Victoria British Columbia

This special area helps define the essence of Victoria. This little Eden embraces the Empress Hotel, Parliament Buildings, Harbour Promenade, and many first class hotels.

Here most major events begin, such as Marathon races; major events happen, such as up to one hundred thousand Victorians gathering for Seaside Symphony, or fireworks.

Here are many of Victoria’s choicest hotels, including, Harbour Towers Hotel, Swiftsure, Crest, Royal Scot Motel, Coast Hotel Harbourside, Queen Victoria Inn, and The Empress.

Here are many fine restaurants: Harbour House, Captain’s Palace, Milestones, & many others.

The Inner Harbour is also home to The Royal BC Museum, Royal London Wax Museum, Undersea Gardens, Miniature World, boat moorage, shops, Coho Ferry to Port Angeles, Washington State.

Surrounding the Inner Harbour is downtown, with it’s enchanting streets, shops, seaside cafes, English linen, Irish woolens, and increasingly exquisite Asian cuisine & influence of the Orient on tweedy, English Victoria.

Behind The Empress are the fine modern hotels & their favorite Pubs. Executive House & its' Bartholomew’s & Doubles Oyster Bars; Chateau Victoria & its Victoria Jane’s; Strathcona Hotel with its famous and fabled watering holes: from the elegant Sticky Wicket to varied pubs, including wild hillbilly Big Bad John’s, a longtime local favorite. Nearby Green Gables Inn, with its' wonderful Old Bailey Pub, are local favorites.

The Bay Department Store; walks along the harbour 100 year Olde Towne, Market Square, Chinatown, cafes, theatres.

Trounce Alley. Munro’s Book Store. Pagliacci’s Café any time. Ditto Herald Street Bistro; so many.

Adjacent, through world-renowned Beacon Hill Park, are the seaside communities of James Bay, Fairfield & Hillside, majestic Rockland.

From Beacon Hill Park you can stroll gentle tree lined residential streets, or along the greenbelt ocean walk along legendary Dallas Road.

Take the Marine Drive from the Inner Harbour, along Dallas Road, through tweedy Oak Bay to the magificent homes in the Uplands.

Near here, at Mile "O", bicycle tires are dipped in the Pacific, to begin the Trans-Canada Trail’s 4,000 miles path across Canada, to the Atlantic. Hike along a beach. Watch a sunset over America’s Olympic Mountains across the sea.

Stroll to one of the small villages Cook St, James Bay; Fort St - shopping areas with their delightful village life: cafes, book shops, barbers, a pub, merchants, grocers. Life the way it used to be back home, visitors remark. This area is favoured with the elegant small Inns & many fine, B&B’s.

Up in Rockland, Government House (where the Queen sleeps when she’s in town), estate mansions, a castle!

Take a ferry around the Inner Harbour: past Johnson St Bridge, the harbour becomes a working harbour of drydocks, repair bays, docks. Beyond the Bay Street Bridge begins The Gorge Waterway. Now being restored & cleaned, this delightful area hosts many small Inns & motels & Gorge Pointe Pub near Gorge Road.

In 1904, Jennie Butchart began the task of beautifying the grounds surrounding her home at Tod Inlet, in Brentwood Bay on the Saanich Peninsula. Her husband’s limestone quarry became a sunken garden, now the centrepiece of The Butchart Gardens.

The 50 acres of show gardens are meticulously cared for on the estate known as 'Benvenuto,' welcoming countless visitors each year. A variety of garden styles, including Italian and Japanese, appear along the pathways of this glorious floral display.

The gardens are self-guided and visitors are welcome to stay for the day. There is ample free parking, or tour buses and public transit offer daily scheduled service to the gardens. Enjoy the floral surroundings and appetizing menu offered in The Blue Poppy Restaurant or The Dining Room Restaurant. Wheelchair accessible.

Open daily at 9am. Admission charge.

Just 40 minutes west of Victoria, Sooke is a local haven for those in search of adventure on the ocean, lakes and rivers as well as those who prefer to keep their feet on terra firma with wilderness hikes on carefully groomed or untouched trails.