New York City 7 hrs

Miami 8.25 hrs

Philadelphia 6.5 hrs

Boston 7.25 hrs

Los Angeles 3 hrs

Chicago 4.75 hrs

Dallas-Fort Worth 5.5 hrs

San Francisco 2.75 hrs

Victoria is a large, flat city with a downtown characterized by grandiose 19th-century buildings and many gardens scattered about its territory. It is bound by the sea on its southern and eastern borders, and on the north and west by farmlands stretching back into the great forests of Vancouver Island.

Warmed by Pacific Ocean currents and protected by a range of mountains, Victoria enjoys mild temperatures year-round. From high 70°s in summer to a mild mid-40°s in winter, the climate is always hospitable and is on record as the sunniest in the province. Winter precipitation replenishes the surrounding rain forest, and it rarely snows, except on local ski hills. Only 10% of the annual rainfall comes in the summer months.

Even if you're not a skier, winter is a great time to visit the city because the climate is mild and not too many people are vacationing in downtown Victoria at this time. The nearby ski resorts are very popular from November to February, so book early if you plan on hitting the slopes and staying overnight on the mountain. Around mid-February, the winds begin to subside, the sun shines more, and the cherry blossoms begin to emerge until March sees their pink faces parading along every street. Around April, the sun comes out and stays out through summer, which is the most enjoyable and, therefore, most popular time to be in Victoria.

This sophisticated seaside city is the vacation capital of Canada and the premier tourist spot in the Pacific Northwest.

The year-round mild climate makes any time a beautiful one in Victoria, which abounds in sightseeing opportunities from historical buildings, to stunning views across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the snow-capped Olympic Mountains.

The highly popular Inner Harbour is always cheerfully bustling with street entertainers, English double-decker buses, horse-drawn carriages, and dozens of attractions like museums and antique markets. Victorian architecture, manicured gardens, and waterfront walkways beautify the downtown district.

Beyond the city there are rain forests, secluded coves and beaches, Pacific whale migrations, and ski resorts to visit.

Whale-Watching: The waters surrounding Victoria and southern Vancouver Island are naturally abundant with wildlife, and cruises virtually guarantee sightings of many creatures including the Orca whales who make their homes in these waters. This unique habitat is also a haven for seals, porpoise, and a myriad of bird life.

Butchart Gardens: This spot is first on many sightseeing lists, reached on a drive along the Saanich Peninsula past many farms and pastoral scenery. The 50 acres of gardens are a dream for horticulturists, naturalists, and everyday flower lovers, with the Sunken Garden, the Japanese Tea Garden, and the English Rose Garden, and more displaying hundreds of floral species. On summer nights, showers of fireworks burst over the gardens, and, day or night, coffee shops and fine restaurants invite you to linger awhile.

Royal British Columbia Museum: This museum rates highly on any list of Victoria's best attractions. The "First Peoples" exhibit includes a genuine longhouse and provides insights into the daily life, art, and mythology of native nations. The Modern History Gallery re-creates a frontier town, complete with cobblestone streets and silent movies. The Natural History Gallery realistically reproduces many of the province's natural habitats, and the Open Ocean mimics a submarine journey. An IMAX theater shows National Geographic films!

Victoria Butterfly Gardens: A lush, indoor tropical garden where the flowers are always blooming is the delicate stage where butterflies are the star attraction. Hundreds of exotic free-flying butterflies delight visitors with flitting fly-bys and gentle landings on whatever surface is available - even your head!

Vancouver Day Trip: This is a "people place" best discovered by walking, biking, or riding a trolley through its diverse neighborhoods like Victorian Gastown, ex-hippie haunt Kitsilano, and the Chinatown marketplace. The city is surrounded by water on three sides, creating an exceptionally scenic walk along the banks of water that surround almost the whole of downtown. Snow-capped mountain peaks line the northern horizon, wide beaches border the Pacific bays, and inlets face lush green temperate rain forests. It's really no wonder that Vancouver is celebrated as one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the world!

Gulf Islands Day Trip: Six major islands make up this region, and each has its own distinct character. From temperate rain forests to miles of beaches teeming with life, and rolling meadows to rocky shorelines, these quiet places rejuvenate the spirit. Add to this activities for all ages, tastes, and budgets, and it's easy to see why the locals consider the Gulf Islands their own slice of heaven! Ferries provides frequent year-round service, and boaters find excellent marinas on each of the islands.

