Day trip to Victoria
Victoria really is a beautiful city and ideal for a day trip. It is about 1.5 hours from Nanaimo and is easily accessible by car. We parked near the Parliament building, which is right on the waterfront. Although we were unfortunately unable to visit it, the building was very impressive from the outside. If you want to see the inside of the parliament, you should come during the week (Monday to Friday) as it is closed at the weekend. From there, we walked along the harbor towards the city center.
The city center is cozy and pedestrian-friendly, with many small stores and restaurants. The streets are lovingly decorated with flowers and fairy lights, which gives the whole area a particularly charming flair.
We then went on to Chinatown, where we had a delicious meal and explored the narrow Fan Tan Alley. As well as traditional stores, there is also a record store, shoe stores and handmade soaps. There is also a small, free museum in the alley that shows the history of Chinatown. Here we learned that Victoria's Chinatown is the oldest in Canada.
In the afternoon, we made our way back to the water and strolled along Dallas Road. From the Dallas Road Swim Pavilion Staircase, we had a sweeping view across the sea to the mountains. It was particularly impressive to see otters, jellyfish and anemones in the water.
Finally, we went to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. Fisherman's Wharf consists of a series of colorful floating houses built on jetties. From there you have a great view of the harbor and the adjacent boats. There are lots of food stalls and we opted for fresh fish.
Tip: There are daily ferries from Victoria to Seattle. If you are planning to travel to Seattle, it may be worth considering taking the ferry from Victoria instead of taking the detour via Vancouver.
