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Visiting Victoria BC is a great option for Vancouverites looking to get out of the city for the weekend. Don’t get me wrong, living in Vancouver is amazing. The city itself has plenty to do and attracts visitors from all over the world every year. However, if you live here, you still want to get away every now and again. With a full time job I can’t always travel far. Crossing the border into the United States opens up a whole lot more possibilities like Seattle, but sometimes you just want to stay nearby. If it’s summer there are lots of destinations for camping further inland, and there’s wine country in the Okanagan. But Victoria is a great go-to.
Why visit Victoria?
I often overlooked Victoria as a place to visit. When I first moved here everyone told me I should go to Victoria: “It’s beautiful”, “It’s an amazing city”, “You’ll love it”. However the first time I went I was a bit underwhelmed. Not really sure what I was expecting to see here, I asked why everyone in Vancouver liked it so much. They all replied with similar sentiments that it’s different from Vancouver and “feels like a quaint English city”. As someone who’d just come from a “quaint English city” it wasn’t what I was really looking at back then. It would be a while before I returned to Victoria, but now I enjoy a visit: weekend, overnight stay or a day trip.
A few weeks ago I was in a similar situation: the travel itch had resurfaced, but I didn’t want to go far. With a couple extra vacation days, I didn’t really know what to do with them since everyone else was at work. I decided to take myself on a quick trip to Victoria BC. All in all I was gone for 24 hours. And I’m here to give you a little taste of what Victoria has to offer. Whether you are a visitor looking for an addition to your Vancouver stay, or a local needing to get excited about our neighbouring provincial capital.
Getting to Victoria in style
Given it was still summer, weekends can be busy in Victoria so I chose to go over mid-week, hoping it would be a little quieter. After work on a Wednesday afternoon, I quickly ran home and grabbed my overnight bag. I went down to the Seaplane terminal near Canada place in Vancouver to take a short flight to Victoria. Harbour Air has a fleet of planes that take off from the water, and the trip to Victoria is only 35 minutes. The planes take between 6 and 18 passengers depending on size and route, and although they can look a little scary to a nervous flier, they really are fun.
You can get to Victoria by ferry but need a bus or car to get there and it takes about 4 hours from end to end. I work in the travel industry so get a local deal that I have means I can fly standby on Harbour Air. It works out a good deal, but you’re never guaranteed to get on a flight if it gets busy. The good news is I’ve done this enough that I can generally gauge times of day/day of week that has a better chance of working out. This time I was lucky, I was boarding the plane within 5 minutes of arriving at the terminal. I left my apartment in Vancouver at 3.30pm and I was in Victoria harbor by 4.30pm. Not bad at all!
The flight was smooth with some stunning views. Flying between Vancouver on the mainland and Vancouver Island where Victoria is located, you pass over a number of small islands and coastal communities. The planes don’t fly too high so you always get a great view.
Where to stay in Victoria BC
Arriving in the downtown Victoria harbor, I made my way over to the Fairmont Empress hotel where I would be spending the night. It’s only a 5-10 minute walk from the seaplane terminal, or Harbour Air have a shuttle service from the terminal to nearby locations. The Fairmont Empress hotel is opposite the inner harbor and possibly the best located of all Victoria hotels. There are plenty of hotels in Victoria, but this is certainly one of the grander ones.
The property is one of the oldest hotels in Victoria, dating back to 1908. Recent renovations have taken some of the “am I going to come face to face with ghosts in the middle of the night?” vibes you can get from some of these older hotels. The corridors are still very The Shining-like but I kind of like that old hotel feel. I love the history that comes along with some of the Fairmont hotels and it’s a fantastic place to stay. Again, my travel industry deals help me being able to stay here, so I’m really lucky. The place is fit for a Queen…or an Empress!
My room overlooked the gardens and the front lawn, and I could see a bit of the harbour if I really pressed my face against the window. With only 24 hours to enjoy this city though, I wouldn’t be in the room too much. So I dropped my bags and went out in search of things to do in Victoria – and eventually, let’s be real, food!
Things to do in Victoria BC
It was already 5pm by the time I arrived in Victoria, but being the summer a lot of places were open later. I went for a walk down the main street, Parliament street, heading towards Chinatown. Victoria has a lot of touristy shops, and although some of them have unique gifts, the majority near the harbor sell the same generic souvenirs so make sure to walk a little further afield.
Visit the public market
One place I’d never been to in Victoria before was the Public Market which would be closing soon so I wanted to go check it out. Given it was after 5pm everything was winding down for the day. The majority of businesses in the market were food related and a number of eateries were still open.
Related post – Granville Island: 7 of the best places for food
One that grabbed my attention was a vegan butcher’s shop called Very Good Butchers, selling Vegan burgers and ‘sausages’ to either eat in or take away. If you’re staying in Victoria this is a great market to grab some lunch or a cheaper dinner.
