
View Royal
View Royal is a town in Greater Victoria and a member municipality of the Capital Regional District of British Columbia, Canada.
View Royal has a population of 11,575 residents. With over 700 hectares of parkland, View Royal includes Thetis, McKenzie, Pike, and Prior Lakes and portions of Esquimalt Harbour and Portage Inlet.
Getting to View Royal
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- 01Victoria International Airport
- 02Victoria Clipper
254 Belleville St, toll-free: +1-800-888-2535.
- 03Black Ball Ferry Line
- 04Victoria
Operates routes from: Vancouver (Tsawwassen) ferry terminal (1 hour 35 minutes crossing.
Worth seeing
Many of Victoria's attractions (and tourist activity) are in or around the Inner Harbour and downtown, including the Parliament Buildings, the Empress Hotel, the Royal BC Museum and Beacon Hill Park. If you're pressed for time, it would be hard to go wrong spending your time there.
- 01Beacon Hill Park
Douglas St & Dallas Rd (head south on Douglas St from downtown; or take Bus #3).
- 02British Columbia Parliament Buildings
501 Belleville St (at the Inner Harbour),.
- 03Chinatown
500-600 block of Fisgard St (Fisgard St, between Store & Government).
- 04Emily Carr House
207 Government St (a 5-10 minute walk south of the Inner Harbour on Government St),.
- 05Maritime Museum of BC
634 Humboldt St (inside the Nootka Court building at the corner of Humboldt & Douglas),.
- 06Miniature World
649 Humboldt St (at the back of the Empress Hotel),.
Things to do
Whale watching is a popular activity in Victoria. Three pods of orcas (killer whales) have feeding grounds between Victoria and the mainland, plus grey whales, humpback whales and minke whales migrate through the Georgia Strait at different times of the year. Some companies offer whale watching tours year-round, but the best time to see whales is considered April to October.
- 01BC Whale Tours
Winter tours (Nov-Feb) are run on demand.
- 02Eagle Wing Tours Whale Watching
12 Erie St (at Fisherman's Wharf), toll-free: +1-800-708-9488.
- 03Five Star Whale Watching
645 Humboldt St, toll-free: +1-800-634-9617.
- 04Orca Spirit Adventures
Offers covered vessels with indoor seating, liquor license, and onboard washrooms, as well as open Zodiac tours.
- 05Prince of Whales
Three sailings daily in Jul & Aug, one sailing daily at other times.
- 06SpringTide Whale Watching and Eco Tours
Multiple daily departures Apr-Oct, winter tours are offered once daily weather and demand permitting.
Where to eat
Victoria has the second-highest number of restaurants per capita of all North American cities! The waterfront tourist area is home to a wide variety of restaurants and eateries, including several English-style pubs. Try the fish and chips or shepherds pie for a taste of England in Canada.
- 01Bent Mast Pub and Restaurant
512 Simcoe St (at Five Corners, in James Bay),.
- 02Garrick’s Head Pub
A simple pub — and “One of the oldest English pubs in Canada” according to their website (est.
- 03Irish Times
Wonderful pub meals, good beer and lots of seating.
- 04Maude Hunter's Pub
3810 Shelbourne St,.
- 05Spinnakers Brewpub
Restaurant open 8AM-11PM, taproom open 11AM-11PM.
Getting around View Royal the local way
- Get in}} Victoria (Swartz Bay) ferry terminal is served by BC Transit.
- Get inRoute 70 operates between Victoria (Swartz Bay) ferry terminal and downtown Victoria via downtown Sidney and McTavish Exchange.
- Get inRoute 72 operates between Victoria (Swartz Bay) ferry terminal and downtown Victoria via downtown Sidney and McTavish Exchange.
- Get inAbout half an hour drive north of Victoria, there are ferry services in Sidney.
- Get inOperates routes from: Vancouver (Tsawwassen) ferry terminal (1 hour 35 minutes crossing.
- Get inVictoria (Swartz Bay) ferry terminal is served by BC Transit on several routes including Route 70, a limited stop bus route connecting to downtown Victoria via Sidney.
- Get inTravel time from the ferry terminal to downtown Victoria is around 45 to 55 minutes.
- Get inTravel time from the ferry terminal to downtown Victoria is around 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes Victoria is a popular destination for boaters from the U.S.A.
From Wikivoyage: Victoria (British Columbia), CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.