Victoria (Canada)

Photo © slking

Travel Guide North America Canada British Columbia Vancouver Island Victoria

Introduction

Victoria, B.C.

Victoria, British Columbia, is the city of hanging flower baskets. It is simply gorgeous and not to be missed. It is highly recommend to visit the Butchart Gardens for stunning floralscapes.

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Neighbourhoods

The following is a list of neighbourhoods in the City of Victoria, as defined by the city planning department:

Burnside
Downtown
Esquimalt
Fairfield
Fernwood
Gonzales (Foul Bay)
Gorge/Tillicum
Harris Green
Hillside-Quadra
James Bay
Jubilee (North/South)
North Park
Oaklands
Rockland
Victoria West

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Weather

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Victoria has a temperate climate with mild, rainy winters and cool, dry and sunny summers. Daily temperatures rise above 30 °C on average less than one day per year and fall below 0 °C on average only ten nights per year. Victoria has recorded completely freeze-free winter seasons three times (in 1957/58, 1999/2000, and 2002/03). During the winter, the average daily high and low temperatures are 8 °C and 4 °C, respectively. The summer months are equally mild, with an average high temperature of 20 °C and low of 11 °C, although inland areas often experience warmer daytime highs. Victoria does occasionally experience more extreme temperatures. The highest temperature ever recorded in Victoria was 36.0 °C on July 11, 2007, while the coldest temperature on record was -15.7 °C on December 29, 1968.

Thanks to the rain shadow effect of the nearby Olympic Mountains, Victoria is the driest location on the B.C. coast, with dramatically lower rainfall than other nearby areas. Total annual precipitation is just 608 mm. One of the most striking features of Victoria's climate is that it has distinct dry and rainy seasons. Nearly two-thirds of the annual precipitation falls during the four wettest months, November to February. During the summer months, Victoria is the driest major city in Canada. Victoria averages just 26 centimetres of snow annually.

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Getting There

By Plane

Victoria International Airport (YYJ) offers flights to/from Seattle, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, San Francisco and even seasonal flights south to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Honolulu, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

By Train

The Malahat is operated by ViaRail and travels between Victoria and Courtenay on Vancouver Island.

By Boat

There are several ferries operating between Victoria and mainly Washington State in the USA:

Coho Ferry: Port Angeles, Washington - Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria Express: Port Angeles - Victoria and San Juan Islands - Victoria
Victoria Clipper: Seattle - Victoria
BC Ferries operates between Victoria and Vancouver.

By Cruise Ship

Victoria is a major destination port for cruise lines during the Alaska Cruise Ship season which normally runs from May to October each year.
Cruise lines like Holland America, Princess, Carnival are only some of the major ones that dock at Ogden Point. In 2012, over 220 ships docked and more than 500,000 plus passengers visited plus the crew which averages about 1,000 per ship.

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Getting Around

By Car

Some of the options to rent a car include the following companies:

By Public Transport

Local public transportation is run by the Victoria Regional Transit System, which is part of BC Transit. Since 2000, double decker buses have been introduced to the fleet and have become an icon for the city. Rider fare payments can be made in cash, monthly bus passes, disability yearly passes, or tickets.

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Sleep

Budget

Property	Address	Type	Popularity
HI-Victoria	516 Yates Street Vancouver Island	HOSTEL	76
Ocean Island Inn \| Backpackers \| Suites	791 Pandora Avenue Victoria, BC	Hostel	82
The Turtle Hostel	1608 Quadra Street	Hostel	70
Travelodge Victoria	229 Gorge Road East	Hotel	73
Carriage House Bed and Breakfast	596 Toronto St. Victoria, B.C. V8V 1P4	Guesthouse	-
Days Inn - Victoria On the Harbour	427 Belleville Street Victoria	Hotel	-
Best Western Carlton Plaza Victoria	642 Johnson Street	Hotel	-
Super 8 Saanichton Victoria Airport	2477 Mt Newton Cross Rd Jct Patricia Bay Hwy Saanichton	Hotel	-
Hotel 760	760 Queens Street Victoria, B. C.	HOTEL	-

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Keep Connected

Phone

Post

Postal service is provided by Canada Post, a crown corporation owned by the government but run as an independent business.

To format the envelope of a letter sent within Canada, put the destination address on the centre of its envelope, with a stamp, postal indicia, meter label, or frank mark on the top-right corner of the envelope to acknowledge payment of postage. A return address, although it is not required, can be put on the top-left corner of the envelope in smaller type than the destination address.

The lettermail service allows the mailing of a letter. The basic rate is currently set at $0.63 for one standard letter (30 grams or less). The rates for lettermail are based or weight and size and determine whether the article falls into the aforementioned standard format, or in the oversize one. The rate is the same for a postcard.

Mail sent internationally is known as letterpost. It can only contain paper documents. The rate for a standard letter is of $1.10 if sent to the United States, and $1.85 if sent to any other destination. Oversize or overweight letters may be charged a higher fee

Larger parcels can be shipped via Canada post both domestically and internationally, the rate is dependent on the weight and destination. ^[1]

Federal Express or DHL also provide interntional shipping from Canada.

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