Victoria

Victoria offers to its visitor a broad variety of cultural events and activities. You should stay at least a few days to get around and see the most important landmarks and points of interest.

Victoria is the Capital City of British Columbia and the town center comes with a lot of historic buildings. Its situation on the south end of Vancouver Island garantuees a mild climate all year round. During the summer season Victoria gets a kind of mediterranean charme. Cafés and restaurants opens their terraces and the walkway around Inner Harbour fills with street artists, musicians and small souvenir stands. The Inner Harbour area also hosts the float plane terminals for sight seeing flights and regular connections to Vancouver. Some of the Whale watching tours start directly from the Inner Harbour, downstairs from the tourist information office. Victorias Main Street comes with a lot of boutiques and souvenir shops and you should visit the Parliament Building as well as take a closer look at the historic Empress Hotel. On sunny summer days, the large lawn in front of the Parliament building is used by locals and visitors to sunbath, read or just chat with friends. A must have is a holiday photo with the large totem pole in front of the Parliament building.

But also outside the city center there is a lot to see and do. Victoria has one of the most challenging and beautifully designed golfcourses in BC, directly on the shore and offering breathtaking views over the Juan de Fuca Strait.

Victorias Seawalk leads from the Inner Harbour area nearly all the way to the Cruise Terminal and with some interuptions down to the View Point on Victorias southernmost point. As the Seawalk also goes through some urban areas you get a nice overview of the different town regions.

The Royal BC Museum is situated in a corner spot between the Parliament building and the Empress Hotel. This Museum is also a Must Visit! Apart from various exhibitions about the history of British Columbia there is so much to see and do. The permanent Galleries feature a First Nations Gallery where you can walk through the house of chief Kwakwabalasami, Jonathan Hunt and firtheron see clothing and poles from different First Nation bands around BC. The Modern History Gallery takes you through years of the settlers and a Nature Gallery aquaints you with the different landscapes and wildlife in British Columbia.

Another highlight within the Royal BC Museum is the IMAX theater where 3D films are shown.

Next to the Royal BC Museum you can find the Helmcken House. It is the oldest building in Victoria, named after Sebastian Helmcken.

Build in 1890 by order of Robert Duinsmuir, Craigdarroch Castle was outfitted with the outmost luxury possible within its era. A large entrance hall, 4 stories tall and built with splended woodworks impress every visitor until today. The house even in these times counted with comodities as water toilets and steam central heating system which until today heats the whole castle. And: the lady of the house even had her own telephone installed. During the decades, Craigdarroch Castle also became a hospital and served as school building. Nowadays it is an urban museum open to the public and you can take guided tours through the house. Some of the elder guides did go to school at Craigdarroch Castle and know the house by heart.

Hatley Castle, located within Hatley Park, next to the University of Victoria is another impressive building with a charme similar to Craigdarroch Castle. Built by James Dunsmuir it was used as a dormitory and later as officers  lounge for the  adjacent military academy. Nowadays the buiding serves a an office building for the Royal Roads University.