Guest post by Laura Williamson, October 2008, updated 1/10

I returned recently from a trip to beautiful and historic Victoria, British Columbia. It was a girls’ trip with my two sisters but it would also be a lovely trip for a family. The best part about Victoria for us was that so much of the downtown area is within walking distance if you pick the right hotel. If you’re from the U.S., you do need a passport now unless you ‘re from the Seattle area where you can get a specialized driver’s license that allows travel between Canada and the US.

My sister from Seattle took the Clipper Ferry over to Victoria to meet us; it is about $80 for advance fare purchase or $130 for last-minute cancellation ability.

We stayed 3 nights at The Empress Hotel which is 100 years old this year (2008). It ‘s like a trip into the past to cruise down the wide, meandering hallways and then enter door to your room with the two-foot wide marble thresholds. Rooms are decorated with period furniture and the woodwork in the main hallway is lavish and beautiful.

Two Things You Must Do

Even if you don ‘t stay there, you must have High Tea in the tea room. We saw many families enjoying their tea, even those with young children. If you’ve never experienced it, you should be sure to do so.

Then have a martini, a glass of wine or tea in the Bengal Lounge with its tiger skin on the wall. This hotel would be great for either families or couples because it gives families such a historical scene with lots of places to explore, yet there are also quiet places for romance and long walks.

Another Great Hotel

We moved to another hotel for the last 3 nights—the Victoria Regent—another highly recommended hotel. They are really rental condos so you have lots of square footage and a kitchen, living, dining room and bedroom(s). It is right on the wharf; we rented a room with a harbor view that was phenomenal—especially at night when the Parliament building is all lit up.

If you’re from a landlocked state like Colorado or Missouri, like my sister and I, it’s a special treat to be so close to the water you can see the float planes cruise in. Some of the rooms face the Blue Bridge, which is just a few blocks up the harbor.

Things to Do in Town

Things you should not miss in Victoria are Butchart Gardens; a short or long ferry ride; a walk along the harbor; and shopping in China Town.

The Gardens are beautiful year ’round, and even though there weren’t as many flowers blooming in October, the colors were still so brilliant they took our breath away.

We took a short ferry ride to Fisherman ‘s Wharf and watched children feeding small fish to the sea lions. The houseboats there are very interesting; people leave them permanently docked and live on their boats.

China Town is small but historic and very interesting. Find the Gate of Harmonious Interest and Fan Tan Alley for some interesting sights and photo ops.

There is also lots of other great shopping in Victoria with many small boutiques. Check out Catawampas, just two doors from Victoria Regent. Since it was October, there was a Ghostly Walking Tour, so we toured some of the haunted (??) and oldest parts of downtown Victoria. It was very entertaining and the guides were good storytellers—very entertaining.

Restaurants & Bars

You must eat fish ‘n’ chips, of course, and there are many good options. Other restaurants we would recommend:

• Pescatore’s for great seafood: The restaurant was just a half block from The Empress and it didn ‘t disappoint with wonderful seafood flavors and fresh ingredients. We had the Cashew Crusted Coho Salmon and Crab Cakes along with a nice Pacific Northwest wine.
• Dim Sum at Don Mee ‘s Restaurant in China Town; we only spent $30 for 3 of us. We tried many of the dishes and still had leftovers to take home.
• The best Italian restaurant we experienced was Il Terazzo. It is in an alleyway near China Town and very close to the Victoria Regent. It ‘s been voted the best Italian restaurant in Victoria for 14 years straight. We sat on the patio right next to a gas fireplace. The ambience is warm and cozy. We had delicious appetizers and martinis. We tried Fettucine Marco Polo with grilled chicken, toasted cashews, mango, basil and pimentos in a lemon cream sauce and also tried the Tortellini con Formaggio e Funghi which has cheese tortellinis in a tomato-basil sauce with spinach and grilled portabella mushrooms. Yummy!

Bars we ‘d recommend:

• The Tapas Bar, in Trounce Alley has a great selection of martinis as well as the tapas. We tried the platter for two which was huge. The only thing we disliked were the mussels (which I am partial to); but these had an awful flavor.
• The Bard and Banker is a Public House (pub) on a corner on Government Street. You can’t miss it because of its stark white paint with black trim. Great beers on tap and great atmosphere with music on weekends. We listened to a great 3-piece ensemble with two guitars and a stand up bass.
• The Irish Times has the same owner as The Bard and Banker and also has a lovely pub atmosphere but with an Irish flair and just a block away on Government Street. They serve Irish beers like Kilkenny and Guiness but also some great Canadian brews from Victoria and other towns on Vancouver Island.
• The Sticky Wicket is an old pub where, in summer, you can play volleyball on the roof. It’s picturesque with that same pub atmosphere and a short distance from hotels.

We made some lovely purchases during our stay including Pacific Coast Soaps (we purchased the luffa soaps and our 20-something kids love them!), Salt Spring Island goat cheese (we bought the flower chevres which was delicious) and Raincoast Crisps that are delicious and healthful crackers to go with any BC wines. We bought them at a liquor store we haunted on Government Street just a few blocks from the Empress. We tried the Rosemary Raisin Pecan crisps and I’d love to find them again but, alas, they’re not sold in Colorado stores. You can find them in some stores in other states. All these products are made in Victoria or, as the goat cheese is, on a nearby island. I recommend all of them.

We also recommend trying the ice wine chocolates; they are yummy (and also good with wine, we found). We didn’t try the ice wine itself as we tend to not like sweet wines but the ice wine tea is also very good. All are in a burgundy-colored box or wrapper.

Next time we’d love to take a train ride up the coast of Vancouver Island stopping in the small towns along the coast. And we’d also like to take a wine tour—their wines are fabulous.