Victoria is the capital and one of the largest cities of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The area around present-day Victoria was explored from 1790, when Spaniards sailed into natural harbors on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. In 1841, James Douglas was given the task of establishing a trading post here, and in 1843 the Hudson’s Bay Company founded Fort Victoria, not least for the prosperous fur trade.

The fort was named after Queen Victoria, and the site became the capital of the British Crown Colony on the island, which was established in 1849. There were approximately 300 inhabitants in the town in 1858, when rumors of gold discoveries in British Columbia reached California. The town became a transit point for many gold miners, and Victoria grew in a few days to more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Trade to Victoria’s port grew in the time, when the city was the leading in the region. It lasted until 1886, when the Canadian Pacific Railway reached Vancouver, taking over the role as the commercial center of the province. Victoria continued however to be developed, and through the 1900s it became a university town and still growing with many new suburbs.

Today, Victoria is a city with lots of sights and activities. The central part of downtown is along Victoria Harbour, which has been the focal point for the city’s development over time. Here are countless architectural highlights, well-known institutions and many lovely urban spaces.

You can start a walk at the inner part of Victoria Harbour, where you can see the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, home to the provincial legislature. The grand neo-baroque complex was built 1893-1897 according to Francis Rattenbury’s drawings. On top of the Parliament dome you can see a statue of George Vancouver and in front of the buildings is a statue of Queen Victoria.

At the parliament you can also take a closer look at the harbor’s maritime atmosphere and go to The Empress Hotel. The hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury and built by Canadian Pacific Hotels, which was part of the Canadian Pacific Railway company. Opened in 1908 in château style, The Empress Hotel is one of Canada’s famous railway hotels, located across the great country from east to west.

If you go north along the harbor, you will pass Victoria’s seaplane port, which is always worth a look. You can also see the Fort Victoria National Historic Site, which is where the Hudson’s Bay Company established Fort Victoria in 1843. Continuing, you can enjoy the atmosphere of Bastion Square, which was the center of much of the city’s activity in the 1800s.

Behind the area of ​​the parliament building and The Empress Hotel is the Royal BC Museum, which is considered the national museum of the province of British Columbia. The museum was established in 1886, and today you can enjoy a visit to the excellent exhibitions on many themes from the province such as the natural history of British Columbia, historical development and the original population. Next to the museum is Thunderbird Park, where you can see totem poles and other First Nation monuments.

In the northern part of downtown is Centennial Square, which is a modern urban space, where the city’s town hall and the concert hall McPherson Playhouse are two of the buildings on the site. From the square you can go to the first street intersection to the northeast, which forms Victoria’s Chinatown. At the intersection, the Chinese portal Gate of Harmonious Interest from 1981 stands as a landmark for the district, which clearly offers a Chinese atmosphere. You should take a walk along the narrow Fan Tan Alley as well.

In the city you can also see Christ Church Cathedral, which is Victoria’s Anglican cathedral. After some smaller churches in the 19th century, it was decided to build a larger cathedral that would suit the city’s development. After several delays, construction began in the 1920s, and the beautiful cathedral was completed in the late 1950s.

A little east of Christ Church Cathedral is the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and Craigdarroch Castle, one of Victoria’s best-known buildings. Craigdarroch Castle is a large mansion that was built in the Scottish baronial style, which was a neo-gothic 19th century architecture inspired by old Scottish castles. The mansion was completed in 1890 and is today open as a museum, where you can explore the old residence.