Victoria, B.C.,

The Harbour City

Vancouver Island is the largest island off the west coast of North America. Victoria, otherwise known as the Garden City, occupies the southernmost tip, and is privileged to have the mildest climate in Canada. Moderate temperatures and plenty of precipitation, although substantially less rain than her neighbors Vancouver, B.C. and Seattle, Washington, ensures that lawns and golf courses are green and lush throughout the winter.

This, combined with the wild natural beauty of southern Vancouver Island, makes it a very desirable place to visit, and home to some 350,000 very lucky people!  For links to some of Victoria's popular parks, walking trails and attractions Click Here

The port city with the warmth of a town, Victoria boasts a wide variety of moods and atmospheres. With the downtown core housing the Royal B.C. Museum, ranked among the best in the world, colorful First Nations totem poles, and heritage architecture, Victoria offers an eclectic mix with the modern architecture and styles that come with the bustle of a world class university town.

Victoria strives to maintain the balance between the local First Nations history, its proud participation as the gateway to the gold rush fields in the late 1800’s, established by the Hudson Bay Trading Company, and its substantial British influence from where many of its original founders arrived, blending with the needs of modern business, eco-tourism, and the vast array of lifestyle options in the computer age.

Downtown is alive with the ambience of unique shops, restaurants and sidewalk cafés.  Victoria’s working harbor is central to the downtown, and comes alive with romance when classic boats, or tall ships arrive for the assorted nautical festivals throughout the year.  Like the grand matriarch, The Empress Hotel, renowned for her traditional English Afternoon Tea, overlooks the Inner Harbour, with her neighbour the B.C. Legislative Buildings. Evenings are made even more enchanting in the twinkling lights and comforting presence of these two elegant Francis Rattenbury monuments.

There is plenty to keep young and old, and everyone in between occupied, with a wide assortment of festivals, cultural activities from many ethnic origins, open markets, eco-experiences, and breathtaking panoramic views from atop the natural rock formations scattered throughout the region.

Tourists flock to Victoria’s family friendly atmosphere year round. Arriving by ferry to neighboring Sidney-by-the-sea, or directly into downtown, or by plane into the International Airport, getting here is easy, and well worth the trip. Bring your camera, and make yourself at home!