Craigdarroch Castle: Robert Dunsmuir, a Victoria coal baron and the town's first millionaire, erected this spooky Gothic castle in the 1880s for his wife. Visit for splendid views of downtown, beautiful stained glass, and some marvelous walls and staircases of intricately carved oak.

Beacon Hill Park: Venture into this park just a few minutes from downtown, and you'll feel as if you've sailed a world away from the nearest city. The largest recreational area in Victoria is ideal for picnics, walks, skating, and romancing beneath the willows. The ocean view couldn't be more gorgeous or definitive, the park lying as it does along Vancouver Island's southern coast.

Parliament Buildings: The Legislature buildings are an architectural gem designed, remarkably, by a 25-year-old. Statues of provincial leaders, Queen Victoria, and CaptainGeorge Vancouver flank the massive structures and top the gilded dome. A public gallery allows you to watch the government in action, and guides take you through the opulent halls.

Market Square: This 3-level square resembling an old inn and courtyard once entertained 19th-century sailors and lumberjacks on leave. Today it has been restored to its original architecture, but the activities are strictly of the 21st-century tourist sort. It's a pedestrian-only collection of cafés and boutiques that lends itself perfectly to people-watching.

Given its location, it's a natural that Victoria specializes in seafood so fresh it hops onto your plate from the ocean. Most restaurants in town feature it highly on their menus, and diners can choose from such varieties as French poached salmon, Thai prawns, and the traditional favorite, fish and chips. What you won't find much of, despite the city's English heritage, is typical British fare. Instead, Victoria's various ethnic groups have each brought their particular flavors and kitchen secrets to this far-flung corner of Canada. Because of this cultural fondue, mealtime is like an adventure around the world. A small but important point to keep in mind is that Victorians dine early, and most restaurants are closed by 10:00pm. The one bit of mealtime tradition you will find from England is the grandly stylized practice of taking High Tea, and you shouldn't even consider missing it!

Gourmet

The Deep Cove Chalet: This restaurant is a half-hour from Victoria, but the trip is worth it for the best French cuisine in the province. Avant-garde Chef Pierre Koffel understates his menu as featuring "some French classics, some not so classic," which translates as fresh and often inspired twists on traditional dishes based on local ingredients. The lobster bisque is a perennial favorite, as are delicacies like the truffle soup. Breads, patés, and desserts are made in-house, and salmon is house-smoked. The wine reserve dates to 1902 with 18,000 bottles! 11190 Chalet Road

The Aerie: Located at the out-of-town Aerie Resort, this restaurant affords diners a super view of a lake and the mounains, and either indoor or outdoor seating. The cuisine is classic French inspired by Pacific Northwest flavors, with dishes like herb rubbed Alberta beef tenderloin, yellow plum and sake poached halibut, and lemon and saffron marinated Cowichan Bay chicken breast. The service is impeccable, and the experience without pretense. 600 Ebedora Lane, Malahat

Highly Recommended

Blue Crab Bar & Grill: This just may be Victoria's best choice for a wide array of just-fished seafood. Dungeness crab and cherrywood-smoked scallop chowder are particular favorites, as are most of the wonderful desserts at this seaside grill. Regional wines are featured, and there is a full bar, children's menu, and Sunday brunch. This all-around great dining experience is topped off with attentive service from a polite staff. 146 Kingston Street, on the waterfront

Sooke Harbour House: Fresh local organic seafood, meat, and produce are the focus at this acclaimed eatery, where the imaginative International/fusion menu changes daily. Loaded with artwork by local talents, and surrounded by beautiful gardens, this intimate room is part of a romantic little B&B sitting on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, just outside of Victoria. This wine list is very extensive. Reservations recommended. 1528 Whiffen Spit Road, Sooke Harbour

