inner Harbour and James Bay | 2 hours for tea | Expensive |
| Butchart Gardens | Brentwood Bay | 2–4 hours | Mid-priced |
| Whale watching from the Inner Harbour | Inner Harbour and James Bay | 3 hours | Expensive |
| Victoria Harbour Ferry | Inner Harbour and James Bay | 15–45 minutes | Low cost |
| Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park | Inner Harbour and James Bay | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Craigdarroch Castle | Rockland | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Beacon Hill Park | Inner Harbour and James Bay | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley | Downtown and Old Town | 1 hour | Free |
| Fisherman's Wharf | Inner Harbour and James Bay | 1 hour | Free |
| Dallas Road waterfront and Ogden Point Breakwater | Inner Harbour and James Bay | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse | Colwood | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Hatley Castle and Gardens | Colwood | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Abkhazi Garden | Cook Street Village and Fairfield | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Galloping Goose Regional Trail | Vic West and Songhees | 2 hours to a full day | Free |
| Emily Carr House | Inner Harbour and James Bay | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea | Sidney | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Mount Douglas (PKOLS) | Saanich | 1 hour | Free |
The 18 best things to do
Architecture · Inner Harbour and James Bay
1.BC Parliament Buildings
Designed by Francis Rattenbury and completed in 1897, the legislature's granite façade and copper dome topped with a gilded statue of Captain George Vancouver dominate the harbour. After dark the building is outlined in more than 3,000 light bulbs. Free tours visit the legislative chamber and the stained-glass rotunda.
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
2.Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea
The ivy-clad Canadian Pacific Railway hotel, also by Rattenbury, opened in 1908 and faces the harbour beside the legislature. Its afternoon tea in the Lobby Lounge — tea, finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and pastries — is Victoria's best-known indulgence.
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
- Book ahead
- Afternoon tea is popular year-round; reserve days or weeks ahead, especially in summer and December.
- Iconic
- Couples
- Food
- Architecture
Garden · Brentwood Bay
3.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. It is a National Historic Site, with displays changing through the seasons.
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
- Book ahead
- Summer and December are busiest; buy tickets online ahead, and reserve dining or afternoon tea separately.
- Iconic
- Nature
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Experience · Inner Harbour and James Bay
4.Whale watching from the Inner Harbour
Operators leave the harbour in covered boats or open Zodiacs to search the Salish Sea for orcas, humpbacks and grey whales, as well as sea lions, porpoises and bald eagles. Sightings are most frequent from about April to October.
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
- Book ahead
- Book a day or two ahead in summer; many operators offer a free repeat trip if no whales are seen.
- Nature
- Kids
- Iconic
- Active
Experience · Inner Harbour and James Bay
5.Victoria Harbour Ferry
Small, round-bowed water taxis known locally as 'pickle boats' shuttle between docks around the Inner Harbour, Fisherman's Wharf and Vic West, and run longer harbour tours. On some summer mornings the boats perform a 'water ballet' in front of the Empress.
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
6.Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park
The provincial museum covers British Columbia's natural history, from coastal forests to the ocean, with changing exhibitions. It is midway through a long modernisation, and some older galleries have closed. Outside, Thunderbird Park displays carved totem poles and a carving shed, next to Helmcken House, one of the oldest houses in the province.
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
7.Craigdarroch Castle
Coal magnate Robert Dunsmuir built this Scottish baronial mansion in the late 1880s and died before it was finished. Four floors of Victorian rooms are filled with stained glass, carved woodwork and period furniture, and the tower gives views over the city to the Olympic Mountains.
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
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Park · Inner Harbour and James Bay
8.Beacon Hill Park
Victoria's main park, a short walk from the harbour, mixes ponds, formal flower beds and Garry oak meadows with playgrounds and free-roaming peacocks. A totem pole carved by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Mungo Martin, one of the tallest in the world, stands here, and the Mile 0 marker of the Trans-Canada Highway is at its southern edge on Dallas Road.
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
Neighbourhood · Downtown and Old Town
1.Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley
Founded during the 1858 gold rush, Victoria's Chinatown is the oldest in Canada. The Gate of Harmonious Interest spans Fisgard Street, and Fan Tan Alley, little more than a metre wide in places, once hid gambling dens and opium factories and now holds small shops and cafés.
