Victoria

Victoria, BC is an absolutely beautiful city, full of royal architecture and fabulous attractions.

Get to Victoria from the US via ferry for a full experience. Stay downtown near the waterfront (which is gorgeous) and explore the area. The Royal BC Museum is there, along with a stellar wax museum, the Empress Hotel, and just outside the city is the gorgeous Buchart Gardens, which are stop-in-your-shoes impressive.

Victoria rests inside the rain shadow, so the weather is extremely temperate. In spring and summer Victoria is consistently sunny with blue skies with slight breeze coming off the water. Unlike cities further inland, rain isn’t too much of an issue, so you can go pretty much anytime and enjoy linen shirts and shorts while you wander these gorgeous city streets.

If you’re making a trip to BC, definitely plan on spending a lot of time in BC. It’s well, well worth it.

Okay, so I have a new sister-in-law in Seatle and she says Victoria Island is the place to go. My daughter and I made a pact after last summer’s trip to Ireland that we would go somewhere together every year. Our day to fly comes around and the poor thing is too sick to go, so we postpone. Then we unexpectedly buy a house so I am in the middle of moving and we cancel the trip again. Now we are trying to go for Christmas. Will it be too cold for couple of Native Bay Area California girls?

Hoping to take the B.C. Ferry from Vancouver.

-Afternoon tea at The Empress Hotel (need a reservation)
-Must do lawn bowling!
-Eat fish and chips
-China Town
-watch highland dancers
-Butchart Gardens (is there a bus that drives out there from the city?)

So pretty! Take one of the harbour boat tours – great fun.

Victoria has some of the best Vegetarian/Vegan restaurants in Canada. ReBar is great as is the Lotus Pound and the Green Cuisine. Made Victoria so much more fun eating awesome food!