Victoria British Columbia Hotels & Motels

When Is the Best Time to Visit Victoria, BC?

Canada has a diverse landscape when it comes to weather and the best time to visit. Whether you're interested in warm weather for outdoor adventures, cool temperatures for hiking, or cold weather for snowboarding and skiing, you'll have a choice of seasons to plan your itinerary.

The optimal time to visit Victoria when the weather is pleasant is from the end of May to early October. July, August, and April are the busiest months. November is the least busy month.

Which Hotels Have the Best Discounts in Victoria, BC?

Quality Inn Downtown Inner Harbour offers AAA, AARP, and military discounts, making this hotel one to consider for saving money while retaining excellent accommodations and quality service.

The guest rooms offer ample space, quality bedding, free coffee and tea, an iron and ironing board, and a hair dryer. For guest convenience, some of the rooms have kitchen facilities. A free weekday newspaper, free local calls, laundry facilities, and complimentary Wi-Fi enhance the comfort of your business or leisure stay.

The hotel is pet friendly for those traveling with furry friends. Other amenities include indoor parking, valet cleaning service, interior corridors, a fax and copy machine, a restaurant, and a lounge/bar. The 100% smoke-free hotel is a convenient location for corporate travelers, since it can accommodate up to 40 people in the hotel's spacious meeting room. Those traveling for leisure will enjoy working out in the exercise facility or swimming a few laps in the heated indoor pool.

The locally owned and operated Chateau Victoria Hotel and Suites is conveniently located in downtown Victoria, putting guests in the heart of the city's charm and culture. The full-service hotel is capable of accommodating a variety of options for guests, which includes guest rooms, deluxe suites, and eight penthouse suites with available AAA and CAA discounts.

The hotel offers numerous guest-focused amenities such as a hot tub, an exercise facility, a pool, two meeting rooms, and ample parking for a fee. Guests dining at the hotel will find the rooftop restaurant, Vista 18, a pleasant place to dine under the stars. If you just want to relax with a cocktail, make your way to Clive's Classic Lounge.

Which Hotels Have the Best Value in Victoria, BC?

Capital CityCentre Hotel is located in downtown Victoria and within walking distance of Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, the Inner Harbour, and Victoria Conference Centre. Within the hotel's vicinity, guests have access to numerous restaurants, shopping venues, night clubs, Chinatown, and attractions.

The full-service hotel offers a beautiful respite for business and leisure travelers in each of its well-appointed 84 guest rooms. Hotel services include 24-hour concierge service, a coffee shop and cafe, room service, a safe-deposit box, a 24-hour front desk, an ATM, laundry facilities, a restaurant, and a swimming pool and poolside bar. Conveniences for business travelers include fax and copy machines, audio-visual equipment, multiple meeting and conference rooms, banquet facilities, and event catering.

Abigail's Hotel blends charm with modern conveniences at the 1930s Tudor mansion located in the heart of downtown. The hotel offers 23 rooms that are each designed in one of five themes. The luxurious rooms are decorated with fine furnishings and accessories, quality bedding, plush down duvets and pillows, plush bathrobes, fresh flowers, a flat-screen TV with DVD player, and an iPod docking station.

Guests are also treated to fresh baked cookies, light evening appetizers, and a three-course breakfast served each day. There's also access to free newspapers, complimentary coffee and tea, and high-speed Wi-Fi.

What Are Some of the Activities and Attractions in Victoria, BC?

Victoria offers a wide variety of activities and attractions for all ages. You'll also have access to downtown bike rentals and water taxi rides around the harbor.

For a relaxing stroll through a part of the city's history, head to Bastion Square, which was originally part of Fort Victoria. Here, you'll find a variety of restaurants and cafes, sunny patios, shopping venues, and landmarks such as the 1882 Burnes House, The 1889 Court House, and the 1885 Strousse Warehouse. There's also Helmcken Alley, where executions took place back in the day and is said to be haunted.

Other historic alleys you'll want to explore are Waddington Alley, Trounce Alley with its 125-year-old gaslights, Fan Tan Alley, and Pioneer Square, which is the second oldest cemetery in Victoria established in 1858. Market Square features an assortment of cultural activities and independent shops. Centennial Square is the newest location, built in 1962 in honor of Victoria's 100th anniversary of incorporation. Within Centennial, you'll find Spirit Square, which serves as a place for live events, performances, and festivals. It features sculptures and a variety of native flora.

History buffs will enjoy the exhibits that make history come alive at the Royal BC Museum and the Maritime Museum of British Columbia. For art enthusiasts, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria has impressive collections on display.

One of the top attractions not to be missed is Craigdarroch Castle, which was built by Robert Dunsmuir in the late 1800s. The castle is fully restored and gives visitors a firsthand look at what life was like for the privileged gentry back in the day. Add a visit to The Butchart Gardens, another vintage site with over 100 years of history, and stroll through the network of plants and flowers. Both the castle and the gardens are National Historic Sites of Canada.

Other things to do while visiting Victoria include kayaking, fishing, sailing, hiking, whale watching, miniature golfing, ecotours, and skydiving.

For an all-around vacation destination, Victoria, British Columbia, has the scenic environment, pleasant climate, diverse culture, and beautiful seascapes to ensure a memorable vacation.

