I visited Victoria, British Columbia in July of 2023.  This is a trip I had wanted to do for some three years but was waylaid due to Covid and Canada basically being locked down for over two years.  I had taken a cross country trip in 2021 and had hoped to visit Victoria but hopes were dashed as Canada continued to keep its borders closed to tourists.  I absolutely love Victoria, as I had visited it over 20 years ago and I was excited to return. It did not disappoint. It’s like Seattle and Oxford had a baby, modern Pacific Northwest meets quaint, countryside England.

Here are the 5 reasons to visit Victoria:

Butchart Gardens.   I have been a garden devote since growing up in Northern Delaware in close proximity to the magnificent Longwood Gardens.  I was always drawn to gardens and Butchart in particular because of my dear grandfather “Daddy Ott”.   He came over every Saturday morning to my childhood home to work on his masterpiece rock garden.  He used to take me to Longwood as a child and I remember seeing his photos of Butchart in the 1960’s and 1970’s when he traveled extensively.  His photos did not do Butchart justice.  Butchart is an old limestone quarry where Robert Butchart used the limestone to manufacture cement.  His wife, Jennie Butchart, took it upon herself to use the leftover quarry to initially design a Japanese garden and then, after 30 years, developed it into the 55 acre display gardens that it is today.  What I am struck by is the expanse of color, it’s not a row of Zinnia’s or a trim of Marigolds, it’s a carpet of Zinnias next to an entire plot of marigolds.  I’ve never seen the sheer quantity and types of roses in bloom in the rose garden.  It’s mind boggling! And the entire place is still privately owned after 119 years. Every nook and cranny holds a deliberate fountain, statue, totem pole or gazebo.  It is all so exquisite and is like a treasure hunt around each impeccably manicured corner. It is not to be missed and a reason to travel to Victoria all on its own.

The Empress Hotel.  On my first trip to Victoria back in the late 90’s with my then boyfriend, David, he made a reservation at the Empress for afternoon tea.  I’m pretty sure this was my first ever afternoon tea.  I decided to go on my own this time, and it was, as to be expected, flawless. The hotel itself has been facing the banks of the Victoria Inner Harbor since 1908. Afternoon Tea has been served at the hotel since it opened.  The piano playing, the flawless service and impeccable finger sandwiches are a once (or twice) in a lifetime experience.  I really enjoyed it as some of the ladies coming for tea came resplendent in floral dresses and fascinators. I’ve now had afternoon tea across the United Kingdom and Denmark and can confirm the clotted cream and tea timer were perfection.

The Duen.  Nothing in this world brings me closer to my father than going on a sailboat.  I was excited to see a historic tall ship in Victoria’s inner harbor when I came in on the Black Ball Ferry from Port Angeles, WA the Monday after my daughter’s wedding in Sequim, WA.  The Duen is a Norwegian built Ketch and is 72 feet long.  I was able to book a 3-hour sail right out of the inner harbor.  The owner and Captain, Michael, his wife, Manon, and crew, Ryan, were about the nicest people I’ve ever met.  The other passages were from other parts of Canada and Switzerland.  We sailed by the historic Fisgard Lighthouse (oldest lighthouse in BC) and Esquimalt Lagoon.  It was also a great vantage point to see the floating Fisherman’s Wharf along Victoria Harbor. I was given the helm for about 20 minutes as Mike gave me hand signals on how to steer the boat.  It just doesn’t get any better than being on the water with 25 knot winds, the spray coming over the boat and the glacial Olympic Mountains in the distance. The Duen is not to be missed.

Restaurants. I remember on my first trip to Victoria, I had not yet traveled to England.  The many tea shops and pubs were foreign to me.  It’s like every day is Sunday here in Victoria.  Every cafe has upwards of ten different kinds of Eggs Benedict and the best restaurant coffee.  I highly recommend John’s Place, Blue Fox Cafe, Frankie’s Modern Diner and Murchie’s Tea & Coffee. There are ice cream shops and plenty of Chinese restaurants as well with what was the largest Chinatown on the west coast of Canada.  Of course, there is also afternoon tea at the Empress and at Butchart Gardens as well.  Victoria is a restaurant destination. 

Weather.  Victoria is a weather destination for Canadians as it’s the most southern point and is in a “Rain Shadow” similarly to Sequim, WA in that it doesn’t get as much rain as the surrounding areas like Seattle and Vancouver. When I went out on the Duen you could plainly see the fog along the Washington State shore as we were sailing to the north under clear blue skies.  During my week in Victoria, the temperatures were lows in the 50’s overnight and highs in the upper 60’s to 72 degrees.  This was as the rest of the US was under heat and smoke advisories.  The hanging flowers on every light post were in full bloom and the flowers in front of the Legislative Assembly Building spelling out Welcome to Victoria were in full bloom. Each day was picture perfect so that when I return, I will definitely try to come back during the summer.

There are some quirky things to see in Victoria like Fan Tan Alley which is a super narrow alley where they hid opium dens back in the 1800’s and the Miniature Museum with probably a hundred different miniature scenes.  It was a wonderful escape to a foreign country with nice people, great coffee and a British slant on food.  I will be back.