Travel to the City of Victoria & See Canada at Its Best

Victoria

Located on the southern edge of Vancouver Island is the city of Victoria. It has a population of around 390,000 and is steadily growing due to its mild climate compared to other parts of Canada - pleasing those of retirement age and attracting mass tourism to the city and surrounding areas in the summer months. The history of Victoria dates back to the early 1700’s when its first occupants were the Salish people. It then later became a city in 1862 due to the fact that Victoria was the main port for the British Columbia gold industry and today it serves as its Capital City.

Victoria’s economy relies heavily on the tourism industry with it hosting many annual festivals including the Tall Ship Race and Swift Sure International Yacht Race that attracts sailing professionals from around the globe. It has also hosted many sports events such as the Grand Prix, Ice-skating Championships and even the 2007 Commonwealth games were hosted here. Aside from tourism and sporting events Victoria’s other contributions to the economy include telecommunications and pharmaceutical manufacturing as well as Federal Government administration and finance.

Victoria is an ideal holiday destination any time of year as it gets very little snow during the winter months. Compared to other Canadian Cities of Vancouver and Toronto Victoria has a very mild climate with warm springs, hot summers and bearable winters.

Sightseeing

One of the main attractions in Victoria is the Inner Harbour which is surrounded by historical government buildings, seafood restaurants, quaint bars and the some very expensive yachts. Boat tours across the Strait of Juan De Fuca are a great way to see some of Victoria’s stunning natural wilderness. Steeped in historical events Victoria has left behind many remnants of its past to explore including the Emily Carr House who was a well known painter and Bastion Square which previously was the historical Fort Victoria. If you like old architecture you won’t want to miss viewing Hatley Castle which is now a national historic site and Craigdarroch Castle.

Victoria boasts some of the loveliest Parks and public gardens in Canada due to the mild climate so should you have some time on your hands take a leisurely stroll through Beacon Hill Park and Butchart Gardens which has some of the prettiest and unusual plants and flowers in the world. Its layout is pristine, peaceful and colourful - ideal setting for a picnic or to gather your thoughts. For a family day out head to Victoria West Shore beach, it has 3km of nice shoreline for you to paddle in, go fishing, snorkelling or waterskiing on. Located within the same district is also a spa and golfing resort and close by you will find some country style pubs, the Fisguard Lighthouse and Fort Rod Hill.

Getting To Victoria

Victoria International Airport located 22km north of the city serves British Columbia. Flights are available to Victoria from London with one or two changes at Seattle, Toronto or Calgary to Victoria from many major tour operators. Flying time from the United Kingdom to Victoria is around 11 hours.