Victoria is the capital of British Columbia, Canada. Located on Vancouver Island, this city is one of the cities in Canada that give you British vibes.
From the historic buildings to the relaxed nature, this is one city that you need to visit at least once in your lifetime.
As an adventurous person and a lover of travel, I am responsible for planning our getaways.
Summer 2021 took us to Victoria, British Columbia.
We spent three days from Saturday to Monday during the long weekend in August, British Columbia day.
We did a lot of planning well in advance before this long weekend in Victoria getaway.
- Decide on the budget
- Plan fun places to visit
- Research affordable accommodation
- Book activities, transportation, and accommodation in advance
- Plan what to eat and where
How much will it cost to spend a long weekend in Victoria?
We are a family of five, two adults and three toddlers ages 5, 3, and 1.
Deciding on a budget is critical to avoid overspending. You also need to be realistic when planning because summer is an expensive period to embark on any vacation in Canada. The weather is friendlier and there are lots of tourists so businesses increase their prices to generate more revenue.
We decided to budget CAD$1,500 because of our family size since we were spending a long weekend in Victoria.
Also, you need to consider the kids’ preferences for what to eat. I have very picky toddlers so planning our meal in Victoria was an essential part of this trip
Where to Stay in Victoria
When planning your weekend in Victoria, I recommend you budget 60% of your expenses for accommodation.
We chose to stay in a hotel because I wanted to fully relax and not worry about housekeeping or cooking a meal.
I intentionally avoided Airbnb as I didn’t want to spend my vacation cooking and cleaning even though they are cheaper options.
I was also particular about the location of the hotel. From my research on fun things to do, I discovered that most of them were around the inner harbor. I wanted accommodation around the inner harbor and a room with a harbor view.
The dilemma was finding a hotel that would accommodate our family size.
Maximum occupancy for most hotel rooms is four. Because of our family size (even though the last child was practically a baby), it was a bit challenging to get a hotel with our requirements;
- Accommodate five of us in one room
- Affordable and within our budget
- Room with a view of the harbour
- Swimming pool (my daughter’s request)
Caveat: Affordable and inner harbour should not exactly be in the same sentence. There are lots of hotels around the inner harbour but they were way above our budget for accommodation.
My preference was Best Western Plus because we had a great experience at their Nairobi location and they also offer free breakfast. Unfortunately, they couldn’t accommodate five of us in one room due to security reasons.
We finally found Days Inn by Wyndham Victoria On The Harbour which matched our exact requirements.
The Hotel in Victoria
We had a nice experience at the hotel. The staff were friendly and the rooms were clean. The hotel building is old and the elevator is not exactly what you will expect in a hotel, it was small, old, and noisy but it served the purpose of taking us up and down.
The drawback to our room was its small size and lack of space.
There were two double beds, free WiFi, mini-refrigerator, in-room temperature control, coffee/tea maker, hairdryer, HDTV, bathroom amenities, alarm clock, bathrobe, desk, iron, ironing board, in-room safe, and sofa.
It felt cramped within the small space. There was little or no room left for the kids to move around.
Also, there is a step down from the bathroom into the room. We had to constantly keep this in mind and remind the kids each time they want to use the bathroom.
Because it is a much older hotel, there are no air conditioners. BC experienced a very hot summer in 2022. It was pretty hot in the room and when we complained, we were given a fan.
Again, because of the restaurant on the ground level, it was pretty noisy when the windows were opened for a bit of fresh air. The cigarette smell from the restaurant customers was an uncomfortable experience so we had to shut the windows.
Due to the coronavirus, housekeeping was only by request. You are required to phone the front desk before 10 am if you wanted housekeeping.
Parking was a bit of a hassle here because they share the parking lot with the restaurant. When we arrived, we couldn’t find a place to park. I called the front desk and a nice staff found a reserved spot for us.
Check-in is at 3:00 p.m. and checkout is at 11:00 a.m.