Walk around Victoria’s Chinatown
Walking back from the market, I took a walk through Chinatown. I looked in some of the stores, finding a lot of the usual tea and bamboo souvenirs. But take your time walking around the streets as there are some unique things for sale if you look hard enough.
The cool thing about Victoria’s Chinatown though: it is the oldest one in Canada. It’s also the second oldest in North America (San Francisco is the oldest). Chinatown has it’s Chinese gate, red lamp posts and hidden alleyways. It’s a great place to spend a bit of time exploring, and maybe even grab some Dim Sum.
Bookstores and comfort food
On my way back towards the harbour, I stumbled across Munro’s Books. I cannot walk past a book store without at least taking a look – so 6 books later I left. Every. Single. Time! Munro’s is not just about books though. There are locally designed gift cards, and fun wrapping papers. Games and puzzles as well as other small gifts. The books are a mixture of local and international best sellers and everything in between. Go there! But don’t hold me responsible for your inevitable purchases.
Tired from all the book shopping – plus carrying them around is not easy – I went in search of food. I know Victoria has a lot of gourmet restaurants with great menus, but sometimes when you’re travelling on your own you just want a good old fashioned pub. There’s no shortage in Victoria BC (remember the B in BC stands for British). But this time I visited a new one for me – the Bard and Banker. Although it was August, it wasn’t the warmest of days. I wanted comfort food, so I ordered a flight of beers and a fancy grilled cheese sandwich – is there any better combination? Goat cheese, brie and white cheddar on sourdough with sherry maple syrup drizzle. Needless to say I will be back.
I took a slow walk back around the harbour, taking in the beautiful sunset. With too much excitement for one day I retired to my hotel room to binge watch Netflix. That’s right, this is a solo trip and I can do as I choose! Plus I had to get up early the next day to make the most of my time in Victoria.
Breakfast at the Fairmont Empress
After a great night’s sleep (no ghosts) I went out for an early morning walk. Coming back to the hotel I went to Q at the Empress, the restaurant within the hotel where you can get breakfast. I decided to treat myself (theme of the trip) to a good breakfast to start the day. The last time I was here they had an amazing banana bread french toast which was just fantastic. Unfortunately the menu had been redesigned for the season and it was no longer there. After I stopped crying, I pulled up my big girl pants and ordered something else.
I’m in the Empress in Victoria, so it’s only fitting to order the crumpets. But in true Fairmont fashion they go one step further…strawberry lavender jam and clotted cream on the side. Heaven on a plate, and I’ve almost forgiven them for the banana bread french toast debacle. OK who am I kidding, I’ll hold a grudge on that one for a while!
Explore the Royal BC Museum
Full up on carbs and sugar, as every good day should begin, I walked across the street to the Royal BC Museum. I’ve been here before, and they do have amazing exhibits year round. Local art, history of Victoria BC and the rest of the province, and First Nations history all keep you busy at this museum. As does the IMAX theater if you’ve got time for a show.
But my main reason for going there this time was the Egypt feature exhibit. They change the main exhibit regularly and I always take myself over there for the ones I find interesting – Vikings, Dinosaurs, Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Egyptian history is one of those things that always seems to fascinate people, and it didn’t disappoint. The 2019 exhibit is all about Mayan civilizations.
The thing I like about the BC history part of the museum though is the fact that you can walk down ‘old’ streets, go into the ‘hotel’ and watch a Charlie Chaplin movie in the silent movie theater. The whole museum is very engaging for adults and kids alike.
Shopping the local arts and crafts markets
With some culture under my belt I didn’t feel so bad about returning to shopping. Victoria has some great markets in the summer and on weekends. There are stalls all around the inner harbour, as well as at various places throughout the city. One of the best little areas for some local crafts is Bastion Square market. They had everything from jewellery, artwork, clothing, artisan soaps, leather items, wooden crafts and toys.
Return to Vancouver
My time in Victoria nearly complete, I had a quick lunch at the Flying Otter next to the Harbour Air terminal. Then I put myself on the wait list for a flight home. Although I wasn’t quite as lucky as on the way to Victoria, it was still was quicker than taking the ferry option. BC Ferries are a great option for the more budget conscious traveler. However you need to take public transit to and from the ferry terminals and the 4 hour journey means you would need to at least stay over one night. Waiting 2 hours to take a 35 minute flight still seems worth it to me. Plus I got to read some of my new books!
I was back in Vancouver just over 24 hours from when I left. If you have more time to spend in Victoria BC, I would recommend it. Being there for a couple of nights would give you chance to check out some nightlife, or theatre, and just see more of this beautiful city. There are whale watching tours from the harbour approximately April through October, Craigdarroch Castle, a 19th century mansion in the city, world famous Butchart Gardens and many seasonal attractions and activities. But even if you don’t have much time, Victoria BC is a nice getaway from Vancouver.
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