1 Day in Victoria, BC

The final destination on my Pacific Northwest tour was Victoria in British Columbia. I was excited to visit the capital of BC and explore a city about which I’d heard so many good things. I had 1 day in Victoria, BC and I couldn’t wait to explore.

After visiting Salt Spring Island, my ferry to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island arrived at 12:30pm. I hopped on a bus to Victoria, and the hour-and-15-minute ride took me through towns and along the water.

When the bus reached Victoria, the friendly driver offered to tell me when I should get off and made sure I knew where to go when I alighted.

I was so unused to being treated humanely by bus drivers that it made me want to move to Victoria immediately.

Things to Do in Victoria, BC

But for the time being, I only had 1 day in Victoria, BC. I started out by checking my bag at the ferry terminal to lighten my load.

From there I walked along the harbor and past the stately Fairmont Empress Hotel, where the most famous afternoon tea in Victoria is served.

I continued my 1 day in Victoria, BC by walking north along Government Street and over to a restaurant called Foo for lunch. I’d read good things about it and was excited to try its Asian street food.

I ordered the caramel chicken, which came in a bowl over rice. It was good, filling, and set a positive tone for the rest of the afternoon.

After lunch I continued my 1 day in Victoria, BC by exploring boutiques and shops like the famous Lululemon. I also walked up to Chinatown, which was decorated with colorful lanterns and lamp posts.

After a while I came across the Artisan Wine Shop, which boasted of providing a “BC wine experience”. I was intrigued.

I went in and tasted three BC wines from producers in the Okanagan Valley, which is in the interior of British Columbia.

One of them was an ice wine. I hadn’t had ice wine since a trip to Vancouver a few years ago, and its syrupy sweetness stayed with me as my 1 day in Victoria, BC took me down the street towards Beacon Hill Park.

The park was bright with the colors of thousands of flowers. The landscaping was beautiful; duck ponds gave way to floral hedges and pretty gardens. I spent some time walking around before heading back into the main part of Victoria.

Once in town, I continued my 1 day in Victoria, BC by passing by the British Columbia Parliament Buildings. They’re beautiful historic structures with a huge statue of the city’s namesake, Queen Victoria, in front of them.

From there I took a walk in Peter Pollen Waterfront Park, where I had great views of the city. In front of it were seaplanes making their way through the water to their take-off points.

I also saw my ferry pull into the harbor, which meant my 1 day in Victoria, BC was coming to an end.

Ferry from Victoria, BC to Seattle

I boarded the Victoria Clipper at 7pm for the two-hour-and-45-minute ride to Seattle. The company had given me a discount on the one-way price, which was almost as much as the round-trip fare.

The check-in, passport control, and customs processes all went smoothly, and I looked forward to the ride.

Once on board the ferry from Victoria to Seattle, I watched a beautiful sunset out the window as I ate dinner and spent time catching up on work.

Before I knew it, I was back in Washington and meeting up with a friend ahead of my morning flight back to London.