The swimming pool and hot tub were a hit with the kids. My daughter loves to be in a pool. Luckily for her, there was a young lady in the pool who was absolutely amazing with her. She played with her in the pool and taught her some basic swimming techniques.
I had a nice time in the hot tub with the other kids. It was a relaxing experience after one of our adventures.
The total cost of accommodation for two nights for two adults and three children was CAD$558.55. This was pre-booked in June.
Overall, I will give the hotel a 4 out of 5 ratings.
How to get to Victoria – BC Ferries
Victoria is on Vancouver Island and the only way to get there from Vancouver mainland is via ferry or air. Takig the BC Ferries to Victoria was a more affordable option for us.
We booked a ferry for a Mini-Van from Vancouver (Tsawwassen) terminal to Victoria (Swartz Bay).
A great decision we made was taking our car for our weekend in Victoria. This is a more affordable option as taxis are expensive. It is also a better choice when you are a family with kids.
This cost CAD$223.7 for a return ticket for a family of 5 (2 adults, 1 child 5-11 years, free for 0-4 years, plus the cost of under height passenger vehicle
Tip: Weekdays are cheaper.
For the current cost of ferry from Vancouver (Tsawwassen) terminal to Victoria (Swartz Bay), visit BC Ferries.
You have an option to fully pre-pay your booking or complete your payment when you arrive. This can be done with a credit or debit card at the terminal just by the ticketing booth where your booking is verified.
You can also choose not to pre-book and be on standby on your departure day. This is not advisable during summer as it is a busy period for tourism to Victoria. There may not be any vacancy to accommodate you especially if you are a vehicle passenger.
Sailing time was 1 hour 35 minutes. You are required to arrive at the terminal 30 to 60 minutes prior to scheduled departure.
If you arrive before or after the booking check-in closes, your booking will not be honoured and you will be placed on the next available sailing in the order of arrival at the terminal.
We left the house at 6.15am to arrive at 7am, one hour before our departure time of 8am. The Tsawwassen terminal is a 40 minutes’ drive from our house in Langley.
If this is your first time boarding a ferry, I recommend you drive to the terminal any day before your travel date to familiarize yourself with the route and have an idea of what the terminal look like. This was what we did one week before our travel date.
Arriving at the terminal, we met a long line of vehicles waiting to drive into the boarding area. This comprised of both the people that had reservations and those without one. This is why you need to arrive early.
When you arrive at the terminal, you need to provide the ticket agent with your booking reference number, phone number used at time of booking and name of booking holder.
To save time, print out your confirmation of reservation from your email. This has a bar code on it. You can present this paper or show them the email on your phone so they can scan the barcode and get all the required information.
There are different boarding gates for foot passengers and vehicle passengers. You will be directed on where to board.
What is it like on board BC ferries?
It was our first time boarding a ferry. We underestimated how large a ferry it.
There are different decks/levels. The lower decks are designated parking for vehicles.
Passengers have access to three other decks that have
- Seating areas
- Cafes/restaurants
- Bathrooms
- Play area for kids
We brought our breakfast – toast bread and tea as breakfast on board was not in our budget. There were other passengers who also had packed breakfast. This turned out to be a great idea as there was a long line for breakfast at the café.
The roof top deck is where all the action is on board the ferry. It is an open deck with seating areas too. Here, you can walk around, see the water and the sky, take lots of cool pictures and enjoy the smell of the ocean.
Warning: The vessel’s horn is very loud on the roof top deck. Passengers are usually pre-warned before it is sounded so that anybody that cannot tolerate the sound level will be prepared.
The horn freaked my son out and he never wanted to go back to the roof top.
It was a beautiful view as we got to wave at other BC ferries passing by.
Fifteen minutes prior to arrival time in Victoria, vehicle passengers were asked to return to their vehicles in preparation for arrival and driving out of the ferry.
What to do on a long weekend in Victoria
As a master planner and avid researcher, I spent a lot searching for family-friendly fun things to do.
Tourism Victoria in addition to information from some blog posts were my main guide to choosing what to do.
