Cheap flights to Victoria

Victoria’s heritage buildings, tea rooms, horse-drawn carriages and flower gardens give the city its old-world charm. Its university students give it a youthful energy. Meanwhile, the first Chinatown in Canada and First Nations totem poles standing amid the stately public buildings of this former British outpost add to its cosmopolitan air.

Victoria’s charming Inner Harbour is in the centre of the city, home to the Fairmont Empress Hotel and the Legislative Buildings. A busy place, seaplanes land here, ferries and yachts put-put in and out while kayaks glide about. Street performers entertain visitors during the spring and summer months and at night the water sparkles from the thousands of lights of the Legislative Buildings.

Unlike Vancouver, Victoria is not a towering city of glass; there are few buildings more than seven storeys high. Like Vancouver however, the views of the mountains and ocean frame the city beautifully.

Most cheap flights to Victoria land at the international airport a half-hour away. Once in Victoria, almost all the key sights are within walking distance of the Inner Harbour – the Old Town, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Beacon Hill Park and James Bay, the oldest neighbourhood in Victoria.

Victoria climate

Victoria has the mildest climate in Canada, averaging more than 2,000 hours of sunshine each year. February often marks the start of spring when most visitors arrive on cheap flights to Victoria. Summer temperatures range between 18 and 32 degrees Celsius (64-89 degrees Fahrenheit). Off-shore breezes ensure summer temperatures never get uncomfortable. Most rain falls in January, February and March, but even then it is much less than what falls in Vancouver and the rest of British Columbia.

Getting around Victoria

If you’re planning on making a trip around Vancouver Island, then you’ll want to rent a car after your cheap flight to Victoria. In the city you can walk or ride a bike and soak up the local atmosphere. Public transit, which includes British-style double decker buses, is run by BC Transit. Buy day passes or books of 10 tickets to save a little money.    

What is good to know if travelling to Victoria?

• Greater Vancouver Island with its gorgeous scenery and numerous activities that include fishing, surfing, skiing, hiking and whale-watching is on the city’s doorstep for side trips.
• Top surfing spots are off Tofino and Long Beach, between Sooke and Port Renfrew. Top-rated dive spots include Race Rocks Underwater Marine Park near Victoria and Browning Wall near Port Hardy.
• Nanaimo has the world’s largest diving reef. Vancouver Island’s diving is so good, Jacques Cousteau rated it second only to the Red Sea for diversity and clarity.
• Vancouver Island’s beauty and lifestyle has attracted many creative types to set up shop here. It’s a great place to pick up some distinctive jewellery, glass work, sculpture, handmade soaps, hand-knit sweaters or unique folk art.
• The Royal BC Museum, south of the Empress Hotel, offers a fascinating walk through history. There are three permanent galleries – the First Peoples Gallery detailing First Nations cultures before and after the arrival of Europeans, the Modern History Gallery and the Natural History Gallery that traces BC from the Ice Age, complete with a life-size woolly mammoth.
• Thunderbird Park is a historic space in the grounds, exhibiting welcome figures, monumental poles and First Nations carvings.
• There are free, guided tours of the ornate Parliament Buildings on weekdays. An added bonus, visitors can have breakfast or lunch in the Legislative Dining Room. More informal is a picnic on the grounds. The Legislative Gourmet Lunch Bag Menu features sandwiches, fruit and a juice box for about $7 each.
• After landing on cheap flights to Victoria, walk along Government Street to get a sense of Victoria’s heritage. With a very British look, these include woollens and bone china from England, tartan from Scotland and lace from Ireland. Turn into Trounce Alley for European fashions and gift shops.
• OurBigEarth.com is an excellent resource for planning your family-friendly travel adventures with everything from trail guides, vacation spot recommendations and cultural adventures to restaurant reviews and farm tours.
• Bastion Square, which has a Festival of the Arts each summer, is a lively area of shops and restaurants.