Victoria…charming, beautiful, and just a little wild!

There’s an image of Victoria, B.C., as a city for retirees; a quiet, out-of-the-way city of gardens that was more English than England itself.  That’s not a total myth – they still serve afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, and it is still a big deal. And the gardens – well, plants like the weather.

But Victoria is not ‘just’ that anymore, if it ever was.  It is an urban area of some 350,000 people, a city with students and brewpubs and funky restaurants. It has been labelled the fittest city in Canada – which is not surprising because the sea and the mountains are nearby – and is tied with Kingston, Ontario, as the Canadian city with the highest percentage (10.4%) of pedestrian commuters.

Don’t go looking for a gay village, though; life for LGBT people is pretty seamlessly integrated into the city itself.  “It doesn’t matter where you go, because nobody cares if you’re gay,” says Brian Cant, a 31-year-old resident of Victoria who moved to the city to go to university and never left.  Cant, a public relations specialist who shares a downtown condo with his husband Kyle, says that what defines Victoria is its mix of urban amenities and nature, leavened by an open and easy attitude.

On the urban side, there’s a combination of history, shopping, sightseeing and food.  For example, Chinatown in Victoria is small, but it’s the oldest in Canada and the second-oldest in North America after San Francisco. It’s an area in which contemporary home decor and furnishings stores flourish along with Asian markets and diners. Check out Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest street in Canada – it’s less than a metre wide at places.

Victoria also has a number of brewpubs, all of them within walking distance of the city’s harbours and downtown core. Visitors can follow the self-guided Ale Trail or discover them individually.  “My favourite is Phillips Brewing Company,” says Cant. “I really like their selection of beers. My husband’s favourite is Blue Buck; mine is Phoenix Gold.”

The Inner Harbour, the heart of the city, is always perfect for people-watching, says Cant. So is Dallas Road, right along the ocean. It attracts a mix of locals – many running and jogging – but fewer visitors.

When it comes to nightlife, Cant likes Bard and Banker is a Scottish pub downtown. “It has a great atmosphere and live music,” he says. When he and his husband want a special night out, they go to a French bistro called Brasserie L’école. “It’s our anniversary restaurant,” says Cant. “We’d go there every night if we could! It’s a cute, tiny bistro. Even though we don’t go there very often, the bartender Jason knows our drink orders when we walk in. So it always feels like we’re treated well!”

Cant says visitors would do well to discover the area around Blanshard Street and Pandora, on the edge of downtown.  “Blanshard Street is the beginning of our neighbourhood, which has a lot of nice cafés and restaurants,” he says. “Many people don’t see it. Shine Café (1320 Blanshard) is an awesome brunch place. And Pig BBQ Joint (1325 Blanshard) makes a great pulled pork sandwich.”

You can’t talk about Victoria without talking about the weather, which is very un-Canadian. It doesn’t snow much in winter.   If you go, expect sun in summer (the city does not get Vancouver’s rain) and wetness in winter. And temperatures are moderate – neither extremely hot, nor extremely cold.

Its weather defines Victoria, and the way people interact with its natural attractions.  For gardeners, the must-see attraction is The Butchart Gardens, which features 55 acres of displays and is a National Historic Site of Canada. It is about half an hour by car from downtown Victoria. Bus tours and shuttles are available via CVS Cruise Victoria at its downtown location in front of the Fairmont Empress.

The ocean and the shore are also huge attractions.  “Willows Beach in Oak Bay is probably the best beach on the ocean in the city,” says Cant. “They have volleyball courts and a super-cool old tea room. (The Kiwanis tea room in Oak Bay is open in summer only.)  Oak Bay, by the way, is filled with beautiful character homes. Oak Bay Village, a quaint strip of Oak Bay Avenue, is great for an afternoon stroll that might include shopping and eating.

Cant says he and his husband love kayaking, and it’s easy to take advantage of what the area has to offer. “A great place to go rent kayaks is with Ocean River Adventures,” he says. “They have a kayak tour of the Inner Harbour. The fact that you can go kayak in a working harbour is pretty cool. We also like to rent bikes and ride around. We rival anywhere else in the country for cycling access.”

See Tourism Victoria for more information about the city.

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa writer, a member of Travel Gay Canada and president of Éclair Communications.