Things to do
Things to do in Victoria, BC: hours, prices and how long to allow
Victoria’s visitor places each publish their own hours and prices, and this page collects 29 of them with the date we checked. Use the filters for indoor places on a rainy day, parks and nature, places that list family features, places with no fee listed and places that are wheelchair accessible. For example, Craigdarroch Castle is $23.50 for adults and open Wednesday to Sunday, the Maritime Museum of BC is $10 and open Tuesday to Saturday, and Hatley Park’s formal gardens are free daily from 10 am to dusk.
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Craigdarroch Castle
A Victorian mansion built between 1887 and 1890 for the coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, with four floors of stained glass, woodwork and period furnishings.
- Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
- Adult admission: $23.50
- Time to allow: Tours take a minimum of 45 minutes
- Access: Not wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
The Butchart Gardens
Show gardens in Brentwood Bay, about 22 km from Victoria, built around an old limestone quarry.
- Hours: Oct 1–31: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm daily. Hours change by month.
- Adult admission: $36.75 (October 2026)
- Time to allow: A leisurely walk through the gardens typically takes 1.5 to 2 hours, with extra time for shopping or dining
- Access: Partly wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
- Family: A Rose Carousel, a children’s afternoon tea (ages 12 and under) and free stroller loan with a refundable deposit.
Royal BC Museum
The provincial museum of natural and human history, on the Inner Harbour.
- Hours: See the official page
- Adult admission: $32.00
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Maritime Museum of BC
Exhibits on British Columbia’s maritime history, close to the Inner Harbour.
- Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
- Adult admission: $10.00
- Time to allow: Guests typically spend 30–60 minutes reading, exploring and interacting with the exhibits
- Access: Wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
- Family: Children’s activity books for the current exhibit, a colouring station and a baby change table.
Miniature World
A collection of miniature scenes, inside the Fairmont Empress Hotel building.
- Hours: Monday to Sunday, 10:00 am – 9:00 pm (last admission 8:15 pm)
- Adult admission: $22.50
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Victoria Butterfly Gardens
An indoor tropical garden with free-flying butterflies, about 20 km north of downtown Victoria and minutes from Butchart Gardens.
- Hours: Fall (Sep 5 – Dec 13): 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily, last admission 4:00 pm
- Adult admission: $20.00
- Time to allow: Most visitors spend between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours
- Access: Wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
- Family: Free wheelchair or stroller loan on request; the site lists a scavenger hunt and an insectarium.
Beacon Hill Park
City of Victoria park of roughly 740,000 square metres with natural areas, flower beds, footpaths and play features.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
- Family: Play equipment and washrooms are listed among the park’s amenities.
Goldstream Provincial Park
A BC Parks provincial park with old-growth forest, about 16 km of trails, Niagara Falls (47.5 metres) and an annual chum salmon run.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Partly wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
- Family: The Freeman King Visitor Centre offers interpretive programs, and short 5 to 15 minute riverside walks are listed.
Sooke Potholes Provincial Park
A day-use BC Parks park on the Sooke River with a series of deep, naturally carved rock pools.
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Hatley Park
A National Historic Site and Royal Roads University campus with Hatley Castle, formal Italian, Japanese and rose gardens, trails and waterfront, about 25 minutes from downtown Victoria according to the park.
- Hours: Formal gardens: every day, 10 am to dusk
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse
Two Parks Canada National Historic Sites: a coastal fortress and the 150-year-old Fisgard Lighthouse.
- Hours: Oct 16 – Apr 30: 10 am – 4 pm. May 1 – Oct 15: 10 am – 5 pm.
- Adult admission: $10.00
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Partly wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
Victoria Bug Zoo
A small indoor zoo of live insects and arachnids, with animal handling offered by educators.
- Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00 am – 4:00 pm; Sat–Sun 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Adult admission: $18.00
- Time to allow: Depending on interest and attention span, visitors can spend anywhere between 20 minutes and 2 hours
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
- Family: Educators run circular, continuous tours with animal handling; children’s admission is free.
Beacon Hill Children’s Farm
A children’s farm with a goat petting area and daily goat stampedes, in the Beacon Hill Park area (location from OpenStreetMap).
- Hours: Closed for the winter; reopening March 2027
- Admission: See the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
- Family: Goat petting area, daily goat stampedes at 10:10 am and 4:10 pm and lunchtime animal feedings.
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary
A nature sanctuary with a wetland, an easy loop trail and a floating boardwalk.
