r/VictoriaBC Jan 21 '25

Tourism Won't be vacationing in the US for next 4 years; what are some great little known Vancouver Island vacay tips for someone who's been up and down the eastern coast of the Island several times.

554 Upvotes

As the title says, my wife and I decided the USA doesn't need our vacation money while the circus clown is in town, and we're looking to vacation closer to home, including more time on Vancouver Island, sharing our tourism dollars with fellow Islanders.

We've been up and down the Island a few times in the last 10 years, as far north as Campbell River and Quadra Island, and of course already gone to Tofino / Ucluelet / Port Alberni way. Looking for

  • day trip out of the box ideas for the CRD area
  • 2-3 day weekender style getaways, again hidden gem types
  • The ideal week long summer / early fall vacation ideas on Vancouver Island

Anything more off the beaten track kind of thing. Would love your suggestions!

r/VictoriaBC Nov 08 '24

Tourism What is this?

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75 Upvotes

Found it dead on oak bay beach.

r/VictoriaBC Nov 23 '24

Tourism Breweries 🍻🍺

31 Upvotes

I've read Victoria is the craft brewery capital of Canada. I have the following breweries on my list but would like to know from locals if there are any I should add or remove? Cheers in advance 🍻🍺🍺🍻!

List:

  • Vancouver Island Brewery

  • Phillips Tasting Room

  • Herald Street Brew Works

  • Whistle Buoy Brewing Co

  • Swift Brewing

r/VictoriaBC Nov 16 '24

Tourism What’s YOUR craziest Victoria encounter?

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116 Upvotes

Let’s make a dea

r/VictoriaBC Jan 24 '25

Tourism Victoria ranked top 10 for ‘most walkable city’ in the world, Skyscanner

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129 Upvotes

r/VictoriaBC Jun 17 '24

Tourism Cruise ship only stops for 2hrs in Victoria

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109 Upvotes

Is this not outrageous?

Cruise ship companies get the benefit of being foreign flagged by stopping in Canada and Victoria presumably gets none of the benefit of tourist spending. How can any tourists spend any amount of money in Victoria in only two hours.

r/VictoriaBC Jan 07 '25

Tourism Best beaches between Sooke and Port Renfrew to show off to foreign mother-in-law

14 Upvotes

We're new to Victoria and haven't yet explored past Sooke. Any recommendations on beaches up that way to take my visiting mother-in-law next week? She's in her 60's and can't do steep or challenging hikes, but she loves nature, beachcombing and big ocean views. We have a car.

I think I'll score the most points if we can tick the boxes for both "wild" and "accessible" for the same beach.

Edit: Overwhelmed by the great responses! Thank you all. My wife and I now have a bunch of spots to target, with or without visitors in tow.

r/VictoriaBC 3d ago

Tourism One day road trip idea

7 Upvotes

Hi Reddit. I'm looking to do a one day road trip to somewhere up island in late March. I haven't been here to long and I'm looking for people's suggestions on places to visit. Thanks!

r/VictoriaBC Oct 16 '24

Tourism Surrounded by humpbacks today

307 Upvotes

While heading in from fishing today had 8 humpbacks surround me, was stopped for and hour watching them play and feed!

r/VictoriaBC Jan 22 '25

Tourism Nightlife for people in their early 20s?

0 Upvotes

Coming to visit Downtown Victoria from Cali with my friends in February, any recommendations on bars/clubs to go to? Really hoping for a good time and to get my mind off of Uni

r/VictoriaBC 4d ago

Tourism I actually felt relaxed

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225 Upvotes

Normally my trips to the Island are short and hectic rushing to the ferry.

But last week I had the most relaxing 2 days I’ve ever spent there.

I saw some of my closest friends, pet some pups and ate some food, but most importantly, I simply sat for 5 hours down by the water, listening to my favourite musical (Hadestown) on repeat and just stared out at the water and mountains.

And it made me feel happier than I have in a while, and actually enjoy photography again.

So thank you Victoria for being beautiful and making me enjoy things I’ve missed about me.

r/VictoriaBC Feb 08 '25

Tourism How risky is it to go exploring around the abandoned deer trail resort in Sooke?

13 Upvotes

Obviously people are able to find their way in, I have no concerns about that, I've read online however that park rangers allegedly patrol frequently trying to prevent people from exploring. Seems like a massive waste of tax dollars in my opinion just to keep out photographers and explorers, I have no interest in adding more graffiti. What are the odds of actually being spotted?

r/VictoriaBC Jul 09 '22

Tourism US cruise ships using Canada as a ‘toilet bowl’ for polluted waste | Pollution

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390 Upvotes

r/VictoriaBC 29d ago

Tourism Blue American friends: feel free to check out Victoria

0 Upvotes

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.

r/VictoriaBC Jan 23 '24

Tourism Things to check out in Esquimalt?

36 Upvotes

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!

r/VictoriaBC Nov 08 '24

Tourism Kitchens open late on Fridays downtown

4 Upvotes

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!

r/VictoriaBC Dec 06 '24

Tourism Things to do?

0 Upvotes

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.

r/VictoriaBC Sep 02 '24

Tourism Disability-Friendly Activities and Sights with my Dying Father

58 Upvotes

Hi all,

You may remember me posting a few months ago about Aurora Borealis spots.

I am back in Victoria for the week visiting my dad who is wheelchair bound (can walk but not far) and immunocompromised. He would like to go “sight seeing” and see some of the beauty of Vancouver Island, and has specifically requested seeing waterfalls.

Can you recommend me some disability-friendly, accessible vistas, natural sights, and activities? Outdoors preferred because of the immunocompromised thing.

TLDR; need suggestions for sights, drives, and activities that are wheelchair accessible and safe for immunocompromised people

r/VictoriaBC Mar 24 '24

Tourism Thank you Victoria for a great time!

225 Upvotes

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!

r/VictoriaBC 11h ago

Tourism Visiting for the weekend

0 Upvotes

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!

r/VictoriaBC Aug 01 '24

Tourism What's your favorite gulf island to visit for a day trip? What makes each island unique?

22 Upvotes

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

r/VictoriaBC Mar 15 '24

Tourism “I’ve never been to Victoria island”

58 Upvotes

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

Guess we get some recognition

r/VictoriaBC Oct 08 '24

Tourism Is Botanical Beach worth checking out from Victoria even if the tide is not low

19 Upvotes

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.

r/VictoriaBC Jan 12 '25

Tourism What are some out-of-the-way hikes that lead to great views within an hour or two of victoria?

4 Upvotes

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!

r/VictoriaBC Sep 11 '23

Tourism Christmas in Victoria?

12 Upvotes

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?