Victoria, British Columbia

While Victoria visitors typically start at the Inner Harbour, the scenic waterfront where whale-watching boats and water taxis come and go, there’s far more to explore on a leisurely walk around the city. We like to follow the harborfront to Fisherman’s Wharf for its seafood stands and colorful floating homes. Make your way to Beacon Hill Park to walk around the park and go to the petting zoo. Your kids will love that. Continue through the park to Dallas Road, then turn west along the sea to Ogden Point, which is a great place to sit and watch the sunset.

Named for Britain’s Queen Victoria, the city retains elements of its heritage, primarily in its architecture and tradition of elegant afternoon tea.

Victoria has good seafood – fish and chips is classic – but even better than fried fish are raw oysters, fresh crab, and sashimi. We admire the modern Pacific Northwest cuisine that chef Brian Tesolin crafts at The Courtney Room; we always love the seasonal tasting menus. The energy at Marilena is fantastic, with an experienced staff and a fine-dining menu that pushes the creative limits. We’re fans of the fresh Japanese-style seafood at Chiba Sushi, and we’re eager to try Janevca, where we’ve heard wonderful things about chef Andrea Alridge and her wood-fire grilling.

At any of Victoria’s bars, you can sample a “shaft,” a cocktail that blends vodka, Bailey’s or a coffee liqueur like Kahlua, and espresso. They say it was invented here. At Café Malabar, we make a tea-based version that we call the “Pacific Chai Drift,” with vodka, masala chai, and Sulaimani syrup.

Take a day trip along the beaches and small towns of Vancouver Island’s south shore. Drive west to the town of Sooke to walk the Whiffin Spit waterfront trails, where you might see swooping seabirds, frolicking otters, and sometimes sunning sea lions. Continuing west to Shirley, we like to stop at Shirley Delicious for a latte and freshly baked muffin, stroll around Sheringham Point Lighthouse for a scenic photo op, and walk the trails to the ocean at French Beach Provincial Park.

Before returning to Victoria, have dinner in Sooke at Wild Mountain Food & Drink. It’s a very local, slow food kind of place, where the menus change with the harvest.