Came here to see the narrow street to see if my kid could do the American Ninja Warrior Spider Wall…read morething. Yes he can! We came later in the evening so everything was closed. The shops were mostly knick knack shops and probably not something I'd go into anyway even if it were open. It kind of gave me Diagon Alley from Harry Potter vibes. It only took us a couple minutes to walk through and reached the main strip of "Chinatown" - more like "China Block". It was really small and only a few shops and restaurants were open. Maybe my experience of Fan Tan Alley would've been more positive if I came earlier in the day?

Nice and narrow historic alley in Victoria's Chinatown which is the second Chinatown in North…read moreAmerica (after San Francisco) and the first in Canada. It has a couple art shops along it but they were closed for the evening on a Saturday.

Review #1 for 2026 I…read morewas determined to go to the Parliament buildings when we did a day trip to Victoria from Vancouver. The building itself is huge from the outside and does feel a bit smaller on the inside, but it is beautiful! They do free tours and I was afraid we would not be able to catch a tour, but during the summer, they do tours everyday of the week! The tour tickets are first come first serve. We managed to get tickets for the 12pm tour the day we were there. You just go towards the entrance and there will be volunteers passing out tour tickets for the next available tour. The tours are all done by volunteers. The parliament buildings are part of British history and now used for government business. We had roughly 30 minutes before our tour. So we went and took pictures around the outside of the building. To get the entire building, you have to take a picture from the sidewalk since the building is so big. There is a water fountain in front of the building as well as across the street. There is also a massive totem pole near the building. The tour was filled with information. Make sure you go to the bathroom before they start the tour. I think the tour is about an hour long, but it flew by as all of it was so interesting and there was so much so see. I enjoyed the tour. There is a gift shop at the end of the tour. The gift shop is TINY! I ended up getting some pins as I collect them and I also bought some Parlia-Mints! Get it? HAHA. My husband loved it and had a good laugh. I think I should had gotten some more to hand out to people when I got home. It came in a cute metal container. Apparently there is also a cafe here which I would had liked to try but it was not open when we were there. Also at night, the buildings are lit up. We had to leave before the lights came on as we had a ferry to catch back to Vancouver, but the pictures I have seen look absolutely stunning. Would I come back? Yes I would! I would love to see the buildings all lit up at night... and of course I have to buy some more of those ParliaMints!!

Take a stroll through history. Just walking the grounds is great with a lot to see…read more Monuments, grass, architecture, and a lot of people. This is a great place to stretch your legs before going next door to the museum.

Really cool capital building right off the dock area. Lots of great artwork and other items that…read moredraw the attention to a very important looking building fair governmental looking, but also has been around for a long time. It shows the importance of this building and their connection to the government. There is a great totem pole in the front as well assome statues to recognize important leaders. Built for Queen Victoria, however, she never made it there.

Amazing Legislative Assembly with so much history. Been to Ontario's in Toronto and Quebec's in…read moreQuebec City as well as Ottawa's temporary locations so was nice to see this. My mom and I did the self guided tour and actually got to see the assembly in session so they took our phones but was even better than just going in and taking pictures.

This is a fun place to visit on a Sunday morning around 10:15am when the water taxis do their boat…read moreballet. It last about 20 minutes and the little boats dance around the inner Harbour to music while the crowds gather along to dock area to watch. There is a nice marina too where there are big and small boats as well as a whale watching boat. On some days, there are vendors that setup along the harbour to sell there arts and crafts. There is no elevator to the lower level but there is plenty to see from to upper area too.

Amazing place to walk around and take boats. We took both a whale watching cruise and the in-depth…read moregorge tour. Red Fish Blue Fish is also an amazing fish stand you with some of the best food I have ever had for the price that you can take on a boat or sit there or nearby. They also have one of the world's only seaplane airports and you can see the seaplanes come and go from the Flying Otter restaurant. Looking forward to returning!

During our Alaskan cruise we had a short stop in Victoria , BC…read more We got off the ship & immediately explored as much as we could. We ported early evening , nice downtown area , clean , seems lively with some shopping , bars & restaurants. We did a little bit of shopping then walked around & after that we hit up a few bars. The waterfront area is nice at night w the Parliament building all light up everything looks very pretty. We enjoyed & made the best of our short time here.

Victoria BC was one of our last ports we stopped at during a recent cruise to Alaska…read more We actually docked here at night and so glad we did, as everything in the area was lit up and sparkly. I think this made for a more spectacular viewing of the area as during daylight it would not be the same. The Parliament building looks magical all lit up like something out of a Disney movie. In fact, the whole waterside area across from it had the same cool look. Definitely worth walking around and taking pictures during evening hours.

It's such a beautiful city! So welcoming and charming! It's almost "whimsical" meets "great place…read moreto live"! Only had 4 hours to spend as this was a cruise stop. I'm so glad I had at least the 4 hours. 4 months might have been better! This place is really cool vibes in the cruise port, downtown, and the 'burbs. We arrived as the sun was setting and had a simple bus tour as we drove to our tour destination at the observatory. (I had once planned to be an astrophysicist, yes really!) The streets were tidy and neat which matched the buildings and people walking the streets and parks. The architecture was pleasant, interesting and complimentary to terrain, trees, and other buildings. (I gave up on astrophysics in high school to pursue architecture in college.) This city is famous for a lot of beautiful things such as it's civic gardens and nighttime lighting. The 4 large, well lit cruise liners added to that nighttime appeal. I want to come back and stay awhile!

