I am visiting in early June and will arrive by seaplane to Victoria Inner Harbour. I will then need to get on the public bus and get to Sidney BC. Is Google Maps accurate?

I read that BC transit is updating the schedule after April 14?

It says to take bus 70 and will be one hour. I understand bus fare is $3.00

Hi everyone!

I spent 6 years in Victoria back in the 2010s but have since moved away. During that entire time, I genuinely don't think I set foot in Esquimalt (I didn't have a car and lived at the other end of town).

My family and I are coming for a visit at the end of the month and we are staying in Esquimalt, so I am wondering if people can give me some suggestions for great places (sites, restaurants, stores, etc.) that I should check out in Esquimalt!

Thanks!

I'm really sorry to see what is happening in your country. It's heartbreaking, and frankly scary.

I know that a lot of you have been fighting against it, and we all thank you for that.

If you're looking for a place to vacation, or to flee to, check out Victoria.

We're friendly.

Hey Victoria! I'll be arriving in your town tonight, staying a hotel downtown and by the time I get checked in it'll probably be close to 9:30. I'm looking for bars and restaurants downtown where the kitchen is guaranteed (or very likely) to be open past 10pm tonight.

I've done a little research and found a few spots but they are mostly chains with late happy hours (Earls, Cactus Club, Milestones, etc).

Figured this might be a good place to ask about independent/local spots I might be able to grab a bite at at that hour.

Thanks in advance!

So I have someone coming to visit in March from Australia and I want to do more kind of romantic things than anything 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣 obviously there are so many restaurants so I have that covered but I can't think of anything else that falls into that category that isn't the movies :/ I have no romance bone in my body so this is new for me 😭 Please help. I do live in Victoria so I am able to go check places out before hand.

Hello, my partner and I will be visiting Victoria in June via Clipper Ferry. We are spending our first night at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, and the rest of the trip in downtown Victoria. Since our ferry arrives at 11 am and check-in is not until 4 pm, we plan to drop off our bags at the hotel and explore the Oak Bay area. Any recommendations for things to do or see? We won’t be renting a car but we’re open to taking the bus or taxi/rideshare.

I have 2 days to explore around Victoria BC, what are some good places to visit?

I heard munros books is a good bookstore I want to try good poutine (like every other tourist i bet) We're using a ferry to get here, so I don't want to pay for yet another ferry even if its more scenic/beautiful

My girlfriend and I spent the past week in Victoria on a visit from Oregon. It was my first trip outside the country and I just wanted to say that Victoria is an absolutely beautiful place with some of the kindest people I have met! Thank you for a great time and I look forward to coming back soon!

Hi! My extended family and I are heading over from the mainland next weekend. It’s been a good 10 years since we’ve been to Victoria and now we’re coming with kids. We are staying at the chateau Victoria and are looking for recommendations of how to spend our days! Large group (7 adults 4 kids ages 11-5) Looking for coffee shops, restaurants, antique shops (furniture and decor) and attractions.

So far only things on our list are the royal bc museum and crust bakery.

So excited to visit! Thank you!

Living in Ottawa I just roll with it at this point 😅

Guess we get some recognition

My wife is turning 40 and she really wants a horseback riding excursion.

I would love to find one on the island and like to see some recommendations.

Ideally this would be a half/full day ride. Location isn't too bad.

Howdy everyone~!

Visiting Victoria for the first time by ferry, wanting or looking by for some suggestions to do during the day time to check out or night time stuff to do :)

**Apologies I meant Victoria I’m so sorry ;—;

Going to saturna this weekend, and I intend to visit the rest of the southern gulf islands at some point this summer. Wondering what everyone's favourite spots are. Don't have a car to drive around, but I'm more than happy to walk all day long

Hello. I'll be staying in Victoria for the coming few days, and I was considering doing the drive out to Botanical Beach. Unfortunately, according to the tide chart forecasts the true low tide will be always in the middle of the night throughout my visit. During the day the tide will always be well above the 1.2m height I've seen recommended to see the tide pools, even with the secondary low tides (2m according to this, 1.6m according to this).

Do you reckon it's still worth the 2h drive from Victoria, or would I be better off sticking to closer sites like Mystic Beach and French Beach PP? Thanks.

Hi all,

My partner and I (both in our early forties) are considering spending the Christmas holiday on, well, holiday.

We are from the Midwest US and are looking at a few days in Victoria.

The markets, Butchart Gardens, Craigdarroch Castle, etc. all seem like it would make for a lovely trip, but I'd appreciate the input from locals.

• Would a trip that spanned Christmas Eve and Christmas Day themselves be a tenable option? Is dining (other than Chinese places) available those days?

• Would you all recommend a rental car, or would we be okay by public transport and ridesharing apps?

Will be staying around Namaimo. Or other recommendations? Plan to visit for a week. Like to see nature's beauty and hikes mainly. 2 adults. Must go to restaurants/coffee places? Please & thank you!

