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America’s best city:
Victoria?!
2 DAYS IN...
THIS city on the south end of Vancouver Island was voted the "best city in the Americas" last year by Conde Nast Traveler readers, a remarkable distinction for such a small town. Vancouver Island was also selected as best island in North America for the second year in a row, so a visit brings you to the best of the best.
You could spend a lifetime enjoying Victoria, but it is possible to get a good feeling for the town with a two-day visit: Most sights worth seeing are within a 15-minute walk from the Inner Harbour. Victoria is picturesquely situated on a waterfront, which moderates its temperatures, resulting in Canada's mildest climate year-round. Of course, it has attractive shops, restaurants, museums and an Old Town district, but you might find that the greatest joy of Victoria is found in the sum of its parts -- it's a delightful spot to be.
Victoria is proud of its English heritage, with a higher percentage of British-born residents than anywhere else in Canada. This heritage is evident in shops offering hand-knit Shetland sweaters, bone china, teas, marmalade, Irish lace and Scottish tartans. Residents have retained the English love of gardens, with well-manicured lawns around most homes and flower pots hanging from street lamps. The high tea service at The Empress Hotel is another vestige of the motherland, as are the double-decker tour buses.
Along with this English charm, Victoria offers some of the coast's finest native arts and crafts. Wood-carving traditions of the indigenous Haida and Kwakiutl tribes are alive and well at several galleries.
Victoria was founded in 1843 as a Hudson Bay Co. trading post, making it Western Canada's oldest city. Growth took off with the Fraser Valley gold rush 15 years later that established Victoria as western Canada's main port. It has remained an important political position as the capital of British Columbia while retaining its maritime tradition.
A walk through Victoria's main historic section takes one hour -- up one street, down another, with a couple of stops at shopping courtyards in between. However, you will want to stretch this out, spending a day to browse, shop, snack, explore and take pictures, wandering through side roads such as Yates, View, Douglas and Fort streets. Nearly 200 old wooden warehouses and dilapidated structures have been renovated and turned into retail spaces throughout this historic center.
Starting from the landmark Empress Hotel, walk north along Government Street nine blocks to Fisgard Street, then return via Store and Wharf streets. Non-shoppers can relax at a sidewalk cafˇ and browse in the huge Munro's bookstore while their partners cruise the boutiques. Plenty of free tourist information is available at the Visitor Center at Wharf Street, across from the Empress.
Bastion Square, halfway along Government Street on the original site of Fort Victoria, is the oldest part of Victoria. Here, saloons, brothels and warehouses have been reborn as offices, shops, cafˇs and art galleries. This outdoor marketplace is one of the most enjoyable places to spend time and money. Visit the Maritime Museum in the former Provincial Court House for immersion in the area's nautical history, illustrated by 5,000 artifacts.
Two blocks north is Market Square, the old heart of Victoria that is now home to some 60 specialty shops and cafˇs clustered around a courtyard. Another block north to Fisgard Street brings you to Chinatown, a small remnant of what had been a bustling Asian community in 1850. Look for Fan Tan Alley, claimed to be the "world's narrowest street."
Next, stroll a few blocks along Inner Harbour to enjoy views of the marina and Parliament Building on the far side. Free Parliament tours are offered all day. The harbor is postcard-perfect, and street performers will keep you entertained. Soak up the scene, take a little boat ride or continue walking along the water's edge for several miles along James Bay. You'll pass the bustling commercial docks of Fisherman's Wharf, the breakwater at Ogden Point, the Dallas Road waterfront overlooking Washington State's Olympic Mountains and, finally, Beacon Hill Park.
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Royal British Columbia Museum: This museum alone is worth the trip to Victoria. Its exhibits are on par with the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and any of the world's great history museums. Realistic reconstructed environments immerse you in the area's past cultures, from Native American to early settlers, complete with authentic saw mills, gold and coal mines, totem poles, frontier shops and natural history exhibitions. Walk through a rain forest, sit in a native longhouse, view tidal wetlands, board Capt. Vancouver's sailing ship, HMS Discovery. It's like being there and then.
Thunderbird Park, behind the museum along Douglas Street, features several authentic totem poles collected from native sites regionwide, along with newer poles carved and painted in the original style. Also adjacent to the museum is Helmcken House, B.C.'s oldest house, which can be visited with an audio tour.
The Empress: Another institution facing the Inner Harbour is The Empress Hotel, a symbol of Victoria. Built in the chateau style of Canada's other great century-old hotels, this ivy-covered brick building holds many treats, even for non-guests. High tea is the best known attraction here (1.6 million cups served each year), but this ceremony takes two hours and will fill most of your afternoon. You'll be spoiled by an assortment of sandwiches, scones, berries and pastries guaranteed to produce a sugar high. If that is your idea of a good time, go for it, or you could visit their Bengal Lounge for the curry buffet and a glimpse of Colonial Indian dˇcor.
As evening settles in, take another stroll by the Inner Harbour to enjoy the dazzling lights outlining the Parliament Building. You might also return early the next day to enjoy a sunrise and watch boaters preparing for the day's outing.