The city of Victoria is absolutely charming. It is the capital of the Canadian Province of British…read moreColumbia and is a very popular city with tourists because of its history and old style Victorian architecture. It is popular with the Canadians for the same reason and because it has such a mild temperate climate compared with other parts of Canada. There is more sunny days in Victoria than in Seattle. I love walking around the Harbour and up to Laurel Point. So much fun watching the Seaplanes taxiing and taking off. Great opportunities abound for action photos of the planes landing, the Harbour and the surrounding eye catching buildings. Do your research to get the best British Style afternoon tea service with all those little bite sized snacks. The Empress hotel is the most renowned, but other hotels and restaurants have it as well. It pays off to read the reviews so you get what you want according to your tastes. This is a great city to explore and a fantastic jump off spot for adventuring to other parts of Vancouver Island and the smaller islands by ferry north I'd the airport.

We had a very unique experience when visiting Bastion Square at the start of Summer Solstice. We…read morejust happened to stumble upon a fire dance being performed that evening by The Wandering Artist. I didn't know who they were at the time, but they are very popular in Victoria. It was such a mesmerizing performance. I wanted to keep watching it, but we were in the middle of a tour. I just remember our guide wasn't very happy because she wanted to show us something at the top of the steps. Most likely the beautiful view of the Inner Harbour from that elevated square. Ah, but we did get a very cool local experience in the form of an artistic performance. Everyone was cheering them on. The area is quite historic. There is a line of bricks with names of pioneers and business owners that mark what was once the northeast bastion of Fort Victoria. It would later become a courthouse and a jail complete with gallows. Yes, the prisoners were executed by hanging. That may be why people say that it's haunted. I don't know. The square was full of locals and tourists on a very busy Friday night. There are 2 very well known pubs at the entrance of the alley. Let's just say that everyone was having a great time. We learned a lot that night while walking through the alley & square. It was a very interesting experience. Maybe one day I'll actually see that view of the Harbour that everyone talks about.

Bastion Square is not really a square; it's more like an open-air alley that descends (or ascends,…read moredepending on which way you enter it) for several city blocks and through multiple intersections of lightly-trafficked side roads. On a late Sunday morning, we passed by a handful of pop-up tents from local artists and craftsmen that weren't there the day (and night) before, so depending on when you visit, what you encounter here might be different than another. The "square" itself is clean, well-maintained and attractive, passing by several storied, stately structures built well over a century ago, repurposed and repopulated with nascent businesses, many of them pubs, clubs and restaurants, but also a smattering of others, such as a rare book store, and some satellite offices for regional colleges. At sunset, visitors are afforded a gorgeous view of Victoria Harbor painted in a pageant of dusky and fiery hues that encompass the entire color spectrum: a radiant sky with shades of red, orange, yellow, indigo, violet, framed by green foliage and blue water. Worth a visit for the ambiance and atmosphere alone, particularly when it is buzzing with visitors, tourists and patrons, but Bastion Square is made complete by the quantity and variety of quality dining establishments along its concourse. One of my favorite places to idle away the time in Victoria, and after your visit, I am sure you will agree.

Folks would probably get more of an appreciation for this starting point for the Trans-Canadian…read moreHighway if they were Canadian or heavy duty road enthusiasts. To the casual sight seeing person they will find it fairly cool or will not be impressed because it's a sign and it doesn't have the attention getting technique to rip them off their phones and appreciate it for what it is. This road goes through many of the major cities of Canada so looking at it on the map is fun to follow it's route. A few people I have talked to about it feels like it is kind of the Route 66 of Canada and ends in Newfoundland and Labrador. Knowing how big Canada is kind of makes this road awe inspiring and it is complete still unlike Route 66 where the exact road is not and has to be pieced together in order to relive that road experience. So all in all this was a fun stop and it is located on the south end of Beacon Hill Park.

Mile Zero of the Trans-Canada Highway [Victoria BC]…read more Quick stop to see the marker for the official starting point of the Trans-Canada Highway. The last time I saw a mile marker zero was in Key West FL which people have stolen!! Can't steal this one. It has a concrete foundation on a large grassy field. This Mile 0 marker is the beginning of more than 8000 km Trans Canada Highway that stretches the entire length of Canada. whoa! wow! so if you are planning a road trip across Canada this would be the place to start (or end) your journey. The marker is adjacent to a park. The sign is located next to the Terry Fox memorial statue. There is an inscription about him just below. He lost his right leg to cancer when he was only 18 years old. Terry started a cross-country marathon to raise money for cancer research beginning on the East Coast of Canada and was supposed to finish at the Mile 0 Marker here in Victoria. His Marathon of Hope was recognized for his selfless efforts. Parking is available on nearby streets. Review #3175

Helmcken House is the oldest house in BC still standing at its original site. It's located within…read moreThunderbird Park and is part of the overall Royal BC Museum complex. I'm big on historical structures, so naturally I dragged Gayle over here during one of our Victoria walks. The House was built by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, the first doctor in Victoria, and a surgeon with the Hudson's Bay Company. He set up house here in 1852 when he married the daughter of Governor Sir James Douglas. Originally a 3-room log cabin, the House was expanded as both the prosperity and size of the family grew. Helmcken went on to become a statesman and helped negotiate the entry of BC as a Province into Canada. It still contains its original furnishings (imported from England of course) and some displays including his medical kit. It's open daily and your Royal BC Museum ticket gets you in.