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Vancouver Island ToursBritish Columbia, Canada

Historic, Resort

Fairmont Empress

The ivy-clad 1908 railway hotel that defines the Inner Harbour, and the meeting point named in more Victoria tour listings than any other address. Afternoon tea, a serious spa and rooms that look out on the harbour and the Parliament lights.

VictoriaOn the waterfrontLuxury
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Editorial listing. The link goes to the hotel's own website; we have no booking partner and earn nothing from this page.

The Empress is the Inner Harbour's centrepiece and, practically, its front desk: walking tours meet outside its doors, the Butchart shuttle leaves from the kiosk in front, and the whale-watching docks are across the road. Staying here means never needing a taxi to a departure.

It is a grand hotel with grand-hotel prices, and the harbour-view rooms are the ones worth paying for. Families and anyone on a budget will find the same location for less a few streets back.

Ideal for

The water

Faces the Inner Harbour across the causeway; the whale-boat and seaplane check-ins are a two-minute walk.

Key facilities

We only list facilities we can confirm on the hotel's own website, and this one could not be checked automatically. See the official website for current facilities.

Checked 6 Sept 2026

Compare with

Boutique, Oceanfront

Upscale

Inn at Laurel Point

An independent, carbon-neutral hotel on a garden point between the Inner Harbour and Fisherman's Wharf, with every room facing the water. The quiet way to be at the centre of Victoria.

Victoria
On the waterfront
  • Couples
  • Peace and quiet
  • Short stay / cruise

Boutique, Historic

Upscale

Abigail's Hotel

A Tudor-revival inn on a quiet street a short walk from downtown, run as a small adults-oriented boutique hotel with breakfast included and a garden. The romantic alternative to the harbour hotels.

Victoria
Short walk to the water
  • Couples
  • Honeymoon
  • Peace and quiet

Resort, Oceanfront

Luxury

Oak Bay Beach Hotel

A seaside resort in the village of Oak Bay, ten minutes from downtown, with heated mineral pools over the water, a spa and a pub, rebuilt in the style of the 1920s original. For a slow stay with the city within reach.

Victoria
On the waterfront
  • Couples
  • Peace and quiet
  • Honeymoon

Eat nearby

Dockside takeaway

$$$$

Red Fish Blue Fish

A shipping container on a wharf in the Inner Harbour serving sustainably sourced fish and chips, tacones and chowder to a queue that forms before it opens. Eat on the dock with the seaplanes landing beside you.

Victoria
Seafood, Fish and chips
  • Quick bite
  • Waterfront
  • Family

Neighbourhood brasserie

$$$$

Brasserie L'École

A small French bistro in a former Chinatown schoolhouse with a chalkboard menu of steak frites, mussels and whatever the island's farms and boats brought in that week. A Victoria institution for a proper dinner.

Victoria
French, Bistro
  • Romantic
  • Fine dining
  • Local favourite
Restaurants in Victoria

From this base

Tours around Victoria

Area guide