Butchart Gardens: For a visit to one of the area's premier tourist attractions follow Highway 17A north for 22 kilometers to the magical Butchart Gardens at Brentwood Bay on the Saanich Peninsula. Here in 1904 Jennie Butchart wife of a wealthy quarry owner started to lay out a fragrant garden in abandoned limestone workings. Flourishing not least because of the mild climate the gardens have since been veloped into a 20 hectare horticultural tour de force without rival in Canada. The Italian garden rose garden Japanese garden and sunken garden are among the loveliest. Open spaces among the pools fountains and the many exotic plants are used for artistic and musical performances. Address: 800 Benvenuto Ave, Bretwood Bay.
Fairmont Empress Hotel: Built in 1908 for Canadian Pacific like the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City the Fairmont Empress Hotel on the Inner Harbour is one of Victoria's best loved landmarks. Architect Francis M. Rattenbury designed the Empress and entering the vast lobby of this luxurious hotel is like journeying back in time to before the first World War. Afternoon tea served with great style is an experience for any visitor. An extension on the north side of the Empress Hotel houses a collection of several dozen scenes in miniature at Miniature World. The models of historical events castles and dollhouses captivate young and old alike. Address: 721 Government St. Victoria.
Royal British Columbia Museum : British Columbia's prvincial museum is situated midway between the Parliament Buildings and the Fairmont Empress Hotel. It is by far the best museum of natural and cultural history in Canada with ma three dimensional displays offering a feast of sights smells and sounds. Walk through a rainforest view animals on West Coast beaches and in tidal wetlands sit among aboriginal ceremonial poles and masks walk through a big hous and learn of First Natons people's struggles after European settlement. Other interactive features include a replica HMS Discovery the ship that brought Captain Vancouver to these shores and a street of shops in Old Town.
Address: 675 Belleville Street, Victoria.