I had a budget for activities so I was conscious to stay within our budget.
Day 1 of our weekend in Victoria
We arrived in Victoria on an early Saturday morning. From my previous research, I discovered the Butchart Gardens and Victoria Butterfly Gardens are located along the way to the city of Victoria.
Therefore, we decided to visit these places before heading to the inner harbour where we booked our hotel.
Attraction – The Butchart Gardens
Immediately we got off the ferry, we drove straight to the Butchart Gardens.
It consists of 55 acres of garden, 900 bedding plant varieties, 26 green houses and 50 full-time gardeners.
There are various types of gardens all with unique plants:
- Rose garden
- Italian garden
- Japanese garden
- Mediterranean garden
- Sunken garden
To be honest, a couple of hours is not enough to explore this beauty. If you can afford to, I recommend you take your time, enjoy your walk through the gardens, the scents of the flowers and the amazing waterfalls.
After two hours of wandering through the gardens, we took a break and had some delicious ice cream at Annabel’s Cafe.
There was nice spacious greenery where the kids played for some minutes with other kids and also a beautiful waterfall nearby for a nice view while you wait for them.
We concluded our tour at the gift shop as we needed to cement this experience with a memorabilia.
We got a custom photo frame to display a family photo in remembrance of an awesome trip. The kids got place mats made from a collage of the garden photos.
The tour around the garden took us about 4 hours.
My most memorable features were the breathtaking water falls, the totem poles (that made us very tall) and the snake we found on one of the plants (one of the tourists noticed it and called out attention to it, we were admiring it at close range and took a couple of photos as it was a harmless one).
The Butchart Gardens were one of my favourite things about our weekend in Victoria. I would be going back for sure if I have another opportunity to be on the Island.
Opening Hours and Cost
Admission Gate is open daily from 9:00am – 4:00pm, with viewing until 5:00pm.
Ticketscan be purchased upon arrival, advance booking is not required.
Cost of admission is CAD$36.00 for Adults (18+), CAD$3.00 for Children (5-12) including tax. It is free for children ages 4 and below.
We couldn’t make it to Victoria Butterfly Gardens because we were running out of time according to our schedule. The kids were also tired from the walk around the gardens. We needed to check into our hotel, have lunch and rest before the next adventure.
Lunch was happy meal from McDonald’s for the kids and picked up our tray of jollof spaghetti and chicken from The Lami Kitchen (a Nigerian food vendor). We also got a platter of small chops for snacks.
Attraction – WILLOWS BEACH
Since it was summer, we knew it would be a good idea to hit the beach due to the warm weather.
I researched on a couple of beaches to visit in Victoria before deciding on willows beach as it had the most amazing reviews.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to the beach until late evening. We had to check-in at the hotel, unpack, eat and make sure the kids were comfortable before heading out.
There was a light drizzle on the day we arrived so the evening was cool.
By the time we got to the beach, it was dinner time. There were not a lot of people on the beach but there were few families with kids having dinner at the picnic tables beside the beach.
We took our small chops platter to the beach and it served as dinner since we had a late lunch. There is a small playground by the picnic tables so the kids had fun playing with the kids they met there. They also walked to the beach to throw stones into the water. I’m pretty sure it would have been more fun if we had arrived earlier and if the weather was warmer.
By 9pm, we called it a night and left for the hotel to rest in preparation for the next day adventures.
Day 2 of our weekend in Victoria
We woke up early to attend a 9am mass at St Andrew’s Cathedral. After mass, we had breakfast at the hotel. I packed cereals, bread and beverages for breakfast to save us some money.
The advantage of having a room with a harbour view is that you would be constantly entertained when you look through the windows; lots of tourists walking along the inner harbour, the boats, ferries. The view is amazing.
At 10.45am, we saw the water ballet in action. The water ballet is a synchronized performance of a set of boats with no passengers on board. The captains make the boats twirl around the water in and out of beautifully choreographed sequences.
