Tag: royal-bc-museum

Back to Vancouver to catch a train

Sadly, our time on Vancouver Island was limited, as we had a train to catch — the iconic Rocky Mountaineer, running from Vancouver to Banff. However, we made the most of our final day exploring Victoria.

After breakfast, we strolled over to Fisherman’s Wharf, just a few minutes from our hotel. You can easily spend an hour or so here admiring the boardwalks, browsing shops and eateries, and soaking in the atmosphere of the colourful floating homes.

From there, we headed into town to explore more of Victoria. The city offers a wide variety of shops and restaurants. You could easily spend a few hours at the Royal BC Museum, where you can learn about British Columbia’s natural history and Indigenous cultures. Right next door is Thunderbird Park, home to a striking display of totem poles. Or, if Parliament isn’t in session, consider taking a tour of the Parliament Buildings.

By lunchtime, we were ready for some nourishment, so we headed to the Jam Café on Herald Street — an excellent choice. Their breakfasts and brunches are exceptional. We’ve also been to the Jam Café in Vancouver (on Beatty Street), which was just as good. We waited in line for a few minutes, but it was absolutely worth it.

If you’re walking to the Victoria Jam Café from the harbour area, you’ll pass Chinatown, which is the oldest in Canada. It’s well worth a visit, with its unique architecture, vibrant shops, and fantastic restaurants.

After lunch, we wandered back down toward the harbour and spent some time simply enjoying the buzz and beauty of this picturesque spot. Then, we grabbed a coffee at Macchiato Caffè on Broad Street (they also have a location on Johnson Street), before heading to the bus stop for our return trip.

We had booked tickets with BC Ferries Connector for a 3:30 p.m. departure, and right on time, they picked us up. About an hour later, we arrived at the terminal for the 5 p.m. sailing from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen. The evening was sunny and calm, making for a truly beautiful crossing. We reached Tsawwassen just as the sun was beginning to set.

By the time we were dropped off at our hotel — the Coast Coal Harbour — it was dark. The hotel had kindly stored our main luggage while we were away on the island. After dropping our bags off in the room, we headed out for dinner and decided to walk to Gastown, a lively area about a 15-minute walk away. It’s also home to the famous Gastown Steam Clock, which is definitely worth a visit.

Tips:

• Fishermans Wharf is fantastic and certainly worth exploring.
• The Jam Café is a must for breakfast or brunch, its excellent.
• Explore Victoria and maybe take in a tour of the Parliament Buildings if you can.
• Enjoy the wonderful BC ferries crossing.
• Gastown is worth a visit, and you get to see the steam clock.