Travel overview of Victoria, BC

Victoria has been one of primary tourist spots in British Columbia; thanks to its relaxed pace of city life, year-round comfortable climate, popular attractions and contemporary topnotch amenities. Whatever your interest is, there is surely something for you to enjoy throughout your stay. Heritage buffs will marvel at the few remaining oldest edifices in town such as 19th century British Columbia Parliament Buildings and Empress Hotel. In addition, it houses the second oldest North American Chinatown next to San Francisco, US and the most intact across the country. Sports enthusiasts have been also flocking into town whenever Victoria would host prestigious sports events such as 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the annual Swiftsure International Yacht Race and Bastion Square Grand Prix Criterium. Cultural travelers can indulge themselves with world-class performances by Victorian talents in Belfry Theatre, and by Victoria Philharmonic Choir, Ballet Victoria and Pacific Opera Victoria in Royal Theatres. They should stop by the Art Gallery and Royal British Columbia Museum/Imax National Geographic Theatre. If you are simply looking for pleasure, there are fun attractions for you such as the Victoria Bug Zoo and Royal London Wax Museum. Blend with the locals as you crash through the night clubs, pubs and restaurants.

Nelly Furtado, a global pop superstar and perhaps the most famous resident of Victoria, British Columbia, once remarked in an interview, 'I would never know what good life is if I had stopped trying. I have never given up, and stood behind myself through thick and thin, and I just hope my own children “ all younger people, really “ do the same. 
Even though it may sound like very vague and generic, there is the power of experience and affection behind those words. The City of Victoria in British Columbia is, in many ways, a shining example of efforts making things happen. 

It is, indeed, the most Victorian city in the whole of Canada. There are signs of the Empire on every corner, in every street and every old buildings. The city and her people have, instead of choosing to disregard their roots, chosen to stick with them and preserve them without any dismay. Right from the name, the city is an exemplary evidence of centuries gone by. 

Founded in the 18th century by adventurers, settlers and missionaries, the origin of Victoria lies in their bullish defiance against harsh weather and unfavorable land. 

Today, however, Victoria is one of the largest cities in Canada, the second largest (only next to Vancouver) in British Columbia and a home to over 80,000 people. 

As much as its historical heritage matters, the present state of the city owes a lot to modern efforts and people who have come from distant corners of the world and adapted her as their own motherland. Victoria of the 21st century is a calm and composed ode to her turbulent and battle-scarred past. It is a city that attracts students from various countries (thanks to over 5 world-class universities it hosts), senior citizens from Canada and working professionals from everywhere. The city is best known for its young population that contributes to the growth and an overall sense of energy that one can feel in Victoria. 

Finding Affordable Hotels in Victoria 

Frequent travelers would know that Canada is not as notoriously priced as other developed countries like the US and the UK when it comes to traveling, lodging and seeing about. Finding cheap hotels in Victoria is a much easier task than finding similar cheap hotels in comparably large cities in other parts of the world. This is not to say that Victoria is a lesser city “ far from that! Victoria, for a few years now, has consistently ranked in the top 20 cities in the world to lead a healthy and happy life. 

So, when you are visiting Victoria, finding an affordable choice of accommodation should probably be the last thing you should have lurking in the backdrop of your mind. From very pleasant bed and breakfast units to modestly set up hotel establishments, Victoria present a full suite of budget hotel options for tourists, travelers and businessmen who are visiting the city for work. 

Have a Penchant for Finer Things in Life? 

If you happen to have a steep disregard for thriftiness and you have enough means to afford finer and more luxurious things in life, Victoria won't be a disappointment for you. 

There has been a marked rise in the number of luxury hotels in Victoria over the last two decades or so. The most obvious reason for this is the purpose that many multinational corporate offices in the heart of the city serve. Besides this, Victoria provides a very comfortable central stay for travelers and tourists to see attractions and sites that abound the whole of British Columbia. Being cheaper than Vancouver, Victoria also turns out be an overall attractive options for lodgers. 

Luxury Victoria hotels feature the very best of facilities and amenities that are definitely in tune (if not above par) of the big bucks they charge their guests. The most prominent among these is the Abigail's Resort, famous for their exquisite in-house global diner. Other honorable mentions include the Magnolia Hotel and Spa, Oak Bay Beach and Fairmont Express. 

What to See in Victoria? 

Victoria, in the strictest or literal sense of the word, is not really a city that tourists should swoon over. It's also not a city that would confuse her visitors by offering places that usually overwhelm their visiting schedules. 

Victoria is, however, a city that has her own attractions and numerous walks down the nostalgia lane. 

The Craigdarroch Castle is perhaps the best known attraction in Victoria. It is a grand aristocratic mansion flaunting high European architecture that presents itself as an oddity in a faraway Canadian land. Royal Beacon Park, with its lush green grounds and numerous botanical peculiarities should also serve as a refreshing addition to the itinerary of tourists. 

Empress Hotel, British Columbia Museum and the British Columbia Legislature building are not to be missed either, when in Victoria. 

Victoria Hotels Near The Victoria Airport 

It would be disheartening for most visitors to Victoria to know that there are not too many cheap hotels near the Victoria airport. You can, however, find a few high-end places of accommodation near to the airport. The airport, situated nearly 15 miles from the city itself, is just a short ride from the central population of Victoria hotels, and hence, visitors should try probing their options with deliberation before choosing a particular hotel. 

Getting Around in Victoria 

Victoria is not really a metropolitan city, despite being the capital of British Columbia. That said, the state of the public infrastructure in the city is really laudable and is usually good and fit enough to handle inbound flock of tourists every year. 

It is, however, best advised to arrange for some private mode of commute while you traverse royal lanes of Victoria. It is very easy to rent cars in Victoria and you can even resort to app-based rental services to suit your needs. If you have already booked a hotel prior to your arrival in the city, you can arrange for your hotel to provide airport pick-up services.