Victoria is the capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia. This beautiful coastal city sits on the southern tip of Vancouver Island surrounded by dense forest and wild coastline. We took a quick weekend trip to Victoria from Seattle and are excited to share our favorite things to do in Victoria BC with kids!
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Weekend Guide to Victoria BC with Kids
Table of Contents
- Where to stay in Victoria BC with kids
- Where to eat in Victoria BC with kids
- Best Things to Do in Victoria BC with Kids
- Visit Fisherman’s Wharf
- Stroll through Chinatown
- Enjoy High Tea at the Empress Hotel
- Learn about bugs at the Victoria Bug Zoo
- Visit Goldstream Provincial Park
- Tour Hatley Castle
- Visit Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site
- Play at Beacon Hill Park
- Tour the Craigdarroch Castle
- Get some fresh air at Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park
- Butchart Gardens
Where to stay in Victoria BC with kids
We loved staying at the Marriott Victoria Inner Harbour. Our hotel was right downtown and had a view of the city and the harbor.
The kid’s favorite pastime in the hotel was watching the city light up at night and watching the world go by outside the large picture window. We especially loved the indoor pool, and the dining area overlooking the city.
Victoria is a clean, beautiful, safe, and walkable city.
The hotel is also conveniently located within walking distance of the harbor, restaurants, shops, and tourist attractions.
Where to eat in Victoria BC with kids
- Old Spaghetti Factory: Always a favorite with kids for both the food and the atmosphere.
- Blue Fox Cafe: You’ll always find a line out the door at this trendy diner. Open for breakfast and lunch with delicious food and reasonable prices.
- The Pink Bicycle: The best place to go for gourmet burgers.
- The Fish Store at Fisherman’s Wharf: Fresh fish & chips in a fun atmosphere.
- Frankie’s Modern Diner: Classic but higher quality dishes that kids love, like pizza and mac & cheese.
- John’s Place: Hearty home-cooked breakfast with large portions.
- BeaverTails: While in Canada, you have to try this signature dessert! A BeaverTail is like a Canadian donut, it is a fried dessert pastry in the shape of a beavertail.
Best Things to Do in Victoria BC with Kids
If you’re spending a weekend in Victoria, here are 11 fun things to do with kids. You may not have time to do it all, but hopefully this list will give you a few ideas to fill your weekend.
Visit Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is located in the Outer Victoria Harbour about one mile from the hotel.
Hand feeding the seals at the harbor was once a popular tourist attraction and my kids loved it.
However, research has shown that hand-feeding marine mammals can damage the ecosystem and negatively affect their ability to thrive in their natural habitat. As a result, feeding wildlife has been banned at Fisherman’s Wharf.
Fortunately, there is still plenty to do at Fisherman’s Wharf! Grab some fish & chips, pop into a souvenir shop, watch the fishing vessels coming in from the sea, and be sure to check out the floating homes.
There are a few dozen colorful floating homes docked on the eastern end of the wharf.
My kids got a kick out of walking by and seeing people washing dishes or lounging on the couch watching TV. Of course, we all had to pick our favorite homes and my kids were convinced they wanted to live on a boat someday too.
You’ll also find floating shops and restaurants moored at the docks as well.
Fisherman’s Wharf is also where you can book excursions for kayaking, whale watching, and fishing charters.
Stroll through Chinatown
Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in Canada and the second oldest in North America, second only to San Francisco.
The discovery of gold in Frasier Canyon in 1858 led to an influx of immigrant Chinese miners from California.
What began as a village of modest wooden huts soon gave rise to a thriving neighborhood filled with businesses, schools, churches, and apartments.
Chinatown reached its peak around 1911 then slowly deteriorated. In 1995 it was revitalized and designated as a National Historic Site.
Today visitors can see historic buildings like the Old Chinese school and frequent Chinese businesses. Be sure to also stop by the famous Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest street in the country.
Fan Tan Alley measures only 35 inches at its most narrow point. It once served as the seedy underbelly of Chinatown with opium dens, brothels, and gambling halls. Today the narrow alleyway is lined with trendy boutiques and shops.
Victoria’s Chinatown only spans a few blocks with the entrance adorned by the “Gate of Harmonious Interest.” This ornate structure was built in 1981 to symbolize the evolving harmonious relationship between Chinese immigrants and Canadians.
