Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Victoria,BC help please

Wifey has decided that she "needs" to go to Victoria,BC sometime
in late April or early May. Never having been that far west in Canada, any advice would be appreciated. My option is to fly into
Seattle and take either the Port Angeles or Anacortes ferry to
Victoria. Will most likely be there 2-3 days...suggestions on eating places, neat places to see, etc . And where NOT to go also.

Hard to visit a bad place in Victoria in the sense of dangerous from a people perspective.

Make reservations on the ferry. Usually not bad that time of year but better safe than sorry as it can get crowded. (https://secureapps.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/Reservations/Vehicle/default.aspx) Note the ferry drops you in Sidney but there are lots of shuttle buses from Sidney to downtown Victoria. Make sure you take a pair of binos. Pretty much a 100% chance of seeing Orca's on the trip.

While it has been a bit since I have moved from Anacortes This was good when I left http://www.anacortesrockfish.com and the brewmaster Paul is a former EA-6B Naval Flight Officer and was one of my simulator instructors back when they were getting the place underway. Eat before you get on the ferry. Thank me later.

If you want to stay at the classic place in Victoria it's changed names a few times but it's now the Fairmont http://www.fairmont.com/empress-victoria/ . I stayed there once and it was everything you expect of a classic hotel. Centrally located and great service. Of course, they did have a cougar (the kitty kind not the more dangerous female human kind ) in their parking garage a bit ago for not the first time. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920304&slug=1479237

While you are going early http://www.butchartgardens.com is a great visit and there are numerous, including some imported London double decker busses, to take you up to it. Worth the trip.

Wonderful place to visit and great friendly Canadians. Not a bad thing to say about it (bring rain gear). I miss living up there every day.

My mom goes on a 12 day train ride through the Canada Rockies beginning June 12th and she'll be staying at the Fairmont during the tour. Her train will even pass through the place I elk hunted many years ago.

Banff is what she's waiting for. I told her she'll be overwhelmed with the beauty she'll witness her entire trip.

If you have to go to a third world socialist country thats probably the best choice.

I can second Butchart Gardens. Beautiful!

With respect to Banff (not on Vancouver Island) it is also beautiful. Unfortunately it is now (or was) almost entirely owned by Asians in the commercial area. My oldest daughter lived in Alberta for around 30 years and we used to go out frequently and on nearly every trip we used to take a day trip to Banff. Got so over run with Asians we finally quit going there, instead we went to Kananaskis Country.

Jim

If you haven't been it that country you should drive up the peninsula. Cross the tacoma narows bridge. Old galloping gertie .. Wave to me on the way by... Go around the hood canal and up 101 to squirm and port angles . Take the ferry across there. Make sure you see hurricane ridge while you are that close..check out sol duc hot springs.

Make sure you stay home then, and some of you wonder why Americans are looked upon so poorly world wide.

You don't get out much. You are drunk on the Propaganda Brand Kool-Aid you are being fed by you government and pastor,Ignorante schweinegrippe-politik Hurer

Don't worry there is nothing I need to see in that expensive socialist sheethole!

Since January 20, 2009 we need to take care with that charge of 'third world socialist country' lest we get a curt 'glass houses' in reply.

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He doesn't speak for me. Your country is stunningly beautiful and it's citizens are no different than ours. Governments don't define nations, it's people do.

And, your people have always been on the top shelf.

I would opt to fly into Vancouver, spend a day or so there then on to Victoria. You won't need a car in Vancouver, the train is great and the food is amazing. Other than Bush gardens, you don't need a car in Victoria either and it's a quick ferry ride from Vancouver. The natural history museum in Victoria will eat a good part of a day, but is really neat I would not miss it. Hold onto your wallet when you go for tea and cookies at whatever the heck the big hotel is , but your wife will like it. If the weather is nice take a whale watching trip.

Your just across the straight from the Olympic National Park, that's worth a couple days in itself.

As said, Victoria is a great place for a short vacation.

Fly into Seattle and take the Victoria Clipper. They have a bunch of package deals to include hotel (lots of choices) and admission to the wonderful mueseum and Butchart Gardens.

Rent a couple scooters and cruise the island. It's beautiful.

Many outstanding restaurants in various budgets.

BTW- it's slap full of hot women.

Thanks isaac some people just crap on every thing but their own bed. Just saying. Cheers NC

For the record I am not anti American, there are many good people in your country as well.

fgold767;
You have received some helpful information thus far regarding a trip to Victoria which I'll try not to repeat.

Victoria is both the provincial capital and the home of University of Victoria, so besides the quaint British sort of feel of the place, it's got the feel of a university town too.

If there are "bad" parts of town, I've not found them though I'll admit we've only visited there and have not lived there as yet. We have had friends and family live in Victoria over the years though.

Those who like to travel with a smart phone, tablet or laptop will find free wifi easy to find in most places around town so I've been given to understand.

So things to see there might include the Parliament Buildings.
http://www.leg.bc.ca/

We really enjoyed our visit to Fort Rodd Hill which is a part of Parks Canada so is a bit pricey to visit, but our family seems to like forts and such we so paid and learned.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/bc/fortroddhill/index.aspx

The Royal BC Museum is really quite good and gives a good understanding of the beginnings of that part of BC.
http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/

If you are driving up there and want to know road conditions, here's a link to the DriveBC website which gives road cam locations and at least hourly updates on road conditions.
http://www.drivebc.ca/

This website gives you an overview of other sites to see in Victoria and as you can see I've not really truly begun to scratch the surface.
http://www.tourismvictoria.com/things-to-do/

There might even be whale watching in season - they launch right across the street from the Empress Hotel.

Anyway sir, hopefully that was some use to you or someone else coming up to visit Victoria. If I can be of more assistance please let me know.

All the best to you and yours and a pleasant and relaxing journey too.

Regards,
Dwayne

PS;
Ahhh forgot this one - it's not free but a cool way to see downtown and get a feel for it.

http://www.victoriacarriage.com/

It has been a long time since I was in Victoria or Vancouver, but my general advice is to prepare yourself for a very fine, fun experience. The country is beautiful and Canadians by and large are about the greatest people you'll ever meet.

Vancouver is home to the largest Chinatown outside San Francisco. The place I liked to eat are surely long gone, but there used to be some very fine, real, Chinese food there. It's really kind of an amazing place. All in all, Vancouver is a very cosmopolitan city. Most Americans don't seem to realize how big it is, and what wonderful cultural variety it has.

The Museum and the Empress Hotel are great stops, close to one of the ferry landings.

The ferry ride itself is a bit of a treat.

Buchart Gardens is a must-see. They put on quite a show in the evening.

If time allows, Friday Harbor, WA is a nice stop. Things are quiet there. The island is populated with Bavarian hares. When you get up in the morning, they are out in force, munching the grass.

We had better be decent to one another. Someday you Canadians are going to become so fed-up with your border hugging Southeast and we our 'Coasts' that we will carve off those hellholes and become one people.

not Victoria, but,

The Maritime Museum in Vancouver is about the finest I've seen, covering the Sealing, Whaling, and "Northwest Passage" era in solid detail.

The Coastal Logging industry is well represented, too.

Some of THE best relief maps on the Planet, too.

GTC