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Victoria is surrounded by a beautiful coastline, world-class gardens and distinctive neighborhoods. It's easy to get around by car or public and private bus services. You might also continue walking through town, joining one of the informative walking tours led by members of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia, providing in-depth information about the city.
Gray Line's (www.grayline.ca) 90-minute tour shows you the best of Victoria's homes, gardens and historic sites from an English double-decker bus. The narrated tour includes the exclusive residential areas of the Uplands and Oak Bay, and Marine Drive with views of Mount Baker and the San Juan Islands. Gray Line also operates hop-on/hop-off trolley service from hotels and attractions. You can also get around the town and region on public transit (www.bctransit.com) with a $4 day pass.
Another way to see Victoria is to rent a bicycle and pedal along scenic Marine Drive to Oak Bay Village, the most English part of town. Continue to Cook Street Village and Beacon Hill Park before heading back downtown. Or tour the old-fashioned way by horse-drawn wagon operated by Tally-Ho Sightseeing Tours, Victoria's oldest sightseeing company.
Butchart Gardens: More than 150 different kinds of flowers cover 130 well-groomed acres on the grounds of a former country estate that once included an unsightly limestone quarry converted by Mrs. Butchart in 1917 into this wonderful display. Its much-photographed features include a sunken, Japanese, rose and Italian gardens, formal lawns and elaborate fountains. As you walk from one section to the next along walkways sometimes covered with flowering trellises, you will be awed by the changes of environment.
In pleasant contrast to the bright, wild flowers is the Japanese Garden, sheltered in the shade of tall bamboo with a peaceful trickle of water spilling from one pond to another. A small pebble garden in Zen style completes the serene oasis. This was the first garden Mrs. Butchart created in 1908 for her family's enjoyment. The grounds were opened to the public nine years later.
Fountains and statues also play a role in the landscape design, such as the Fountain of the Three Sturgeons, cast in bronze in Florence. The gardens are open daily, and in the evening are illuminated by colored lights. On summer Saturday nights you can also enjoy a fireworks display; arrive a few hours before sunset to avoid traffic jams. A snack bar, restaurant and gift shop are available, including a tea service of sandwiches, fruit and ginger scones served with jam and whipped cream. There is live music on summer afternoons, and concerts nightly in July and August.
If you don't have a car, the easiest way to visit Butchart Gardens is via private tour. Gray Line's bus tour leaves the Empress Hotel hourly from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the summer, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in spring and fall at a cost of $35. The itinerary takes three hours, but you can extend this by catching a later return bus at no extra charge. During the summer, it is possible to start the tour in the late afternoon and stay at the gardens for the evening illuminations, catching the last Gray Line bus at 10 p.m. to Victoria. Service is also offered by Enchanted Tours (www.sightseeing.ca). You can also get to the gardens by public transit bus No. 75 in a 50-minute ride, with several hourly departures.
While planning your itinerary, you might want to include these attractions as well:
» Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Olde England Inn and English Village features a full-size replica of Shakespeare's wife's home and other English buildings. A visit involves a 40-minute stroll from Inner Harbour.» Art Gallery of Greater Victoria: Contemporary and historical artworks are housed in an 1889 mansion. The gallery is especially noted for paintings by local artist Emily Carr; for more on Carr, visit her former house, at 207 Government St.
» Craigdarroch Castle: A 39-room mansion built in 1890 by Robert Dunsmuir, B.C.'s first millionaire. The castle is full of Victorian decorative arts. At 1050 Joan Crescent in the highlands above Oak Bay.
» Miniature World: Next to the Empress Hotel, it is home to hundreds of miniature fairy-tale scenes, from the World of Dickens to the Enchanted Valley of Castles, with 80 dioramas.
» Pacific Undersea Gardens: Not terribly exciting, but the glass walkway 15 feet below sea level does provide a glimpse into the Inner Harbour's marine life, featuring 5,000 creatures. It's located next to the Wax Museum.
» Royal London Wax Museum: In the tradition of Madame Tussaud's of London, its celebrity-based figures are housed on the waterfront near the Parliament Building.
If you go ...
Getting to Victoria is easy, especially from Vancouver, the closest Canadian city. You can fly in or cross the inlet by ferry.Here are a few places to stay while in Victoria, along with tour information. The phone prefix is 250:
Hotels
» Coast Harborside: 146 Kingston St. Call 360-1211; fax 360-1418
» Fairmont Empress: 721 Government St. Call 384-8111; fax 389-2747
» Grand Pacific: 463 Belleville St. Call 386-0450; fax 380-4475
» Harbour Towers: 345 Quebec St. Call 385-2405; fax 360-2313
» Laurel Point: 680 Montreal St. Call 386-8721; fax 386-9547
» Victoria Regent: 1234 Wharf St. Call 386-2211, 800-663-7472; fax 386-2622Websites
www.bctransit.com
www.city.victoria.bc.ca
www.greatervictoria.com
www.tourvic.com
www.victoriabc.com
www.tourismvictoria.com
www.victoria.rezrez.com