Chinatown is a great place to spend a few hours in the afternoon. Taste some fresh dumplings, browse the shelves of a Chinese grocery store, buy inexpensive souvenirs, and pick up some fine tea at the Silk Road Tea Shop.
Chinatown is centrally located downtown within walking distance of other shops and restaurants.
Enjoy High Tea at the Empress Hotel
The Fairmont Empress overlooks the Inner Harbour and is one of the oldest hotels in Victoria and the most iconic.
If you have older kids, particularly girls, then High Tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel would be such a memorable experience. The Prince and Princess Afternoon Tea is catered towards younger visitors ages 5-12 years with a kid-friendly menu.
We are blessed with a pack of wild boys in our family, so high tea was not on our agenda. But we did walk around the manicured gardens and stepped inside to catch a glimpse of the ornate decor in this historic and elegant hotel.
The majestic Parliament buildings are located adjacent to the hotel and offer free guided tours that are interesting and informative.
Learn about bugs at the Victoria Bug Zoo
I’ll admit that I had low expectations. Visiting the Victoria Bug Zoo was a last-minute rainy day decision and it ended up being one of our favorite things we did in Victoria.
The two-room museum is pretty small, and if we were just to walk through on our own it would have been pretty lame.
What makes it so fascinating is the tour guides who share so many interesting facts about each bug, they had a captivated audience for about 2 hours!
We learned about the hissing cockroaches that George Lucas kept as pets and inspired Darth Vader’s mask. And the spider that wraps up a juicy bug in a leaf as a gift for the female to eat while they mate so that she won’t kill him. And that the insect with the most painful sting in the world lives in our home state of Arizona. The gigantic ant farm was my personal favorite.
The kids giggled when they got to hold the different insects, especially when the stick insect tried picking their nose.
I stepped way out of my comfort zone and even held a tarantula and a giant black scorpion to impress the kids. It seriously was such a fun experience, I would highly recommend it on a rainy day or not!
Admission is $14 for adults, $8 for kids 5-17 years, and free for kids 4 years and younger. The museum is open 7 days a week from 11 am – 3 pm with extended hours until 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Visit Goldstream Provincial Park
Goldstream Provincial Park is only about 20 minutes outside of downtown Victoria but feels like it’s a world away.
The drive alone is worth it as you wind through mist-shrouded forests.
The urban skyline is soon replaced with towering 600-year-old Douglas Fir Trees and rushing waterfalls.
Once you reach Goldstream Park, a network of hiking trails traverses nearly 10 miles throughout the park.
Stop by the Freeman King Visitor Center to see the exhibits, browse the gift shop, and discover interpretive programs.
Wildlife is also plentiful in the park. Bald Eagles can be spotted from the viewing platform at the estuary near the visitor center.
Goldstream Provincial Park also boasts a world-class salmon spawning stream. From mid-October to early December thousands of Chum Salmon fill the stream.
Perhaps the crowning jewel of the park is Goldstream’s Niagara Falls. The 154-foot falls plunge into an ice-cold pool and are a bit of a hidden gem.
I was blown away by the magnitude of these falls, I could barely hear myself speak and could feel the spray hundreds of feet away. Seriously breathtaking.
It’s not uncommon to have the falls all to yourself. They are located not too far off the main road but most people don’t even realize they are there as they drive by.
There is a small unmarked parking lot on the side of the road with a trail leading to the falls. A trail can also be found at the visitor center where you’ll walk through a tunnel under the road to reach it.
The Goldstream Falls can also be found in the park, but they are smaller and less impressive than Niagara Falls.
Tour Hatley Castle
The historic Hatley Castle was completed in 1908 for the family of James Dunsmuir, a wealthy industrialist and politician.
After the last members of the family passed away, the Edwardian estate served as the dormitory and mess hall for the Royal Roads Military College.
Today the castle serves as the administrative center for the Royal Roads University. Guided castle tours are available as well as self-guided garden tours around the 565-acre oceanfront estate.
Visit Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site
Fort Rodd Hill once served as a west coast artillery fortress. My kids loved exploring the original 19th-century ruins of secret military bunkers, WWII gun emplacements, cannons, and military command posts.
