In 1843, when a youthful Queen Victoria had reigned for less than a decade, the Hudson's Bay Company established a fort on the site of today's Bastion Square. In an era known for its formality and elegance, early Victoria must have seemed like the wild frontier to the first British settlers particularly in 1858, when more than 25,000 rough-and-ready miners flooded into the Old Town district on their way to the Cariboo Gold Rush.

The new Victorians quickly set about "civilizing" the wilderness. With their fine English china, brought around Cape Horn by sailing ship, they staunchly upheld the tradition of afternoon tea, and began building a city of refined architecture and cultural sophistication on the frontier. Perhaps it was this early determination to preserve a gracious way of life that has kept Victoria so traditional, so charming and so civilized to this day. A century later, Victorians are still dedicated to the city's heritage and quality of life. The heart of historic Victoria radiates from the Inner Harbour. A downtown walking tour or horse-drawn carriage ride will take you past heritage buildings, historic sites and fascinating attractions.

Stroll along the waterfront Causeway and you'll be surrounded by the Parliament Buildings (begun 1893), the newly restored Empress Hotel (1908), the glass-roofed tropical conservatory of the Crystal Garden (1925) and the Royal British Columbia Museum, one of North America's leading natural and human history museums. Continuing up Government Street, dozens of 19th century shop fronts line the road with many more heritage buildings in the surrounding blocks of Old Town.

Bastion Square, which runs between Government Street and the Wharf Street waterfront, is lined with 19th-century buildings, including Victoria's original Court House (1889), where long ago Judge Matthew Begbie earned his nickname "the hanging judge." Today, it houses the Maritime Museum and the oldest working elevator in North America. Along Wharf Street are some of the city's oldest buildings, including the original Customs House (1876) at the foot of Broughton Street. Today, you can shop, gallery hop or sip cappuccino at a sidewalk cafeé steps from the waterfront where sailing ships once unloaded their cargoes.

A couple of blocks north is Market Square, a restored block that includes the original Occidental Hotel, which once welcomed Klondike gold miners in 1898. Today, Market Square is a lively enclave of shops and restaurants, where you may find a performance or festival happening in the natural amphitheatre of the treed courtyard. Just up Pandora Street, you'll find Centennial Square, the site of Victoria's historic City Hall (1878), and the McPherson Playhouse, originally built as the Pantages Theatre in I914.

A block away, the majestic Gate of Harmonious Interest welcomes you to the oldest Chinatown in Canada. Narrow Fan Tan Alley was once known for the gambling and opium dens that lay behind its doorways. Chinatown is now beautifully restored, with exotic wares and the aroma of oriental cuisine spilling out into the bustling street.
This fascinating journey into the heart of Victoria has taken you less than 10 blocks from the Inner Harbour Causeway. And you've only begun to see Victoria's architectural heritage. The many spectacular historic churches make a wonderful heritage tour in themselves. And a few minutes from downtown are the tree-lined streets of gracious residential neighborhoods like Rockland and Oak Bay, with gingerbread trimmed Victorian homes and grand Tudor-style mansions surrounded by manicured lawns and gardens.

Tucked away in the Rockland area are the lush grounds of the Government House, the official residence of B.C.'s Lieutenant-Governor, and historic Craigdarroch Castle (begun 1885) with its imposing stone facade and fanciful turrets.  This is just 5 minutes' walk from the Oaks.

Victoria's Gardens

Every February, Victorians engage in a unique and delightful ritual. It's the Annual Flower Count. Otherwise perfectly normal people can be seen bending over their crocus beds, calculators in hand, or counting the blossoms on their flowering fruit trees. The grand total, tabulated from call-ins, is celebrated as a farewell to winter. In fact, while most Northerners are huddling closer to the fire, Victorians are blithely pottering around their gardens and picking fresh flowers.

Certainly, the climate has a lot to do with it. But Victorians' passion for gardens is legendary. Perhaps it began with those early English settlers who were so determined to tame the tangled wilderness of the lush Pacific coast. Once they started planting roses where there used to be native brush, the gardening tradition took root.

Victoria's most famous example is Butchart Gardens, an enchanting 50 acres of perfectly-groomed gardens on a 1904 country estate that has won the hearts of millions of visitors from around the world. The much-photographed Sunken Garden was reclaimed from the family limestone quarry by Mrs. Butchart in 1917. Other features include a Japanese Garden, Rose Garden, Italian Garden, formal plantings and lawns, and elaborate fountains. In July and August, glorious fireworks displays delight Saturday night visitors.

There are many more fabulous gardens open to the public, including the grounds at Government House, the renowned rhododendron collection at the University of Victoria, the beautiful and educational displays at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, the Royal B.C. Museum's garden of native west coast plants, and the lovely gardens and meandering pathways of Beacon Hill Park.

Everywhere you look, Victoria seems like one big garden. From the famous signature flower baskets that bloom from the city's street lamps in summer, to the flower boxes and pocket gardens that greet you all over town, Victoria blooms most of the year. In nearly every neighbourhood, the gardening tradition flourishes, making even the residential areas are picture perfect.

For more information, please check the Tourism Victoria website.