16 Things to Do in Victoria, BC, Canada (the brunch capital of Canada!) Victoria, British Columbia

welcome to the brunch capital of Canada [Music] I won the Mahoney this is one of Canada's most beautiful cities that's right we're in Victoria British Columbia on Vancouver Island although I know some people also call it Victoria Island it's Posh it's elegant it's also known as little old England it's famous for its mild Mediterranean climate the spring cherry blossoms castles the harbor Fisherman's Wharf Gardens High Tea whale watching and so many other awesome things so we're going to explore the city for a few days and show you all the awesome places to see and things to do here in Victoria Canada [Music] foreign Victoria is picture postcard perfect and evokes classic British Victorian City Vibes hence the name it's an extremely walkable and cycling friendly city has one of the most temperate climates in Canada a stunning Harbor a historic downtown with Lively restaurants and cafes Boutique shopping and manicured Gardens it's the perfect balance of a refined urban city with access to the rugged Outdoors within minutes honestly it kind of reminds me of San Francisco and you're about to see why all right now I mentioned that Victoria is the brunch capital of Canada and that's because there are so many good diners and breakfast and brunch restaurants all around town so we're starting with Floyd's Diner the really cute pink one behind me let's go check it out Victoria is a foodie Paradise it is the second highest number of restaurants per capita in North America only behind San Francisco the menu here is packed with hearty breakfast and brunch dishes but the real reason we went was to order the Mahoney a dish that the kitchen chooses for you so this is what I ordered and I ended up getting a massive plate of double eggs benedict on this cheesy potato scramble it was so good but so much food however the craziest part about this dish is at the end you can flip a coin to either pay double or nothing it's not a double-sided coin okay I'm gonna flip it here ready to play the game I'm ready you're ready okay everybody watch out don't go anywhere ready yep I won the Mahoney [Music] and this is his breakfast everyone a shot of Jack Daniels a lucky beer and six pieces of bacon [Music] the Inner Harbor is the anchor to downtown where you'll see lots of boats ships and seaplanes the Fairmont Empress Hotel and the British Columbia legislature provide the gorgeous backdrop to the area make sure to check out the Harbor from all different angles and watch the ferries and cruise ships come in [Music] Water Taxis are not only a convenient way to get across downtown from one side to the other they're a unique and fun way to see Victoria and the Harbor from a different perspective [Music] locally known as pickle boats these Water Taxis have various pickup and drop-off spots all along the Harbor from Fisherman's Wharf to Chinatown you can use them as a taxi service or take a guided tour the pickle boat operators are knowledgeable about the area and provide information and fun facts as you pass by I definitely recommend taking them at least once on your trip [Music] the Victoria Harbor ferry water ballet was one of the most fun things we experienced while visiting Victoria and it's free the captains of the boats twirl and dance through the water in a choreographed displayed classical music it was so cute and so adorable to watch foreign the best place to see the show is from the steamship terminal and the show operates on weekend mornings from April to October at 10 45 in the morning but I recommend checking the website for the complete schedule as it does vary a little bit [Music] Fisherman's Wharf is a floating Pier full of colorful buildings food vendors and gift shops I recommend visiting when you're ready to grab lunch or dinner or a snack [Music] one of the most popular spots to visit in Victoria is Fisherman's Wharf there's a lot of great pubs and restaurants of course fish and chips but the coolest part is all the floating homes here these floating homes are not houseboats but private residences and each are different and unique walk around and observe these Charming homes in this neighborhood that gives off Venice vibes [Music] [Music] Victoria has a compact pedestrian-friendly and historic downtown core you can walk anywhere to an array of attractions including Museums Art Galleries old-time candy shops Boutique shopping Canada's oldest Chinatown and first-rate restaurants foreign we loved just strolling up and down each Street checking out the fascinating architecture and some of the oldest buildings in town that have been converted to breweries and brew pubs [Music] thank you you know Johnson Street is a great starting place for colorful buildings and great shopping [Music] downtown Victoria is also full of fascinating squares and alleys all of which are full of History some of the most noteworthy ones are Bastian Square which has a market with local vendors several days throughout the week and is lined with patios and pups while here pass through helmiken alley if you dare this is a former jail house where executions took place now said to be haunted [Music] Market Square is another favorite it's an inner Courtyard lined with cafes Boutique shops and a market atmosphere foreign [Music] 's alley is another spot with authentic gaslights that are over 125 years old as well as great shopping and also where you'll find many tapas restaurants it's especially beautiful at night [Music] we also found kazara's arcade here a really fun place to have a drink and play some pinball and retro arcade games [Music] and the most famous alley in Victoria brings us to Fantan alley in Chinatown Victoria's Chinatown is the second oldest Chinatown in North America just behind San Francisco [Music] during this District's boom from 1881 to 1884 16 000 Chinese settled here and established six blocks of shops theaters temples schools opium factories gambling dens brothels and more stroll through this cultural enclave and check out the shops restaurants lanterns and architecture [Music] but the main attraction here is Fantan alley this is the narrowest street in Canada we had so much fun walking through multiple times and taking photos it's now a designated National Historic Site in Canada [Music] another must another must do in Victoria is to take a stroll through Beacon Hill Park this is just outside of the downtown core and it is so beautiful here it's peaceful it's quiet it's tranquil there's beautiful flowers there's massive cedar trees and the coolest part about this park is that there's wild peacocks that roam around so we're gonna go look for some peacocks and check everything else out in the park Crown Jewel of Victorious Park system is Beacon Hill Park a stunning Oasis in the middle of the city it's a short walk from the downtown or Harbor area and is a great place for a morning walk with a coffee since Victoria is very dog friendly it's also a great place for a dog walk sitting at almost 200 Acres this park is massive so plan to spend at least a couple of hours we were there for about an hour and a half and didn't even see half of it besides the wildlife and Gardens there's also some other great finds within the park like the Moss lady the world's tallest freestanding totem pole and the adorable Stone Bridge [Music] foreign experiences in Victoria is to go whale watching we booked a tour with Prince of Wales who took us out on a three and a half hour catamaran whale watching tour this was incredible and I highly recommend it we saw an entire pot of orca whales as well as humpback whales I also made a more detailed video about our whale watching experience in Victoria if you'd like more information [Music] Victoria's Rich history also means there are castles hidden throughout the city one of our favorites is the Craig Derrick Castle tucked away in the Rockland neighborhood about a 15-minute walk from downtown this is an architectural Marvel not to be missed foreign Victoria is often called the city of gardens because of its perfect growing climate and many public gardens to visit the most famous being Bouchard Gardens we didn't get a chance to visit this time but we did visit the Victorian Rose Garden which is free as opposed to the 38 dollar entry fee per person at Bouchard located on the government house grounds the Victorian Rose Garden is a short walk from the Craig Derrick Castle the place to get Fish and Chips in Victoria is Redfish Bluefish you can see the lineup behind me is pretty long but it's definitely worth it especially at Sunset so it's just after 6 30. everybody's lining up there's lots of spots where you can watch the sun set over the water you're probably going to wait about 45 minutes but it's worth it definitely try the fish and chips at Redfish Bluefish I hope you guys enjoyed the tour of Victoria British Columbia Canada with me as you can see there are so many great things to do here but that's all for this video if you liked the video please give it a thumbs up and we'll see you in the next one thanks for watching

Channel: Aly Smalls

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Length: 14min 0sec (840 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 13 2022