If you visit Victoria between April and October, don’t forget to head to the inner harbour before 10.45am every Sunday to watch this beautiful and free display.
Attraction – Inner Harbour Combo Tour
A boat tour of the inner harbour was our main agenda for the Sunday of our long weekend in Victoria. After breakfast, we set off on foot to tour the inner harbour before the boat tour.
We stumbled upon a beautiful arena with a water fountain and the history of each of the Canadian provinces. This is located opposite the parliament building. We took lots of pictures and continued our walking tour of the inner harbour.
The streets and harbour were agog with tourists on bus tours, horse drawn tours and foot tourists.
We made our way to Victoria Harbour Ferry Company Ltd located at the Empress Dock to book a 45 minute Combo Tour. This is a 45-minute guided tour to see various views of the city from the waterside. The tours start at the Empress Dock and depart daily from February through October.
You do not need to pre-book. Walk-ins are accepted however, you may need to wait for the next available tour. We had a 1-hour wait for our turn since we didn’t pre-book. We spent this time wandering around the inner harbour. The time flew by as there were lots to see along the inner harbour.
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. It was nice to know a bit of the history surrounding the inner harbour, the Coast Salish people and the fascinating Gorge Waterway.
You have the option to drop off at the Fisherman’s Wharf or back at the Empress Dock where the tour started. If you choose to make a stop at the Fisherman’s Wharf, you will still be able to return to the Empress Dock on the next boat free of charge as long as you have your original ticket.
We chose to stop over at the Fisherman’s Wharf to save us the time it will take to return at another date.
Attraction – The Fisherman’s Wharf
The Fisherman’s Wharf is a unique marine destination that offers food kiosks, unique shops and eco-tour adventures. What makes this location unique is the presence of float homes! They are homes literally built and floating on the water.
It was swarming with tourists and locals when we visited. We wandered around the wharf to see the different shops, pleasure vessel, float homes and commercial fishing vessels unloading their wares.
We had lunch at Barb’s Fish and Chips and it was a sumptuous meal you need to include in your plans. Be warned that there may be a long queue to get your meal as it is a popular place.
The wharf is a great destination for those seeking fresh fish or seafood.
We took the water taxi free from the Fisherman’s wharf back to the Empress Dock after our lunch. It was a very busy day and the kids became tired from all the experiences.
Cost of Tour
The harbour tours depart from the Empress Dock, Fairmont Empress Hotel.
Tickets can be bought online or from the captains at the dock.
For the combo tour, it costs CAD$30 for adults (Ages 13-64), CAD$15 for children (Ages 2-12) and free for infants (1 year and below).
Attraction – BC Parliament Building
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped over briefly at the parliament building. It is located just opposite the inner harbour and in close proximity to most of the hotels around the inner harbour.
The Parliament Building is home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
There are many things to do when you visit the parliament building:
- Take a free guided tour available throughout the year or take your own self-guided tour
- Observe debates from the Public Gallery. Don’t forget to check the Parliamentary Calendar to see if the Legislative Assembly will be sitting on the day of your visit
- Dine in the Parliamentary Dining Room
- Browse the Parliamentary Gift Shop
After the brief tour, we picked up our steamy, hot and delicious jollof spaghetti and chicken from The Lami Kitchen. It was a yummy dinner to remember.
Attraction – Beacon Hill Park
We concluded day 2 of our long weekend in Victoria with a drive around Beacon Hill Park.
Beacon Hill Park is a 740,000 square metres of parkland with natural areas, manicured flower beds, footpaths and many sports and play features for the whole family to enjoy.
There are parking lots at Heywood Way, Circle Drive and Nursery Road.
We didn’t spend time at this park as the day was far spent and we were exhausted from the day’s activities.
We took a drive round the city of Victoria and called it a night.
Day 3 of our weekend in Victoria
Monday August 02, 2021 was British Columbia Day, a statutory holiday in BC.
Our weekend in Victoria was finally coming to an end. We had our usual breakfast of cereal for the kids, bread and tea for the adults.