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
Waterfront · Inner Harbour and James Bay
2.Fisherman's Wharf
A working wharf at the mouth of the Inner Harbour lined with brightly painted float homes, fish-and-chip stands, kayak rentals and whale-watching operators. Harbour seals often swim around the docks.
Get there by harbour ferry from downtown, and eat fish and chips on the dock.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Kids
- Photo spot
Waterfront · Inner Harbour and James Bay
3.Dallas Road waterfront and Ogden Point Breakwater
A clifftop path runs along Dallas Road from Ogden Point to Clover Point and beyond, with the Olympic Mountains of Washington State across the strait. The Ogden Point Breakwater, about 800 metres long and decorated with Indigenous murals, leads to a small lighthouse.
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
4.Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse
About 12 km west of downtown, Parks Canada protects a coastal artillery fort that guarded Esquimalt Harbour from the 1890s, with underground magazines and gun batteries. A causeway leads to Fisgard Lighthouse, built in 1860 as the first permanent lighthouse on Canada's west coast.
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
5.Hatley Castle and Gardens
James Dunsmuir, son of Craigdarroch's builder, completed this Edwardian castle in 1908 on a large estate that is now Royal Roads University. Its Italian, Japanese and rose gardens are open to visitors, and the castle has appeared in many films, including the X-Men series as Professor Xavier's school.
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
6.Abkhazi Garden
A small hillside garden of rock outcrops, Garry oaks, rhododendrons and ponds, created after 1946 by Prince Nicholas and Princess Peggy Abkhazi, who met in Paris before the war and reunited after years in prison camps. The modest summerhouse now serves tea.
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
7.Galloping Goose Regional Trail
A former railway line turned into a 55 km walking and cycling trail from Vic West through suburbs, farmland and forest towards Sooke. Near the city it is paved and flat; further west it passes trestle bridges and rivers.
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
Historic site · Inner Harbour and James Bay
8.Emily Carr House
The painter and writer Emily Carr, known for her images of BC's forests and First Nations villages, was born in this Italianate house in James Bay in 1871. The restored rooms and garden tell her story, and work by local artists is often shown.
Pair it with a walk to Ross Bay Cemetery in Fairfield, where Carr is buried.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Off the beaten path
Aquarium · Sidney
9.Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea
A small, local aquarium on the Sidney waterfront that shows only animals from the surrounding Salish Sea — octopus, wolf eels, rockfish and anemones — with touch tanks run by enthusiastic staff.
Combine it with Butchart Gardens or a ferry arrival at Swartz Bay; it is a short, easy visit for young children.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Viewpoint · Saanich
10.Mount Douglas (PKOLS)
A forested hill in Saanich about 10 km north of downtown, known by its Indigenous name PKOLS. A short walk from the upper parking area leads to a summit with a 360-degree view over the city, the islands and, on clear days, Mount Baker.
Go at sunrise or sunset on a clear day, when Mount Baker glows on the horizon.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Nature
- Photo spot
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park and Emily Carr House |
| History | BC Parliament Buildings, Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park, Craigdarroch Castle and Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley |
| Views | Craigdarroch Castle, Dallas Road waterfront and Ogden Point Breakwater, Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse and Victoria Harbour Ferry |
| Outdoors and nature | Butchart Gardens, Whale watching from the Inner Harbour, Beacon Hill Park and Dallas Road waterfront and Ogden Point Breakwater |
| Food and markets | Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea, Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley and Fisherman's Wharf |
| After dark | BC Parliament Buildings |
| With children | Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park, Beacon Hill Park, Fisherman's Wharf and Whale watching from the Inner Harbour |
| On a rainy day | Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park, Craigdarroch Castle and Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea |
What to book ahead
- Fairmont Empress and afternoon tea: Afternoon tea is popular year-round; reserve days or weeks ahead, especially in summer and December.
- 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.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Victoria?
BC Parliament Buildings. Designed by Francis Rattenbury and completed in 1897, the legislature's granite façade and copper dome topped with a gilded statue of Captain George Vancouver dominate the harbour.
+What can you do for free in Victoria?
BC Parliament Buildings, Beacon Hill Park, Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley, Fisherman's Wharf and Dallas Road waterfront and Ogden Point Breakwater. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Victoria when it rains?
Head indoors to Royal BC Museum and Thunderbird Park, Craigdarroch Castle and Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.
+What is there to do in Victoria at night?
BC Parliament Buildings are best after dark.