Local Flair

Herald Street Caffe: This bistro is housed in a 19th-century heritage building filled with palms and flowers. Young, hip locals fill the seats, and the work of local artists decorate the exposed-brick walls. The chef's creations, however, are the best artwork in the house, like the lamb tenderloin sandwich with a three-peppercorn sauce, served on brown bread with roasted garlic and warm onion-currant marmalade that is a long-time favorite. The breads and marmalades are homemade, and the wine list is award-winning. 546 Herald Street

Pagliacci's: A slice of somewhat noisy Bohemia, this long-running restaurant is very popular, serving an Italian menu dotted by foccacia, pasta, salads, sandwiches, seafood, and piping-hot pizza. Go for the experience as well as for dishes like tomatoes in white wine sauce on linguine, medallions of veal, and tortellini stuffed with beef, parmesan, cottage and mozzarella cheeses. There's live music on some nights, and wonderful atmosphere every night. 1011 Broad Street, Victoria

Romantic

Il Terrazzo: Most Victorians agree that nothing beats this downtown favorite, with its marble-furnished patio decked in flowers and wrought-iron candelabra, for a romantic Old Country atmosphere. The Northern Italian cuisine - with a West Coast twist, of course - gets equal praise for the flawless preparation of comforting traditionals like pasta, risotto, seafood, and roast duck. 555 Johnson Street

Camille's: In the heart of Victoria's "Old Town," this quiet, comfortable, candlelit room offers century-old brick walls, fresh cut flowers, crisp ivory linens, and intimate tables. The specialties include a wide range of exotic food all year around, from seafood (dungeness crab, wolf eel, rainbow trout), to wild game (pheasant, quail, partridge), to meat (venison, caribou, elk), among others. There is a superb wine list and attentive service. 45 Bastion Square, Victoria

A visitor from New York may think that "Victoria Nightlife" is a contradiction in terms, but that assessment would have to be weighed against his relative perspective. It's true that this town isn't a player on the world party scene, but the college crowd, tourists, and a small but die-hard resident party crowd keeps the scene vibrant, if diminutive. As soon as you arrive, check out Monday Magazine for the best listing of what's going on after dark. The cultural arts have a short but impressive calendar, which is available on the Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria hotline at 250-381-ARTS or 250-381-2787.

Victoria Symphony: In these days of CDs and entertainment-on-demand technology, you can hear whatever you want whenever you want, but nothing compares to hearing it live. The Victoria Symphony enchants with performances of 18th- and 19th-century favorites played with renewed vigor, along with excursions into new music.

Langham Court Theatre: The inveterate Victoria Theatre Guild stages the work of well-known playwrights at this small theater.

Pacific Opera Victoria: "The most consistently satisfying opera in Canada," declares Opera Canada Magazine. When the rather ordinary stage curtain rises, the Pacific Opera Victoria takes you, if only for a few hours, to the streets of 17th-century Seville, into the dark minds of Shakespearean villains, and to ever more worlds that we could otherwise only imagine!

Hermann's Dixieland Inn: Dark, smoky, and heavy with ambiance, this place is just what you expect from a jazz club. Go catch the regular shows that are, indeed, mostly Dixieland but also include other jazz genres.

Sugar: Get in the groove with DJ music on Go Crazy Thursdays to the hottest Dance, Top 40, and Hip-Hop. Freaky Friday is ladies' night, so there's no cover for dancing damsels, and Saturdays are just flat-out party madness.

Big Bad John's Hillbilly Bar: Who says the West isn't wild anymore? No one at Big Bad John's, we reckon. The crowd and staff are a fun, honky-tonk group living it up every night surrounded by remnants and IOUs from Canada's old railroad days, with weekly live country-western bands.

Spinnakers Brew Pub: This microbrewery practices a traditional, artisan method that produces Victoria's most extensive range of beers. Step in, slow down, and enjoy the fruits of their labor by the fireplace, one of the many cozy pub-style rooms, or on the waterfront patio.

