Vancouver, Whistler & Vancouver Island - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 797

MAP GOOGLE MAP
( 877-578-5552, 250-386-8652; www.cvscruisevictoria.com ; 721 Government St; tours from
adult/child $30/16) With its fleet of biodiesel coaches, CVS offers a hop-on, hop-off city
tour plus shuttles to Butchart Gardens.

Festivals & Events

Victoria Tea Festival TEA
( www.victoriateafestival.com ; Feb) Huge showcase of tea and tea-making paraphenalia in
North America's cuppa-loving capital.

Victoria International JazzFest JAZZ
( www.jazzvictoria.ca ;

late Jun) Ten days of toe-tapping jazz shows.

Victoria International Buskers Festival PERFORMING ARTS
( www.victoriabuskers.com ; mid-Jul) Ten days of street-performing action from local and

international artists.

Victoria Ska Fest MUSIC
( www.victoriaskafest.ca ; mid-Jul) Canada's largest skank-tastic music festival.

Victoria Fringe Theater Festival THEATER
( www.victoriafringe.com ; late Aug) Two weeks of quirky short plays and stand-ups

throughout the city.

Sleeping
From heritage B&Bs to midrange motels and swanky high-end hotels, Victoria is stuffed
with accommodations options for all budgets. Low season sees some great deals; Tour-
ism Victoria's room reservation service ( 800-663-3883, 250-953-2033;
www.tourismvictoria.com/hotels ) can let you know what's available.

HI Victoria Hostel HOSTEL$
MAP GOOGLE MAP
( 888-883-0099, 250-385-4511; www.hihostels.ca ; 516 Yates St; dm/d $30.80/88; ) A
quiet downtown hostel with two large single-sex dorms, three small co-eds and a couple
of private rooms. Rates include free tea and coffee at breakfast, and there are movie