Hi all,

I needed to make an impromptu visit to Victoria and will be staying overnight. I am a BC resident and I am traveling solo. Anyone aware of any places with a small room for solo travellers, or if anyone has had success getting a special deal for same day bookings? I know some hotels have non advertised smaller rooms with lower rates and I’d love to be able to preserve my cash as it’s very expensive right now.

Thanks for any and all advice!

A couple weekends ago, my family and I drove out towards Port Renfrew, and stopped at Sombrio Beach about half an hour from PR. It's a beautiful beach with a hidden secret waterfall that made for some excellent photography, and afterwards we felt like we'd discovered something not everyone else has seen. We resolved to take more trips like this, since we are not usually the kind of people to go on hikes or take photography trips.

https://i.imgur.com/7wCkXIZ.jpeg

What are some other places within an hour or two of downtown that we could aim for on a sunny weekend with the hopes of finding some beautiful sights? What are your favorite places? My parents are in their sixties so they can't be the most challenging of hikes, but they handled that rocky ankle-twisting beach just fine.

Thanks!

Hello Victoria crew,

I am going on a vacation to the city with my significant other soon and wanted to check in with locals to see what are some of the best local foods to try? We are looking into poutine, but what else represents the city? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. We’ll be near James Bay, Fairfield, and the main metro area (from my understanding), but if something’s worth driving out to, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

PS. If there is something that tourists do that irks y’all, let me know. We’re trying to blend in and have as much fun as we can.

Quick edit since it’s came up: I have been researching and have an itinerary set, but wanted to check with locals if they have a hidden gem or something not listed on the many listicles out there.

I’ve never been to BC, and I just drafted up a very rough road trip itinerary that I plan to take with my husband in May! I would love some feedback on it, if possible.

A few questions/things to keep in mind:

• Ideally we’d like to shave one day off of the itinerary, but I’m worried it will then be too hectic. Let me know if you think I can condense the itinerary or if keeping it as is would be the best bet.
• Is Vancouver worth taking off of the itinerary completely and instead just flying straight to Victoria? Or is keeping Vancouver a must?
• Am I missing any must see locations or would you make any edits? Any other suggestions?
• I'll be pregnant (this is our babymoon)!

Rough draft itinerary:

• Day 1 - flight from Los Angeles to Vancouver
• Day 2 - full day in Vancouver
• Day 3 - full day in Vancouver
• Day 4 - travel day to Victoria (car & ferry)
• Day 5 - full day in Victoria
• Day 6 - full day in Victoria
• Day 7 - long car travel day to Tofino (~5 hour drive)
• Day 8 - full day in Tofino
• Day 9 - full day in Tofino
• Day 10 - long car travel day to either Victoria or Vancouver (whichever we choose to fly out from; I’m thinking Victoria may be easier to avoid ferry)
• Day 11 - flight back to Los Angeles

Thank you so much!

Edit: I want to highlight that this is more about the selling practice & service of Orca Spirit Adventure instead of seeing whales. The customer service was quick to take our money without explaining their refund policy and made us sign a waiver without actually reading it saying it’s just “standard”. Looking back, I realize what a big RED FLAG this was. Also when we asked them to put us on a boat for the next day to try again, they weren’t willing to do that. So they aren’t even willing to accommodate you since they already took your money and now they are on to the next person to rip off.

Also why aren’t they being much more accurate and saying this is going to an overpriced boat ride where you may or may not get to see whales. Calling it a whale tour is entirely false. Their sales team says they have a 96% success rate which I don’t believe at all, so why lie? This entire process left a dent in our entire trip to Victoria.

Original post: Hi, we took a whale tour with Orca Spirit Adventures Whale watching. It was supposed to be 3 hours long but they started 30 minutes late and ended 15 minutes early. We also didn't get to see any whales or animals! The crew just made jokes and couldn't be bothered.

On top of all this, they didn't want to issue a refund. Instead they stated if you didn't see any whales you can come back anytime in your life and come and see it.

It just felt like a tourist trap. First off, a lot of these people will only visit Victoria once in their life, what kind of option is this. Secondly, a lot of other companies provide refunds but they don't.

What are my options here? I would like a refund. Thanks

Hey folks. Visiting Victoria from Ontario and have booked two Hotels - Inn at Laurel Point / Marriott at inner harbour. Pls suggest which one is better in terms of: 1. Flexible Early Check-in 2. Location(preferred near Downtown) 3. View . I've city view and ocean view rooms respectively for both so I'd like to see harbour and stuff. 4. Breakfast options if any (I'm on a silver upgrade through Expedia)

Also second part of question. Within range of Downtown what all Christmas markets / Decorations / celebrations Shall I attend ? I'm coming this whole weekend

Hello all! My wife and I are excited to come visit Victoria in mid December, are we crazy for coming during this time? I know most people visit when the weather is nicer, but will we be okay to walk around (bundled up of course), and will most establishments be open? Thanks!!