We decided to check out early at about 10am so that we could have more time to explore other fun places before our departure to Vancouver.
Check out process at Days Inn was fast and easy. We were sad to say goodbye to the hotel that gave us a beautiful view of the harbour.
The staff gave the kids a branded toy to commemorate their visit.
Attraction – Miniature World
The first attraction we visited when we left the hotel was Miniature world. We were the second tourists to visit as we got there early. This gave us ample time to wander and enjoy the place before it started swarming with tourists.
Miniature World is a tourist attraction for all ages that features animated miniature scenes involving stories of fact, fiction & fantasy such as Camelot, Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Doll Houses, and stories about how the railroads were built in Canada etc.
The interactive push buttons used to activate various figures and motions were a hit with the kids.
Cost and Details
Open all day in summer from 9A.M. – 9P.M. Last admission is at 4:15pm. Hours may vary on other periods. Please visit the website to confirm before you go.
Cost: Adult = CAD$18.00, Child (5 – 12) = CAD$5.00, Tots (0-4 yrs) = No Charge. All admissions are subject to 5% tax.
It is located in The Fairmont Empress Hotel and accessible via Douglas Street outside their conference centre. There is also street parking with meters. City buses lines stop right near the door.
Attraction – Victoria Bug Zoo
Our next adventure took us to Victoria Bug Zoo. This is an amazing attraction for nature lovers. You will see beautiful displays of live tropical bugs from around the world in their natural habitat recreated to help them thrive.
The most exciting display is a wall spanning ant colony. The guides were very knowledgeable in explaining everything about these little creatures.
We were not allowed to touch them due to the pandemic. Also, they did not permit visitors to make videos because some of the bugs are sensitive to light.
After our tour, we bought toy spiders from the gift shop for the kids.
Cost and Details
The zoo is open from Monday to Friday, 11AM to 3PM, and 11AM to 4PM on Saturdays and Sundays for duration of 30 – 60 minutes.
Cost of admission: Children – 4 and under * Free, Children and Youth – Ages 5 – 17 = $8.00, Adults – 18+ = $14.00, Annual Pass (All ages 5+) = $28.00. Prices are in CAD$ and do not include tax
Attraction – Downtown Victoria
To conclude our long weekend in Victoria, we visited the downtown area. Popular attractions here are China Town and Fan Tan Alley.
Fan Tan Alley is the narrowest street in the country and a side door to Canada’s oldest Chinatown. There are more than a dozen locally owned shops in this street. It is located in Chinatown between Fisgard and Johnson streets.
It was swarming with tourists strolling through this fascinating heritage architecture formed by a unique cultural history.
We took a walk around downtown Victoria, had pizza from Fresh Slice (our favourite pizza place in Canada) before heading to the ferry for our trip back to Vancouver mainland.
Return Trip to Vancouver
Our departure time from Victoria (Swartz Bay) terminal was 6.00pm to arrive Vancouver (Tsawwassen) terminal at 7.35pm. We chose a late evening sailing time to give us more time to conclude our adventures before heading back.
Driving from Downtown to Victoria (Swartz Bay) terminal took about 35 minutes. We arrived early and were allowed to board the 5pm ferry since there were still spaces for passenger vehicles.
It was a fun long weekend in Victoria that we look forward to experiencing again.
There were other attractions in our plan but due to time constraints, we couldn’t visit all of them.
You will definitely need more than a weekend to explore all the fun attractions in Victoria.
Summary of Cost of a Long Weekend in Victoria
Accommodation = CAD$558.55
Food = CAD$370.00
Transportation (Ferry to and fro) = CAD$223.7
Attractions/Activities = CAD$242
Miscellaneous (Souvenir, Gas etc.) = CAD$200
Total = CAD$1,594.25
BC Settlement Buddy offers day tours to major attractions in various cities in BC. Book a day tour to major attractions in Victoria.
If you are also interested in spending a weekend in Victoria either as a family or a solo traveller, we would be happy to help you create a custom and affordable vacation plan.
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