The Victoria that's worth
bothering with is very small:
almost everything worth seeing, as
well as the best shops and
restaurants, is within walking
distance in the
Inner Harbor
area and the Old Town district
behind it. On summer evenings this
area is alive with strollers and
buskers, and a pleasure to wander
as the sun drops over the water.
Foremost amongst the daytime
diversions are the
Royal
British Columbia Museum and
the
Empress Hotel . Most of
the other trumpeted attractions
are dreadful, and many charge
entry fees out of all proportion
to what's on show. If you're
tempted by the Royal London Wax
Museum, the Pacific Undersea
Gardens, Miniature World, English
Village, Anne Hathaway's Thatched
Cottage or any of Victoria's other
dubious commercial propositions,
details are available from the
infocentre. Otherwise you might
drop by the modest
Maritime
Museum and think about a trip
to the celebrated
Butchart
Gardens , some way out of
town, but easily accessed by
public transport or regular
all-inclusive tours from the bus
terminal. If you're around for a
couple of days you should also
find time to walk around
Beacon
Hill Park, a few minutes'
walk from downtown to the south.
The best of the area's beaches
are well out of town on Hwy 14 and
Hwy 1, but for idling by the sea head
down to the pebble shore along the
southern edge of Beacon Hill Park.
For some local swimming, the best
option by far is Willows Beach
on the Esplanade in Oak Bay, 2km
east of Victoria; take bus #1 to
Beach and Dalhousie Road. Other
good stretches of sand can be
found on Dallas Road and at Island
View Beach.