Visitors can take an audio-guided tour to learn stories of the soldiers and spies that resided here, as well as tales from the lighthouse keepers.
For an especially memorable experience, you can even go glamping and spend the night in an oTENTik.
From the lookout point on the hill, you’ll have a fantastic view of the ocean and the Fisgard Lighthouse.
The Fisgard Lighthouse is considered the oldest lighthouse on the Canadian west coast.
We love that visitors are free to explore inside the lighthouse. This was a unique experience since most lighthouses that we have visited in the past can only be viewed from the outside.
The inside of the lighthouse has the cutest white wood plank floors with Tiffany blue walls. It houses a small museum with displays chronicling the history of the lighthouse and interactive games for the kids.
Play at Beacon Hill Park
Beacon Hill Park was originally founded in 1882 by the indigenous Songhees tribe. It served as a hunting, fishing, and burial ground for the First Nations Coast Salish People.
The historic importance is signified by the 1956 Story Pole which can be found in the park and is one of the largest totem poles in the world.
For the past decades, Beacon Hill Park has provided a respite for visitors and tourists alike.
The amenities include playgrounds, walking trails, ponds, gardens, picnic areas, a stage for summer concerts, a water park, putting green, sports courts, and fields.
However, my kids’ favorite attraction was the petting zoo and children’s farm. The Beacon Hill Children’s Farm has been in operation since 1985.
The petting zoo and farm are open from the beginning of March to mid-October.
My kids loved interacting with all of the farm animals, and my son made it his personal mission to hug every single goat.
The flocks of ducks at the pond were also a favorite. There is a small fee to enter the petting zoo.
Tour the Craigdarroch Castle
If you have to choose between touring Hatley Castle or the Craigdarroch Castle, I would choose the Craigdarroch Castle.
Unlike the Hatley Castle, this historic Victorian house and museum is no longer in use and appears to be frozen in time.
Although, both houses were a part of the Dunsmuir dynasty. The Craigdarroch Castle was built by Robert Dunsmuir who made his fortune in the coal business. His son James Dunsmuir built Hatley Castle.
Visitors will take a 60-minute self-guided tour of the estate, complete with a scavenger hunt that my kids really enjoyed. They also really enjoyed the rubber band guns at the gift shop.
Tickets must be purchased in advance. The current hours are Wednesday thru Sunday from 11am – 4pm, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Check the website for updated visitor information.
Get some fresh air at Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park
This coastal park boasts everything from forest trails, a freshwater creek, a salt marsh, a shallow lagoon, a sandy beach, rocky headlands, and even a small nature center.
A few other highlights include the Sitting Lady Waterfall, Tower Viewpoint, and the seals basking on a small island just off the shore.
The 3/4 mile trail to the lagoon from the parking lot is relatively easy for kids but can be muddy.
The tranquil shore is not overrun with tourists and is the perfect spot to relax, let the kids explore, and breathe in the fresh sea air.
Butchart Gardens
I had seen photos of these remarkable gardens and was looking forward to visiting. Unfortunately, we visited in March before the spring blooms had blossomed, and we were a bit underwhelmed.
The gardens were still impressive but considering the cost, I would highly recommend coming in the spring or summer when the flowers are in full bloom.
I do love the story behind the gardens. What began in 1904 as a passion project for Jennie Butchart has blossomed (literally) into one of the biggest tourist attractions in British Columbia.
Jennie Butchart’s backyard was a former limestone quarry. She brought to life her vision of transforming the landscape into a masterpiece by using a horse and cart to haul in topsoil to create the Sunken Garden.
In 1939 the gardens were gifted to her grandson who continued to expand the gardens and first opened them to the public.
Today the gardens are still family-owned and feature the Japanese Garden, Italian Garden, Rose Garden, Mediterranean Garden, Rose Carousel, totem poles, Seeds & Gifts shop, visitor center, coffee shop, and restaurants.
Seasonal events are held throughout the year, such as the Magic of Christmas where the gardens are adorned with millions of twinkling lights.
With so much to do and see in Victoria, I hope this guide will help you narrow down the best things to do during a weekend in Victoria BC with kids!
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