A gracious harbour capital on Vancouver Island
Victoria has a gentle, old-fashioned charm, built around an Inner Harbour overlooked by the domed Parliament Buildings and the ivy-covered Fairmont Empress hotel, famous for afternoon tea. The Royal BC Museum covers the province's natural history and Indigenous cultures, and Canada's oldest Chinatown has the narrow Fan Tan Alley. Just outside the city, the Butchart Gardens were created in a former limestone quarry. Boats leave the harbour to watch orcas and humpback whales, and the rest of Vancouver Island, including Tofino, lies beyond.