EXPLORING VICTORIA, BC
By Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough from Wanderers Compass

Some cities make a grand first impression. Others reveal new layers every time you return. Victoria, British Columbia, is one of those places.

Joelle had visited decades earlier, but time has a way of changing both the destination and the traveler. This time, we arrived expecting an attractive waterfront city with beautiful gardens, impressive architecture, and a relaxed coastal atmosphere. Friends had spoken highly of it, and we'd seen countless photographs of the Inner Harbor and the iconic Empress Hotel. We knew Victoria would be enjoyable.

What we didn't expect was just how much it would capture our attention, or how quickly Ryan fell in love with Victoria.

By the time we boarded the Victoria Clipper ferry for the return trip to Seattle a few days later, he was already planning another visit.

That doesn't happen often.

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After traveling to more than 60 countries, we've learned that our favorite destinations usually aren't the ones with the longest lists of attractions. They're the places that make us slow down. The places where we linger over a view, wander down a side street with no particular destination in mind, or sit a little longer by the water simply because we're enjoying being there.

Victoria quietly invited us to do exactly that.

A City Shaped by the Sea
Long before Victoria became the capital of British Columbia, this sheltered harbor was home to the Lekwungen-speaking peoples, whose descendants include today's Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. For thousands of years, these waters supported thriving Indigenous communities that relied on the rich marine environment for trade, transportation, and daily life. Their connection to this place remains an important part of Victoria's identity today.

The city's modern history began in 1843 when the Hudson's Bay Company established Fort Victoria as a trading post under the direction of James Douglas. What started as a small outpost quickly changed with the Fraser River Gold Rush in 1858, when thousands of prospectors passed through Victoria on their way to the mainland. Almost overnight, the settlement grew into a bustling commercial center and one of the most important communities on Canada's Pacific coast.

When British Columbia joined the Canadian Confederation in 1871, Victoria was chosen as the provincial capital. Although nearby Vancouver would eventually become the province's economic powerhouse, Victoria retained its role as the political and cultural heart of British Columbia.

The city also reflects its British heritage in ways that are immediately recognizable. Grand architecture, afternoon tea, carefully maintained gardens, and traditions dating back to the Victorian era remain part of everyday life. Yet those influences are only one chapter of Victoria's story. Indigenous cultures, Chinese immigrants, and people from around the world have all helped shape the welcoming, multicultural city visitors experience today.
Perhaps that's what we appreciated most.

Victoria honors its past without feeling stuck in it. History isn't confined to museums or monuments; it's woven into the streets, the waterfront, and the neighborhoods, quietly revealing itself as you explore.

Arriving by Water
One of the best decisions we made was arriving by ferry.

Victoria sits on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, meaning every visitor must cross the water in one way or another. Travelers bringing a vehicle can take the Black Ball Ferry from Port Angeles, Washington, or BC Ferries from Tsawwassen near Vancouver. Others arrive by commercial flight or float plane, which are a familiar sight around the harbor.

We chose the Victoria Clipper from downtown Seattle, and looking back, we wouldn't have wanted to arrive any other way.

The roughly three-hour voyage across the Salish Sea became part of the experience rather than simply transportation. As Seattle gradually disappeared behind us, the pace of everyday life seemed to disappear as well.

Then Victoria slowly appeared on the horizon.

The Empress Hotel immediately caught our attention, standing proudly along the waterfront as it has for more than a century. Nearby, the green copper dome of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings rose above the harbor, while sailboats, ferries, and float planes filled the water below.

It was one of those arrivals that immediately builds anticipation for what's ahead.
Stepping off the ferry, we noticed something else almost immediately.
No one seemed to be in a hurry.

The Inner Harbour
Every city has a place that feels like its heartbeat. In Victoria, it's the Inner Harbour.

We found ourselves returning here several times during our visit, and each time it felt a little different. Early in the morning, joggers and dog walkers shared the waterfront paths. Later in the day, float planes touched down with remarkable precision while harbor ferries and taxis carried passengers between neighborhoods. Street musicians added a soundtrack to the afternoon, and visitors gathered along the seawall simply to watch the city unfold around them. It wasn't just beautiful. It felt alive.

The protected harbor has served as a place of gathering, trade, and transportation for thousands of years, making it the natural heart of the region long before it became the center of British Columbia's capital.

Perhaps that's why the harbour feels so authentic today. It isn't something created for visitors. It's simply where Victoria lives.

