 Orca Breaching
Tourism Victoria photo Victoria is a Proud Torch Relay Community of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Learn more about the Torch Relays >> The capital city of British Columbia, Victoria boasts many historic buildings and some of the most fascinating museums in Western Canada. The city benefits from one of Canada's mildest climates, which allows its residents to pursue outdoor pleasures all year round. Victoria also enjoys some of the country's most exhilarating scenery: there's an ocean or mountain vista around every corner, while the city's flower gardens are famous the world over. Whether your taste runs to golfing, hiking, biking and fishing or you're more the shopping, dining and theatre type, there are no end of delights for you and your family in Victoria. Established in 1843 by James Douglas as a fort for the Hudson's Bay Company, Victoria's British ancestry is apparent in the double-decker buses, horse-drawn carriages, formal gardens, and tearooms. The city is now a cosmopolitan centre with a lively entertainment scene and a wonderful array of attractions. Victoria also has another reason to be proud: it was ranked at number 16 of 100 Top World Destinations in the 2008 TripAdvisor Traveller's Choice Awards. Highlights of the city include: Inner Harbour  Savour the sights of Victoria's downtown Inner Harbour, which includes the historic Legislative Buildings, home of the provincial government; the Royal BC Museum; and Thunderbird Park, with an amazing display of 15 impressive totem poles. End your journey at the imposing, yet elegant, Fairmont Empress Hotel with a traditional high tea.
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The Butchart Gardens  Victoria is famed for its gardens, and none more so than Butchart. Over 100 years old, more than one million people visit this botanical wonderland each year for the rare, dramatic and colourful displays.
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Royal British Columbia Museum  The fascinating history of BC is on display here with exhibits covering human and natural history from pre-Ice Age to the present day.
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Chinatown  Enter through the Gate of Harmonious Interest to North America's second oldest Chinatown to view such fascinating sights as the narrowest street in Canada.
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Galloping Goose Trail  Walk, run or bike along an old railway line past farmland, a quiet cove and hidden lake, rocky outcrops, a Douglas-fir forest, marshland and more.
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Explore the city  Explore the city in a variety of unique ways: by horse-drawn carriage, double-decker bus, rickshaw, scooter, bicycle, water taxi as well as by canoe or kayak.
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Whale watching  Take a boat tour to catch the thrilling sight of Orcas, pods of which make their home in these Pacific waters.
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Fisgard Lighthouse  Visit an intriguing landmark and discover why Vancouver Island's west coast was called the "graveyard of the Pacific."
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Centre of the Universe  Study the stars and planets through the planetarium and exhibits.
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