Situated on the south tip of Vancouver Island off the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. Victoria BC is a city of over 350,000 with a breathtaking inner harbour area.

The Inner Harbour lies at the core of downtown Victoria BC. On the walkway around the harbour, joggers run, parents wheel strollers, jugglers and drummers entertain, and visitors eat fish and chips as they watch the passing parade.

On the water, sailboats tie up at the wharves, kayakers and canoeists poke into coves and marinas, and floatplanes come and go as ducks bob in their wake and harbour seals poke whiskered snouts above the waves.

You can walk from Bastion Square through old alleyways to Market Square, with its buildings arranged around a plaza, to Chinatown.

Souvenir and specialty shops, restaurants that cater to families and sophisticates, pubs, lounges, coffee bars and antique and secondhand shops are all within walking distance in downtown.

Downtown contains the largest concentration of local attractions and the Tourist Information Centre.

Region:

Victoria BC is part of the Capital Regional District that covers 24,000 square kilometres of Vancouver Island from Sooke to Galiano Island.

Population:

Vancouver Island has a population of over 650,000 people. Approximately 360,000 make their home in Victoria BC. This is an increase from 148,000 in 1961 and is expected to approach 390,000 by the year 2017.

Heritage:

Much of Victoria’s famous charm and character come from its unique collection of remarkably preserved heritage buildings dating back to the earliest days of settlement in British Columbia.

Established in 1842 as a Hudson’s Bay Trading Post, Victoria was the largest centre for trade and commerce along the West Coast.

It was a grand city with beautiful mansions, elegant hotels and high living for those who made their fortunes in gold, fish, lumber and coal.

Today, Victoria’s downtown centre remains the vibrant core of the community. It contains many preserved and restored historical building and is the main business centre with major department stores, quality shops and a variety of services.

Over 40,000 retail businesses and 25,000 offices serving both Government and Private industry are housed in the downtown Victoria BC area.

Victoria – otherwise known as the “City of Gardens” – is home to a number of spectacular gardens that range from formal to heritage, exotic to west coast, and multi-themed to mostly rhododendron.

Many gardens in Victoria are renowned for their floral displays and inspiring grounds: Both Hatley Park National Historic Site and Abkhazi Garden were named among the “Five Must-See Gardens in Canada”. The Butchart Gardens and Glendale Gardens and Woodlands were also named in a list of “15 Beautiful Gardens across Canada” in 2009 by Canadian Gardening magazine.

While some gardens are minutes from downtown Victoria, others are located in nearby communities and are accessible by car or transit.

One of Victoria’s most recognizable trademarks is its hanging baskets. Each spring more than 1,600 flower baskets hang from lamp posts in a medley of colour.

Evidence of Victoria’s mild climate is the city’s annual “Flower Count.” For one week in early spring, Greater Victoria municipalities count their flower blooms in a friendly competition to be named the “Bloomingest Community.”

See a multitude of flowers and plants in themed gardens at Government House.

Gardens range from cottage to English country, herb, rose and rhododendron. Highlights include the large, rare Garry oak woodland. The garden is open between March and September and is accessible by pre-arranged tours only.

The Glendale Gardens & Woodlands, located 20 minutes from downtown, were hailed as “one of Victoria’s most beautiful and least known public gardens” in 2009 by GardenWise magazine.

Themed gardens such as Mediterranean, winter, and heather showcase more than 10,000 varieties of plants. Stroll through the 37-ha/93-ac conservation park to see old-growth Douglas firs and wetlands home to a diverse population of birds.

Victoria is known for her wide variety of tourist attractions. You can stay in the lavish Fairmont Empress Hotel, visit the Royal BC Museum, tour the Parliament buildings (also called the bird cages), take in a whale watching tour beyond the inner harbour, or go further afield to visit Butchart Gardens.

The City core offers an abundance of venues, tours and entertainment. Along with a full spectrum of entertainment, cinemas, theatres, pubs, clubs and international and seafood restaurants, you will find history tours, live music, horse drawn carriage rides, boat tours… You’ll even find quiet relaxation in Beacon Hill Park – Victoria’s ‘south-facing lawn’ on the Juan de Fuca Strait.

In the surrounding areas, you will find many eclectic neighbourhoods. Just around the corner from the inner harbour is Fisherman’s Wharf bustling with the sounds of barking seals and replete with the scent of fish and chips. Cook Street Village offers a variety of small shops, eateries, scenic streets and avenues. Oak Bay, with its British ambiance features shops along The Avenue and in Estevan Village where even the most discriminating shopper will find something truly unique.