Best time of year to visit Victoria BC:
Victoria is a great city to visit anytime of year, as each season will surprise and delight with its own reward. The city is relatively compact and easy to navigate, with many attractions being centrally located and within walking distance. Victoria's year-round mild weather means it's easily accessible during winter months, making it possible to enjoy a variety of different sightseeing activities year round. If you're feeling adventurous you can always hire a bike and explore the city’s many (year round) scenic paths and trails.

Victoria's Attractions:
The Inner Harbour is the heart and buzz of Victoria and is home to several impressive buildings, such as the famous Fairmont Empress Hotel, known for its 115 year tradition for serving delicious 'English Afternoon Teas'.

Other impressive buildings include the palatial, BC Provincial Legislative Buildings, free guided tours are available which provide insights into the history of the province and details the buildings architectural splendor. The tour also helps to explain British Columbia's parliamentary process.

The pretty Harbour area provides lots of scenic photo opportunities and has plenty of stylish pubs and eateries to keep you refreshed. The harbour is ideal for chilling-out, perhaps with a refreshing drink while enjoying the dramatic mountain and ocean vistas, with musical entertainment provided by local busker's.

Victoria's Traditional Pubs: Victoria is well known for its Pubs and there's plenty of them, is seems like there's a pub on every corner, with each one having its own unique charm. Many pubs specialise in traditional craft beers and most provide tasty specialty pub-dining menus. Top Tip: Most of Victoria's pubs are extremely welcoming and friendly, so don't be surprised if you end up visiting one or two more than expected.

Top Pub Tips - try some of these popular drinking haunts: The Irish Times, its been voted North America’s best Irish pub and has live music most nights (and great fish & chips). The Churchill has 50 craft beers on tap to try. Call into The Sticky Wicket - a stylish sports bar and local favorite, with a good selection of beers and a great pub menu.

Victoria's Chinatown: Victoria has the oldest Chinatown in Canada, it's a fascinating place to wander and explore, with traditional chinese decorations, modern shops and great eateries. Victoria's Chinatown is known for Fan Tan Alley, one of the narrowest streets in Canada at just over 1m wide.

From the mid 1800's onwards the street became part of Victoria's gambling district, once it was full of restaurants, gambling parlors and opium dens, nowadays it attracts visitors from around the world and is full of art galleries, home & design shops, souvenirs and cafes.

How to visit Victoria from Vancouver in just one day: For great tips on how to day-visit Victoria from Vancouver, check out Flight4's Victoria Travel Blog.

Victoria BC:
Victoria is located 107 km (76 miles) southwest of Vancouver and can be reached by ferry or seaplane from downtown Vancouver, ferry travel time is approximately 4 hours each way. Victoria is a beautiful and historic city, so if you plan on visiting the city and surrounding areas then a weekend or overnight stay is ideal. If you plan to explore the island in greater detail, consider spending an extra few nights to fully appreciate the natural beauty of the island.

Victoria Day Visits: Visiting Victoria in one day is possible, exploring the natural beauty and wonders of Vancouver Island will take much longer. For day trips to Victoria flying is the most convenient option. There's a scenic 35-minute seaplane flight that departs from Vancouver harbour to Victoria’s Inner Harbour, these small seaplane services (or floatplane's) are fun to fly and tickets are not overly expensive. They also provide spectacular aerial views over Vancouver's city skyline, the Burrard Inlet and BC's spectacular coastline.

Alternatively there are regular commercial flights from Vancouver International direct to Victoria airport. Distance between Victoria Airport (YYJ) and downtown Victoria is 26km with a 24 minute drive time.

Ferry Travel from Vancouver to Victoria:
BC Ferries operate one of the quickest and most popular routes between Vancouver and Victoria, crossing the scenic Strait of Georgia, with a ferry crossing time of around 90 minutes.

Strictly speaking the ferry doesn't leave from Vancouver proper, it leaves from the Tsawwassen terminal located a 45 minute drive south of downtown Vancouver. The ferry arrives at the Swartz Bay terminal on Vancouver Island, with a further 31km (40 minute drive) to Victoria.

One way ferry passenger ticket prices start at around $20. Ferries depart every 1 or 2 hours depending on season and time of day, first departures are around 6am and finish around 9pm - times are approximate, check times direct at the BC Ferries website.

Coach from downtown Vancouver: Intercity buses operate between Vancouver to Victoria via BC Ferries, with around 4 departures per day, with total travel time of around 4.30 hrs. BC Ferries operate Connector bus services from Vancouver's Pacific Central Station bus terminal to Victoria's Capital City Bus Station. Approximate cost $85 CAD each way.

Check out Flight4's Travel Blog on Day Trips to Victoria.

Victoria Airport (YYJ). The airport is located 16 miles northwest of Victoria on the Saanich Peninsula.

Airport Transport and Shuttle Services: Easy Ride Shuttle transfers operate from the airport to Victoria, tickets and can be pre-booked direct at the Easy Ride Shuttle website.

Public Transport: Bus services are provided by BC Transit with regular departures to and from YYJ and the McTavish Transit Exchange with several onward connections to downtown Victoria, one way fares are CAD $5.00.

Taxi Services: Airport Taxi services are provided by Lucky To Go. Both 4 & 6 seater taxi's can be booked as Pool Rides, allowing passengers to be droped-off at their required destination. N.B. contact Lucky To Go direct for further operational details.