Best Weekend Itinerary for Victoria British Columbia
Looking for a weekend getaway to beautiful Victoria on Vancouver Island? Look no further than this weekend itinerary to help get you started. This itinerary bases travel in and out of Vancouver.
What I really like about Victoria is it’s laid back and quieter vibe (compared to downtown Vancouver). Additionally, with it’s colonial history and serving as the capitol of British Columbia, the architecture is quite unique, and resembles Europe more than the rest of Canada. Further, Victoria and Vancouver Island in general tend to have a slightly milder climate than the Vancouver metro area, so it can be dryer heading into the winter months and spring often blooms earlier as well.
How to get to Victoria
From Vancouver, you have the following options:
- You can take car ferries operated by BC Ferries from Tsawwassen (1 hour south of downtown Vancouver) or from Horseshoe Bay (~1 hour north of downtown Vancouver).
- There is a new passenger only (no cars) fast ferry from downtown Vancouver to Nanaimo (111 km north of Victoria) operated by Hullo.
- Harbour Air, a Vancouver based seaplane company, operates flights between downtown Vancouver as well as Vancouver International Airport (YVR) directly to Victoria. This is the fastest but most expensive way to get to the island.
Getting around Victoria
It is recommended you rent a car on Vancouver Island. Different tourist areas are far apart and public transit is not always available. You can check out rental car options here.
If you don’t want to rent a car, you can take a bus from the ferry terminal in Swartz Bay when you arrive on Vancouver Island (the 72 or 70 bus).
Friday – Get to your hotel and settle in
If you are leaving after work on a Friday or mid-day from Vancouver, the journey to the ferry terminal, the ferry itself and then the drive to the city is a few hours. To avoid stress on a nice weekend away, I wouldn’t plan for too much activity on day 1. I recommend planning to check in to your hotel in Victoria and grabbong dinner at Red Fish Blue Fish, followed by drinks at Whistle Buoy Brewing in order to relax and ease into the weekend ahead.
Saturday – Explore Downtown Victoria
Start your day with brunch at Floyd’s Diner. Then walk around the main downtown area, which is essentially Government St. from Toronto Street to Pandora Avenue. Victoria is not very large, so you can cover most of the main areas in a full day of walking or biking around.
Grab lunch at Bodega before continuing your walking tour in Beacon Hill Park. Make sure not to miss the Mile Zero Monument, the Beacon Hill Lookout or the Beacon Hill Totem Pole. Head down to Finlayson Point and watch the paragliders!
If you have spare time and aren’t too tired, the Royal BC Museum offers incredible exhibits on indigenous history, natural history of British Columbia, and always has a rotating special exhibit. Nearby is also the BC Legislative Building, which is not open on weekends however is lit up beautifully at night and is worth walking by.
In the evening, grab dinner at Ithaka and then a gin cocktail at Bartholomew’s.
Sunday – Hiking, High Tea and return to Vancouver
On Sunday, make sure to book a later afternoon / evening ferry so you can fully take advantage of the day.
Start with a quick coffee or breakfast to go from Rise N Grind. Then, head out to one of two potential adventure spots:
- Hiking in Gowlland Tod Provincial Park – here, you can enjoy some moderate trails with amazing views of the Saanich Inlet.
- Waterfalls – head to Goldstream Provincial Park to visit Niagara Falls (not to be confused with the one in Ontario). Also a moderate hike, 6km roundtrip.
Once you’re nice and hungry from your hike, head over to Butchart Gardens for High Tea (reservations required in advance – and come hungry!). Butchart Gardens is a botanical garden created by Jennie Butchart and her husband, Robert in 1904. They transformed the non-productive limestone quarry into the gardens you see today, including the Sunken Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, and Italian Garden. After your high tea, you can stroll the gardens.
Finally, head over to the ferry terminal in Swartz Bay to head back to Vancouver.
If you are looking for more adventures beyond Victoria, check out:
