Season guide · Victoria · Canada
Victoria in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Mild, wet and grey with little snow, low hotel prices and Christmas lights at Butchart Gardens. Expect highs up to 8°C (46°F) and lows around 1°C (34°F), with about 50 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 1°C (34°F) to 8°C (46°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 50
- Sea
- 8°C (46°F) to 9°C (48°F)
- Crowds
- Very quiet
- Hotel prices
- Lowest
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C (45°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 18 | 8.7 h | 1/5 |
| February | 8°C (46°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 14 | 10.1 h | 1/5 |
| December | 7°C (45°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 18 | 8.3 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 7°C (45°F) against a yearly 14°C (57°F), and 50 of the year's roughly 141 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 1/5 and hotel prices 1/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Bald eagles gather at Goldstream Provincial Park after the salmon run (usually December–January)
- December: The Magic of Christmas at Butchart Gardens (usually December)
- December: Parliament Buildings and harbour lit for the holidays (December)
Good choices for winter
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
Coal magnate Robert Dunsmuir built this Scottish baronial mansion in the late 1880s and died before it was finished.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Views
Aquarium · Sidney
Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea
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
Day trips in winter
- Juan de Fuca coast and Botanical Beach (About 2 hours by car) — Highway 14 follows the wild Pacific coast past China Beach and Mystic Beach to Port Renfrew, where Botanical Beach's sandstone shelf is full of tide pools with anemones, urchins and sea stars at low tide.
- Salt Spring Island (About 1.5 hours including the ferry) — The largest of the Southern Gulf Islands is known for its artists' studios, cheese makers and farms.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Victoria?
It is a trade-off: Mild, wet and grey with little snow, low hotel prices and Christmas lights at Butchart Gardens. The best months overall are May–September.
+What is the weather like in Victoria in winter?
Highs of up to 8°C (46°F) and lows around 1°C (34°F), with about 50 rainy days over the season.