Victoria

As the largest urban area on Vancouver Island, Victoria is a city blooming with colour and culture. Nobody wants to pick favourites, but Victoria is often considered one of Canada’s most beautiful cities for its colonial-era architecture, pleasant climate, and well-manicured landscaping. Known as the “City of Gardens” for its year-round blooms, this coastal enclave is famous for the whimsical Butchart Gardens, a botanical wonderland that feels like something out of a fairytale. In December, the garden whisks everyone into the magic of Christmas with a twinkling display of lights.

History lies deep within Victoria’s streets, where the indigenous Lekwungen People lived for thousands of years before the arrival of the Europeans. Colourful Victorian buildings decorated with floral baskets make up its picturesque downtown, making it a great place for a stroll any time of the day. Pass through the red gates of Victoria’s Chinatown, the oldest of its kind in Canada, where flavourful eateries and warm bakeries invite you inwards.

Off the coast, the waters of Victoria are home to orcas who may peek out to say hello, making whale watching a must-do activity while you’re in town. Each day, fishermen bring in freshly caught Pacific salmon into Fisherman’s Wharf, where it doesn’t take long to end up on the plates of local eateries, which are interspersed along the colourful harbour between its floating homes.