Victoria and Surroundings - Fabulous Western Canada: Capture the Excitement of the Great West! - page 50

all located nearby. A stroll along the waterfront gives a good sense
of how the city has preserved a human dimension in its squares and
streets.

INNER HARBOUR
AND OLD TOWN

Now owned by the Fairmont chain
of hotels, the Empress Hotel was
built in 1905 for the Canadian Pacifi c
Railway company. It was designed
by Francis Rattenbury in the Chateau
style, just like the Chateau Frontenac
in Québec City, only more modern and
less romantic. A stroll through the main
lobby transports visitors back to the
1920s, when the names of infl uential
people found their way into the hotel's
guest books, and any trip to Victoria
should include a stop by the Empress
for afternoon tea.

Any tour of Victoria starts at the Inner
Harbour, which was the main point of
access into the city for decades. Back
in the era of tall ships, the merchant
marine operating on the Pacifi c Ocean
used to stop here to pick up goods des-
tined for England.

6

The Inner Harbour and old Victoria at
dusk. © iStockphoto.com / Andrew Penner