One afternoon, we realized we'd spent nearly an hour doing very little other than watching boats come and go. Normally, we'd feel the need to move on to the next attraction. Here, we didn't.

Victoria has a remarkable ability to remind visitors that travel isn't always about seeing more. Sometimes it's about slowing down enough to appreciate where you already are.

The Parliament Buildings
It's impossible to spend time around the Inner Harbour without your attention eventually drifting toward the British Columbia Parliament Buildings. No matter where we walked, they seemed to anchor the waterfront.

Completed in 1898, the impressive complex was designed by a young architect named Francis Rattenbury, who was just twenty-five years old when his design won the competition. He would later go on to design another of Victoria's best-known landmarks, the Empress Hotel, forever shaping the city's skyline.

The Parliament Buildings are certainly grand, but they never feel intimidating.
Instead, they seem remarkably approachable.

Visitors are welcome to stroll the beautifully landscaped grounds, admire the intricate stonework, and enjoy panoramic views back across the harbor. The architecture reflects Victoria's British heritage, blending classical and Romanesque influences with details that reward anyone willing to slow down and look a little closer.

What impressed us most wasn't simply the building itself. It was the setting.

The Parliament doesn't stand isolated behind fences or surrounded by busy highways. Instead, it feels woven into the fabric of everyday Victoria. Office workers crossed the lawn on their lunch break. Families relaxed nearby while visitors photographed the harbor. It felt less like a monument and more like an active part of the city.

If you're fortunate enough to be nearby after sunset, don't miss returning. Thousands of lights outline the building each evening, creating one of Victoria's most recognizable views and transforming an already beautiful landmark into something truly memorable.

The Royal BC Museum

If we could offer one piece of advice to anyone visiting Victoria for the first time, it would be this: don't save the Royal BC Museum until the end of your trip. Visit it first.

Looking back, it completely changed the way we experienced the city.

Before walking through its galleries, Victoria was exactly what we'd expected, a beautiful waterfront capital with impressive architecture, colorful neighborhoods, and plenty to see. By the time we left the museum, we understood that every one of those places had a much deeper story to tell.

Located just steps from the Inner Harbour, the Royal BC Museum is widely regarded as one of Canada's finest museums, and after spending several hours there, it's easy to understand why.

Rather than simply displaying artifacts behind glass, the museum immerses visitors in the story of British Columbia. One moment you're exploring coastal ecosystems and learning about the province's remarkable wildlife. The next, you're walking through recreated streets in the popular Old Town gallery, where historic storefronts, homes, and businesses recreate life during the province's formative years.

It doesn't feel like reading history. It feels like stepping into it.

One of the exhibits that stayed with us the longest focused on the First Peoples of British Columbia. Long before Fort Victoria was established in 1843 or the Fraser River Gold Rush transformed the region, Indigenous communities had lived along these shores for thousands of years.

We also appreciated how balanced the museum felt. Alongside Indigenous history are exhibits exploring British Columbia's natural landscapes, immigration, industry, and the communities that helped shape the province into what it is today. It's a thoughtful reminder that Victoria's story isn't defined by a single culture or event but by generations of people whose experiences continue to influence the city.

During our visit, the museum was also hosting “Ancient Egypt: Obsessed with Life,” a fascinating traveling exhibition exploring one of history's most enduring civilizations. While it was certainly a highlight, we found ourselves returning time and again to the museum's permanent galleries, which offered such a rich introduction to British Columbia that they became one of the defining experiences of our trip.

It's easy to recommend the Royal BC Museum because it's beautifully curated.

Victoria’s Chinatown
From the Royal BC Museum, we continued exploring on foot through downtown Victoria, another reminder of how easy the city is to navigate without a car.

Just a few blocks from the Inner Harbour sits Canada's oldest Chinatown, a neighborhood that reflects another important chapter in Victoria's history. Chinese immigrants began arriving during the Fraser River Gold Rush and later played a significant role in the growth of British Columbia despite facing tremendous challenges and discrimination.

Today, the neighborhood is a vibrant mix of restaurants, cafés, shops, and cultural landmarks that celebrate both its history and its continuing place within the community.
Like most visitors, we wandered through Fan Tan Alley, one of the narrowest commercial streets in North America. Once known for its gambling halls and hidden courtyards, the alley is now lined with locally owned boutiques and artisan shops, making it one of Victoria's most photographed corners.

Two Castles, Two Very Different Stories
It probably won't surprise anyone who follows Wanderers Compass that castles immediately caught our attention.

