Victoria, BC. Canada

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada. It is a major tourist destination with attractions such as the First Nations totem poles, heritage architecture, restaurants and cafés, a bustling harbour, museums, gardens and art galleries.

Victoria's downtown area is decorated with English-style lamp posts and hanging flower baskets, and its shops and stores are mainly located in well preserved heritage buildings. Beacon Hill Park is popular with visitors as are the Butchart Gardens.

Victoria's varied coastline includes waterfront walkways, water taxi terminals, marinas and sandy pebbled beaches. The Inner Harbour, the "Hub" of Victoria, is central to many activities including the BC Provincial Museum and the Pacific Undersea Gardens.

Things to See & Do

* Beacon Hill Park
* Royal British Columbia Museum
* Market Square
* Pacific Undersea Gardens
* Butchart Gardens

Cruise Season - May - Nov
Currency - Canadian dollar (CAD)
Language - English and French
Land Area - 19.68 km²
Population - 325,000
Electricity - 2 perpendicular flat pins USA style or with a round pin below
Time - GMT minus eight hours
International Country Telephone Code - 1

Port Location - The cruise port terminal is located at Ogden Point, at the start of the Dallas Road waterfront walk.

Transport Links - Passenger rail service to Victoria is provided by VIA Rail Canada, which operates the Malahat train north, along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, to the cities of Nanaimo, Courtenay, and points between. There is one daily round trip, departing Victoria in the morning, and returning from Courtenay in the evening.

The Victoria International Airport has non-stop flights to and from Toronto, San Francisco, Seattle and many cities throughout Western Canada. Multiple scheduled helicopter and seaplane flights are available daily from Victoria's Inner Harbour to Vancouver International Airport, Vancouver Harbour, and Seattle.

The BC Ferries Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal, located 29 kilometres north of Victoria, has hourly sailings to Tsawwassen (a ferry terminal south of Vancouver) and to many of the Gulf Islands. The Washington State Ferry terminal in Sidney provides ferry service to Friday Harbor, Orcas Island, and ultimately Anacortes, Washington.

In Victoria's Inner Harbour, an international ferry terminal provides car ferry service (M/V Coho) to Port Angeles, Washington, high-speed catamaran service (Victoria Clipper) to downtown Seattle, and seasonal passenger ferries to destinations in Washington including Friday Harbor, Port Angeles, and Bellingham.