Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Walking tour
of Victoria
Morning
Starting at the corner of
Wharf and Government,
stroll 10 minutes north on
Government Street
. Shops
along the way include some
suitably British purveyors.
At Fisgard St, the colorful
Gate of Harmonious
Interest
welcomes you to
to
Chinatown
. Explore the
area for an hour, dipping
into tiny
Fan Tan Alley
, off
Fisgard St. Continue west
to Wharf St, then on to
Bastion Square
, the heart
of
Old Town
, where fur
traders boozed and brawled
in the days of Fort Victoria.
French Gothic tower, Craigdarroch Castle
Craigdarroch Castle
This four-story stone man-
sion was built in the late 1880s
for coal baron Robert Dunsmuir,
who died soon after it was com-
pleted, leaving wife Joan and 11
children to squabble over the
estate. Its 39 rooms each exude
turn-of-the-19th-century elegance.
Highlights include period furnish-
ings, stained glass windows, a
sandstone fireplace, and a grand
white oak staircase. The views of
the ocean and mountains from
the tower are magnificent.
d
1050 Joan Cres • 250 592 5323
• Open mid-Jun-Labour Day:
9am-7pm daily; Labour Day-mid-
June: 10am-4:30pm daily • Adm
The
Maritime Museum of
British Columbia
is in a
dignified former courthouse
on the square. Devote an
hour to its displays before
heading to
Irish Times
Pub
, 1200 Government St,
for tasty fish and chips.
Afternoon
Admire the marine traffic
from the
Inner Harbour
promenade. At the far end
of the harbor, cross
Belle-
ville Street
to the statue
of a youthful Queen Victo-
ria on the grounds of the
BC Parliament Buildings
.
The fascinating
Royal
British Columbia Muse-
um
next door will take at
least two hours to peruse.
Maritime Museum
of British Columbia
Three floors of coastal history
include the stories of the giant
canoes of the Coast Salish First
Peoples, the tall ships of the first
European explorers, and pirate
ships and whalers. Tumultuous
tales of coastal shipwrecks are
gruesomely fascinating. On the
top floor is the former courtroom
of notorious Matthew Baillie Beg-
bie, known as the Hanging Judge.
The 19th-century courtroom is
preserved in all its glory.
d
28
Bastion Sq
•
Map P2
•
250 385 4222
• Open 9:30-4:30pm daily • Adm
Exit the museum on the
east side to admire the
totems in
Thunderbird
Park
before checking out
nearby historic Helmcken
House. Cross Belleville St
to the
Fairmont Empress
Hotel
for a glimpse of the
grandiose lobby.
Replenish with dinner or a
drink on the deck of
Mile-
stone's
, 812 Wharf St.
97
