Everything starts here — and for a short trip it is enough on its own
Victoria is British Columbia's capital, a compact harbour city at the island's southern tip that most visitors reach first and many never leave — reasonably, on a short trip. The Inner Harbour is its front room: the Parliament Buildings and the Fairmont Empress on two sides, the Royal BC Museum behind, and along the causeway the check-in desks for whale-watching boats, harbour tours, seaplanes and the Clipper to Seattle. Almost everything on this site that departs from Victoria departs from within ten minutes' walk of this spot.
It is a walking city. Chinatown — the oldest in Canada — and the old town's brick alleys are five minutes north; Fisherman's Wharf, with its floating homes and a second whale-watching dock, ten minutes west; Beacon Hill Park and the Dallas Road waterfront ten minutes south; Craigdarroch Castle and Oak Bay a bus ride east. The cruise terminal at Ogden Point is a twenty-five-minute walk from the harbour, which is why pedicabs and bike tours wait there.
Victoria's whale watching is the busiest on the island and runs almost year-round for Bigg's orcas and humpbacks in the Salish Sea, with a choice of covered boats and Zodiacs. Butchart Gardens, the Cowichan wineries and the Sooke coast are all day trips from a downtown hotel. What Victoria is not is the whole island: Tofino is five hours away, the grizzlies further.
Getting there
BC Ferries Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay (reserve a vehicle in summer), then Highway 17 into town. Harbour Air and Helijet fly harbour-to-harbour from downtown Vancouver in about 35 minutes. The Victoria Clipper fast ferry from Seattle and the MV Coho from Port Angeles land in the Inner Harbour. YYJ has flights from across Canada and from Seattle.
What departs from here
Whale-watching, harbour boat and seaplane departures cluster on the Inner Harbour causeway and at Fisherman's Wharf; walking, food and pedicab tours meet around Government Street, the Empress and the Visitor Centre; cruise excursions meet at Ogden Point. Butchart, Cowichan, Sooke and multi-day tours pick up downtown.
Staying
Two nights covers the city and a whale trip; three adds Butchart and a day trip. Grand hotels on the harbour, boutique inns in James Bay and the old town, and mid-range chains within a walk of everything.
Season
Whale watching March to October at full frequency, winter trips on covered boats. Cruise ships call April to October, often in the evening. Cherry blossom in March, gardens at their peak May and June, and the mildest winter in Canada.
Know before you go
It is the far end of the island from Tofino and the North Island — do not plan those as day trips. Summer hotel prices are high and the harbour is crowded on cruise evenings. The Malahat is the only road north.