With nearly 500 castles visited around the world, we're always curious about the stories they tell. Victoria's two best-known castles aren't medieval fortresses perched on rocky cliffs, but they are fascinating windows into a remarkable period of British Columbia's history.

Built by members of the influential Dunsmuir family, Craigdarroch Castle and Hatley Castle reflect extraordinary wealth, ambition, and architectural beauty, yet each tells a very different story.

Together, they became two of our favorite stops in Victoria.

Butchart Gardens: A Masterpiece Born from a Quarry
There are certain places that exceed expectations, no matter how many photographs you've seen beforehand. For us, Butchart Gardens was one of them.

Like many visitors, we knew it would be beautiful. We had seen the iconic images of the Sunken Garden, read about its history, and understood it was one of Victoria's must-see attractions. Even with those expectations, nothing quite prepared us for experiencing it in person.

What makes Butchart Gardens remarkable isn't simply the flowers. It's the vision behind them.

The story begins more than a century ago with Jennie Butchart. After the limestone quarry that supplied her husband's cement business had been exhausted, she saw potential where others saw little more than a scar on the landscape. Beginning in 1904, she transformed the abandoned quarry into what would become the spectacular Sunken Garden, hauling in topsoil by horse and cart and gradually replacing rock with trees, flowers, and winding pathways.

Standing there today, it's almost impossible to imagine the industrial landscape that once occupied the same space.

As we wandered through the gardens, that story stayed with us. Every carefully designed pathway, vibrant flower bed, and perfectly framed view reflected decades of planning, creativity, and an incredible amount of work. It's easy to admire the beauty, but it's equally inspiring to appreciate the vision that made it possible.

While the Sunken Garden is undoubtedly the centerpiece, we found ourselves equally captivated by the diversity of the gardens. The peaceful Japanese Garden offered a completely different atmosphere, with winding paths, streams, and mature trees encouraging us to slow our pace even further. The Rose Garden burst with color and fragrance, while the Italian Garden and Mediterranean Garden each brought their own unique personality to the estate.

No two areas felt alike. One moment we were standing above the dramatic quarry overlooking thousands of flowers below. Minutes later, we were crossing a quiet bridge surrounded by towering trees, listening to little more than the sound of flowing water.
That's part of what makes Butchart Gardens so memorable.

It isn't a garden you simply walk through. It's one you experience.

Today, the gardens span 55 acres and remain family-owned, welcoming more than a million visitors each year. Yet despite their international reputation, they never felt overly commercial. Instead, they retained the feeling of a place created with genuine passion, carefully maintained by generations committed to preserving Jennie Butchart's remarkable vision.

It's no surprise that Butchart Gardens has become one of Canada's National Historic Sites.
It's far more than a collection of beautiful flowers. It's a living work of art.

Afternoon Tea at Butchart Gardens
One of the experiences we were looking forward to most was afternoon tea at Butchart Gardens. Our young traveler was probably the most excited about this one.

Served inside the historic former Butchart family residence, afternoon tea is a tradition that perfectly complements the gardens themselves. Delicate finger sandwiches, warm scones with preserves and cream, beautifully prepared pastries, and an excellent selection of teas are presented with attentive service that encourages you to slow down and enjoy the experience.

And that's exactly what we did.

After spending the morning exploring the gardens, sitting down for tea felt less like a meal and more like a continuation of the visit. Large windows overlooked the surrounding landscape, conversations remained comfortably unhurried, and for a little while, the outside world simply faded away.

Perhaps that's what impressed us most. Neither the gardens nor the tea felt rushed. Some experiences are memorable because they're exciting. Others stay with you because they remind you to slow down. Our afternoon at Butchart Gardens managed to do both.

Why Victoria Stayed with Us
Some destinations impress you with a single landmark. Victoria impressed us with the way everything came together.

The harbor, the history, the museums, the gardens, and the neighborhoods all seemed connected by the same unhurried rhythm. We never felt pressured to rush from one attraction to the next. Instead, Victoria encouraged us to slow down, look a little closer, and enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

Perhaps that's why it left such a lasting impression.

We arrived expecting a beautiful coastal city. We left with a much deeper appreciation for its history, its diverse cultures, and the people who have shaped this remarkable corner of British Columbia for thousands of years.

Most of all, we left feeling like we'd only scratched the surface.

Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough are the hosts of the Wanderers Compass podcast on Big Blend Radio and founders of the Wanderers Compass travel blog and magazine. Follow their adventures at https://www.wandererscompass.com/

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