| Page Views: 14,731 Last Visit to Victoria: September, 2008 I Visit Here Frequently | Welcome to Victoria! by Carmanah - last update: Oct 13, 2008 |
| Downtown Victoria's Johnston Street |
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| First Nations culture at Thunderbird Park |
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Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Location: 48° 25' North, 123° 19' West
Population: 78,057 (2006 Census)
Incorporated: August 2, 1862
Victoria is the capital city of the province of British Columbia and it's located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Although it's the largest city on Vancouver Island, it's still quite small and compact, and hardly what one would define as a hectic or big city. Despite Victoria's relative closeness to the cities of Vancouver and Seattle, it is nothing similar to either of them.
Victoria is hugely popular with tourists, especially between May and September. A large part of the appeal is that it's a city steeped in British traditions - traditions that have long vanished elsewhere in Canada. Victoria offers tourists the novelty of afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel, preserved Victorian architecture with Union Jack flags, mansions that were once lived in by British colonial aristocracy, red double decker buses, British style gardens, British style gift shops, and even a horse-drawn carriage company with the fitting name of Tally-Ho!
But Victoria's More British Than Britain monicker is less representative of the people who live in Victoria today, but more of a remnant from its past. Let's be realistic: if your only reason for visiting Victoria is because it's supposed to be like England, than you're fooling yourself. But to understand Victoria of today, you have to have a little understanding of its history. |
| Victoria's Inner Harbour and Empress Hotel |
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Way back when...
Vancouver Island was actually a British colony and Victoria was that colony's capital well before it ever became a part of Canada. The British colonists that came to Vancouver Island in the 19th century hoped to turn Vancouver Island into a replica of England, which of course was impossible, as Vancouver Island was rocky, forested, and mountainous and hardly empty for the taking - it was home to a large population of indigenous peoples. It was nothing like the flat and agricultural England, so the pioneers had a lot of work cut out for them.
Vancouver Island had a hard time attracting British pioneers at first because it charged a lot of money for land (mostly uncleared forested land) while other colonies and territories (including those that would become a part of the USA) were giving out free (and often much more productive) land!
But Victoria grew - practically overnight - during the gold rush when Americans and Chinese workers arrived from San Francisco and Hawaii on their way to the mainland. They came to pick up supplies. They needed hotels. They needed whatever gold rush miners need, and Victoria was in the right place at the right time.
At the same time, the future of the British colony wasn't set in stone. The British were fearful of all the arriving Americans and that their colony would become American. You have to remind yourself, simply being British was a huge deal to these pioneers. And they hung on to their British identity for a long time.
Shortly after Vancouver Island merged with the British colony of British Columbia and became a Canadian province in 1871. But even as the newly formed country of Canada, residents of Victoria didn't identify as Canadian - they identified as British. And they'd celebrate their British heritage up until... oh, quite possibly until WWII.
Back to the present
Victoria's downtown core is very tiny and can be covered on foot in the span of a morning, but it's the city's attractions that will eat up your time. One of the best museum experiences you'll ever have in Canada is at the Royal British Columbia Museum. This can easily take up an entire afternoon. And if you haven't done so before, go on a whale watching tour to see the orcas (killer whales). There are three pods of orcas living in the nearby Gulf and San Juan islands - one pod lives there all year round. But you'll need to set aside a minimum of 3 hours. And of course, there's the 55 acres of Butchart Gardens situated a short drive north of Victoria - the most famous nearby attraction of all. While 2 hours is the minimum you'll need, garden fanatics often wish they had more time. So with this in mind, plan your time in Victoria wisely!
I normally don't recommend Victoria if you're specifically seeking nightlife, a large cosmopolitan city, or rugged wilderness. But it is a great place if you're looking for a relaxed city rich with character, where you can stroll around aimlessly and find yourself discovering all kinds of little secrets. While some still argue that Victoria hasn't entirely shed it's old reputation as being the "home of the newly wed and nearly dead", each time I visit I find myself discovering new boutiques, pubs, restaurants, and neighbourhoods and I've realized that there's a lot more to Victoria than just the touristy façade.
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| Pros: | "Downtown is small so you can walk everywhere, lots of quaint neighbourhoods, the architecture is beautiful, the pace is relaxed, the close proximity to the ocean/beaches/outdoor activities, excellent gardens, fantastic museums, rich in history" | | Cons: | "Government Street can be a bit touristy tacky with tacky souvenir shops, if you're seeking a big city you may find it a tad sleepy (it's more of a honeymoon city rather than a stag party city if you get my drift!)" | | In A Nutshell: | "The perfect weekend getaway from Vancouver or Seattle - it's just different enough to make you feel like you're far away from home." |
Carmanah's Victoria Travel Tips
 Carmanah's Victoria Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for Carmanah about Victoria | | | | |
Toshioohsako Wed Jul 30, 2008 17:01 UTC
Nice and useful tips of Victoria all of which (ecepte China town) I missed when I visited Victorai a few years ago. I was in Vancouver on business. Good day. | RoseAmano Thu Feb 21, 2008 13:45 UTC
Cheers for your comments on Vlad. pages! Looking here brings back memories of my still scanty travel of Canada! Ur pages and personality profile (?) are very interesting! I also like Vegemite (& love Marmite) despite not being raised in either country! | SteveOSF Mon Jan 21, 2008 19:35 UTC
Nice tips. They should prove useful when we visit Victoria this spring. | spitball Sun Aug 26, 2007 01:24 UTC
Multiple faces: this is so true. Good points. Great tips. |
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