Victoria, Canada: British Columbia's Garden City, Right Off the Inner Harbour

The Inner Harbour promenade is the natural starting point. The legislative buildings, lit at night by thousands of incandescent bulbs (a tradition since the early 20th century), face the water directly. Street performers, whale-watching operators, and water taxi vendors work the harbour front. The Fairmont Empress is a landmark hotel open for afternoon tea — reservations fill weeks ahead, but walk-ins occasionally get in for a weekday session.

Butchart Gardens, 21 kilometers north of the city center, is a 55-acre garden built in the depression left by an exhausted limestone quarry. The Sunken Garden is the most famous section — a meadow of flowering plants ringed by the original quarry walls. The Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, and the Italian Garden are separately distinct. The gardens are well-maintained and best in summer bloom (late June through August). Free bus service from the cruise terminal is sometimes available; otherwise it is about a 25-minute taxi ride.

Beacon Hill Park occupies 200 acres on the southern edge of the city center, about 10 minutes' walk from the Inner Harbour. The park contains a totem pole (the world's tallest carved from a single cedar), peacocks that wander freely, English-style formal gardens, a children's petting farm, and walking paths. The ocean views from the park's southern edge look out across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Washington State's Olympic Mountains.

The Royal BC Museum, adjacent to the Inner Harbour, covers British Columbia's natural history and the culture of the region's Indigenous peoples. The First Nations exhibits are among the strongest in western Canada. The museum is large enough to absorb half a day; if time is limited, the natural history galleries and the modern BC history section are the most informative.

Victoria's restaurant scene is strong for a city of its size. Government Street and Fort Street have the highest density of options. Afternoon tea is available at multiple hotels and teahouses. The Public Market at the Red Barn in Langford (outside the city center) and the Victoria Public Market downtown both have good local food vendors if you want to graze rather than sit.