Victoria | Canada

The last city of our 3-week trip is Victoria! This city can be walked around in 1 day. Here are my must do’s when in Victoria.

1) Butchart Gardens

We decided not to do the Butchart Gardens but some people recommended it to us. The Butchart Gardens are 55 acres of gardens with 26 greenhouses. In Belgian, we have a similar garden: Plantentuin Meise.

2) Custom house

The Old Victoria Custom House (1875) is a historic and pink building. The building shows the Second Empire style typical for that time.

3) Fort Victoria

On the right side of the Custom house, are the remains of Fort Victoria. We heard that Fort Victoria used to be a fur trading post and that is was demolished due to the growth of the local commercial center. The remains of Fort Victoria are not that wow.

4) Bastion square

Bastion Square is a pedestrian mall. Make sure to enter through the arch. We were lucky to enter Bastion square when there was a local market going on. You can also find some historic buildings on Bastion Square: Board of Trade Building, Law Chambers, Supreme Court Building, and many more!

5) Fan Tan alley

Fan Tan Alley is an alley in Victoria’s Chinatown. The street is named after the Chinese gambling game Fan-Tan. The small street as it’s surroundings used to be a gambling district with opium dens. Today, the small alley is filled with small shops. When leaving the Fan Tan Alley, make sure to check out the gate of Chinatown.

Fun Fact: Fan Tan Alley is the narrowest street in Canada. Today it’s a national heritage of Canada.

6) Inner Harbour

Let’s walk back to the Inner Harbour where you can enjoy the sunset, view, music, art, and ice cream. But don’t forget to hop into some shops for souvenirs!

7) The Parliament

When walking around in the Inner Harbour, you’ll immediately see the Parliament. The grass in front of it is the perfect place to have a picnic. a Queen Victoria statue stands in front of the Parliament. The town is named after her.

8) Empress Hotel

You’ll also see the Empress Hotel from Inner Harbour. The Empress Hotel is one of the oldest railway hotels in Victoria.

Fun Fact: The hotel is a National Historic Site of Canada.

9) Helmcken House

Helmcken House used to be the house of Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken but is now a museum and one of the oldest houses in BC. Helmcken House is just located behind the Royal British Columbia Museum.

10) Thunderbird Park

Thunderbird Park is located next to the Royal British Columbia Museum. The park houses many totem poles. You’ll pass them when going to Beacon Hill Park.

11) Beacon Hill Park

Beacon Hill Park is a municipal park since 1882. It’s been used as a burial site for the original inhabitants of Victoria. When the wheater allows it, you can see the Olympic Mountains of Washington.

Life of a Passion