Mixed Curling Bonspiel: Locals compete in the ancient sport of stone-throwing. Watch or pick up your own 40-pound curling stone and heave it for distance across the ice at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre. January

Robert Burns's Birthday: The birthday of the great Scottish poet is celebrated around Victoria and Vancouver with Scottish dancing, piping, and feasts of haggis. Appropriately, most events take place in Victoria's pubs. January 25

Pacific Rim Whale Festival: Over 20,000 gray whales migrate past Vancouver Island each spring, attracting visitors from all over the world. Along with the gray whale, orcas, humpbacks, and other species are celebrated with a fun-filled festival of crab races, storytelling, parades, art shows, guided whale-spotting hikes, and cruises. March - April

Annual Brant Wildlife Festival: The annual black Brant goose migration is the event of the season for passionate birders. Festivity highlights are the guided walks through old-growth forest, and salt- and freshwater marshes that are home to hundreds of bird species. There's also art, photography, and carving exhibits, as well as birding competitions. April

TerrifVic Dixieland Jazz Party: Swing, Dixieland, honky-tonk, fusion, and improv bands pour into the city from New Orleans, England, and Latin America to perform for sprightly audiences at venues all over the city. April & June

Harbour Festival: Heritage walks, entertainment, music, and more are on hand for this 10-day festival. May

Folkfest: The Inner Harbour and Market Square in downtown Victoria host this 8-day annual World Beat music festival. June

First Peoples Festival: The culture and heritage of the Pacific Northwest First Nations tribes is honored with dances, carving demonstrations, and heritage displays at the Royal British Columbia Museum. August

Dress as you would in any cosmopolitan city, mostly tidy casuals for sightseeing. Bring something dressier, maybe even semi-formal, for upscale restaurants, clubs, and performing arts. Spring comes early, and, by February, you can wear light to medium layers. Summer is warm, so cool clothing is best with a light jacket for cool nights. Fall is also very mild and turns chillier and wetter by November, when warm, waterproof clothing is necessary. Winter is mildly cold and decidedly wet, with little snow off the mountains. Wear a coat and raingear.

We strongly advise that you confirm the following information and regard this only as a basic guide.

Tax Refund: The GST (Goods & Services Tax) is reimbursable upon departure, but you must keep your receipts. Simply pick up a copy of the Tax Refund Application for Visitors at any Customs Office and most tourism centers, duty-free shops, and some hotels. The form is short and easy to fill out and, along with your receipts, is all you need to be reimbursed on the spot as you exit the country.

English

Outlets and voltage are the same as in the United States, so you won't need an adapter.

Drinking: The legal drinking age in the province of British Columbia is 19.

We strongly advise that you confirm the following information and regard this only as a basic guide.

Entry: A photo ID (such as a passport) is required to enter Canada, as is proof of US citizenship (passport, birth certificate, or naturalization certificate). Visas are not required.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative: Effective January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including US citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

The passport requirement does NOT apply to US citizens traveling to or returning directly from a US territory. US citizens returningdirectly from a US territory are not considered to have left the United States and do not need to present a passport. US territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Canadian Customs: Visitors may enter Canada with personal effects duty-free provided that they declare them to the customs officials upon arrival and that the goods are not subject to restrictions. Persons aged 16 and over are authorized to take 50 cigars, 200 cigarettes, and 2.2 pounds of smoking tobacco. Persons 18 and over may take 40 ounces of duty-free alcoholic beverages.

Cultural Property: Canada has restrictions to ensure that objects of historical, cultural, artistic, or scientific significance remain in Canada. To take objects that are more than 50 years old (or made by a person who is no longer living) out of the country - including artifacts, fossils, fine art, decorative art, rare books, or archival materials - you may require an export permit. You must check with the Movable Cultural Property Program, 15 Eddy Street, 3rd Floor, Room 13, Hull, Quebec, Canada K1A 0M5, phone 819-997-7761, fax 819-997-7757.

US Customs: US residents returning from Canada after a visit of 48 hours or more may return with $800 worth of duty-free articles for personal use. Up to 100 cigars (non-Cuban), 32 ounces of alcoholic beverages (travelers over 21), and 200 cigarettes per person may be included in the duty and not included in the basic exemption. Works of art are exempt, though a receipt of purchase may be required.

US Consulate General Vancouver: 1075 W. Pender Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 2M6, phone 604-685-4311

Tourism Victoria: 812 Wharf Street, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 1T3, phone 250-953-2033, fax 250-382-6539, email info@tourismvictoria.com

Tourism British Columbia: Parliament Buildings, Victoria, BC, Canada V8V 1X4, phone 800-HELLO-BC or 250-382-1642