DESTINATION: Victoria, British Columbia |
Type of Trip: Family Vacation
Time of Year: Summer
Where We Stayed: Victoria Marriott Inner Harbor, Victoria, British Columbia
| Trip Highlights |
We boarded the Coho Ferry in Port Angeles, WA and settled in for an hour and a half ride to Victoria on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. We did choose to drive our car onto the ferry so that we could have it in Victoria, but many tourists walked or biked on. It's a pleasant ride with food and beverages for sale, plenty of places to sit, or room to explore the decks of the ferry. It is a bit windy and cool on the ride over, so we stayed indoors and played a few (hundred) games of gin rummy while sipping on hot chocolate during our trip! Remember to reserve your spot on this ferry ahead of time, and make sure you have your passports or, for kids, birth certificates ready to go!
As soon as we made our way off the Coho Ferry and through the Canadian customs agent, we made our way about 20 minutes to Butchart Gardens, an extremely colorful and lush garden representing flora and fauna galore from around the world. Around every corner there is something beautiful to behold including hanging blooms, sunken gardens, views from atop, and flowing fountains. You'll even step into an Italian patio, a tucked away Japanese garden, totem poles, and more beauty that you can imagine. Our path through the gardens took about an hour and a half and both our kids and my husband and I loved it. Kids 12 and under are only a few dollars, so it makes it well worth the trip even with the littlest of travelers who might not appreciate the view as much. This is a must-see if you visit Victoria! If you don't take a vehicle into the city, you'll have to catch a tour bus or another form of transportation as it is not within walking distance of the harbor.
We kept hearing about this place, so we put it on our list as a place to visit. Looking at our map of Victoria, we decided to walk it before realizing just how far it actually is from the inner harbor. Let me tell you, we got in thousands of steps during our trip there, so if you plan on going, drive your car or take a tourist bus. There is a parking lot right in front of the castle, so looking back, we should have taken our car. Upon arrival, we saw a cool looking structure, but not terribly well-maintained grounds. After learning that the price of a tour would cost us $36 for the family, we decided to snap a couple of photos and head back into the Inner Harbor. So, my tip to you is to either skip this attraction, or drive there so you can see it, but don't spend too much time on this one. At least we got some good exercise and had a lot of time to walk and talk as a family while seeing the downtown streets of Victoria!
Once we made the (long) trek back from the castle, we walked back toward the harbor to Market Square where we just so happened to be in town during their Buskers Festival which featured various types of performers including singers, jugglers, magicians, drummers, and more! We enjoyed the entertainment and then wandered around exploring a few of the shops in the downtown area. This is a very pedestrian-friendly city, so find a comfortable pair of walking shoes and get out and explore! After leaving Market Square, we walked back toward the harbor, caught a few more awesome acts from the festival and headed to find dinner at Fisherman's Wharf.
We stopped for lunch at Tim Hortons (because when in Canada....) and were given advice from a friendly local who emphatically told us we just HAD to go eat at Barb's Fish & Chips at the Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. Well, alrighty then! We walked over to the wharf, quickly found Barb's and bellied up to the counter where we ordered our fish and chips, and shrimp and chips for one of my kiddos. We were handed a buzzer, found a seat on their covered outdoor floating patio, and waited for our meal to be ready. Y'all, I can't say that our food choices while we were in Canada were (at all) healthy, but boy were they tasty! We had heaping portions of fish, chips, and coleslaw toppling out of our baskets complete with tartar and cocktail sauce. Yum! The Fisherman's Wharf is also a lovely place to check out all of the boats, plenty of other yummy treats and eats, and just a lovely view of the harbor.
Other Notable Sites
- Inner Harbor Pier/Canada Sign: When we were visiting, there were local vendors set up on the pier selling some fun treasures, but my favorite part about the pier, other than the view, was the light-up Canada sign! Grab your family, wait your turn, and grab a photo with this sign as a fun memory of your trip to Canada! I discovered it on a solo trip to the pier after my family decided to head back to the hotel, but we went back before breakfast the next morning to grab our photo. The letters aren't quite as vibrant in the daylight, but it's a fun place to stop any time of the day or night!
- Parliament Building: You can't miss the gorgeous architecture of the Parliament Building when walking around Downtown Victoria. Make sure you stop and take a photo!
- Fairmont Empress Hotel: This hotel is fun to just take a quick stroll through! They have some high-end shops at one end to do some window-shopping, and a gorgeous staircase and lobby at the other end with this exquisite light fixture!
| Notable Restaurants |
Barb's Fish & Chips: One of the many restaurant choices on Victoria's Fisherman's Wharf that serves super tasty, you guessed it, fish and chips! They have shrimp and chips, too!
Dutch Bakery: We wandered around trying to find a yummy breakfast before hopping back on the ferry to go back to Port Angeles and found this charming restaurant and bakery. Everything was delicious from the eggs and bacon to the waffles and raisin toast! We didn't try their bakery treats, but they looked amazing!
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