- Hours: Grounds and trails: dawn to dusk, every day
- Admission: See the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Partly wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
Government House and Gardens
The residence of British Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor, with 20+ gardens open to the public and free guided tours of the house.
- Hours: Grounds: open 365 days a year; 5:30 am – 9:00 pm in spring and summer
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Partly wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
- Family: A free downloadable scavenger hunt map for exploring the estate.
PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park)
One of Saanich’s signature parks: 188 hectares and more than 21 km of trails, the largest urban forest on the Saanich Peninsula.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Francis/King Regional Park
A Capital Regional District park of towering trees and trails, with a Nature Centre.
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Thetis Lake Regional Park
One of the CRD’s largest and most popular regional parks, with more than 40 km of trails; the CRD calls it Canada’s first nature sanctuary (established 1958).
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park
Two conjoined lakes with four family-friendly beaches, picnic grounds, 15 km of walking trails including a 10 km loop, a Nature Centre and an accessible fishing dock.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Partly wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
- Family: Four family-friendly beaches, picnic grounds and a nature playground at Hamsterly Beach.
Mill Hill Regional Park
A hill park with a 203 m summit, Douglas-fir forest, Garry oak ecosystem and views of Esquimalt Harbour and Victoria.
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park
A seashore park with forest trails, a freshwater creek, salt marshes, a sandy beach and Sitting Lady Falls; over 160 bird species have been documented.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
- Family: The CRD describes it as a destination for the whole family.
Island View Beach Regional Park
A long sandy beach on the eastern shore of the Saanich Peninsula with dune, wetland and shrub ecosystems, a picnic area and a campground.
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Mount Work Regional Park
A large regional park with three freshwater lakes (Killarney, Durrance and Pease), a challenging summit trail and a separate multi-use trail area at Hartland.
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Partly wheelchair accessible (per the official site)
- Family: Durrance Lake is described as the most accessible lake and popular with families and picnickers.
Matheson Lake Regional Park
A 156-hectare park with a lake, a loop trail and a sandy beach, next to Roche Cove Regional Park and the Galloping Goose Regional Trail.
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Fisherman’s Wharf
A marina on the harbour run by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, with takeout food including Barb’s and Jackson’s Ice Cream.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Victoria’s Chinatown National Historic Site
A national historic site designated in 1995 as the oldest surviving Chinatown in Canada, with cohesive groupings of historic buildings. A commemorative plaque is on Fisgard Street near Fan Tan Alley.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Ross Bay Cemetery
A Victorian-era municipal heritage site in continuous use since 1872, overlooking Ross Bay, with guided tours run by the Old Cemeteries Society.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: No fee listed on the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
BC Parliament Buildings
The BC Parliament Buildings, on Belleville Street.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: See the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
A public art gallery in the Rockland neighbourhood.
- Hours: See the official page
- Admission: See the official page
- Time to allow: Not stated by the operator
- Access: Wheelchair access not stated on the official page checked
© OpenStreetMap contributors. Map data generated from the Protomaps basemap build 20261017.
- Craigdarroch Castle
- The Butchart Gardens
- Royal BC Museum
- Maritime Museum of BC
- Miniature World
- Victoria Butterfly Gardens
- Beacon Hill Park
- Goldstream Provincial Park
- Sooke Potholes Provincial Park
- Hatley Park
- Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse
- Victoria Bug Zoo
- Beacon Hill Children’s Farm
- Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary
- Government House and Gardens
- PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park)
- Francis/King Regional Park
- Thetis Lake Regional Park
- Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park
- Mill Hill Regional Park
- Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park
- Island View Beach Regional Park
- Mount Work Regional Park
- Matheson Lake Regional Park
- Fisherman’s Wharf
- Victoria’s Chinatown National Historic Site
- Ross Bay Cemetery
- BC Parliament Buildings
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Nothing matches those filters. Clear a filter to see more places.
How the cards work
Every card repeats what the place says on its own pages: opening hours, an admission price, how long to allow and what access is available. Some cards are mostly empty on purpose: where an official site would not load or does not say, the card says so. Nothing on a card is a rating, an opinion or a ranking. Where a place does not publish something, the card says “not stated” or “see the official page” instead of filling a gap.
Distance sorting uses straight-line distance from the Inner Harbour calculated from OpenStreetMap coordinates. It is not a travel time. Door-to-door travel times arrive with the travel-time matrix in a later phase.
Pages for single places and activities
- Craigdarroch Castle: hours, prices, accessibility and getting there.
- Butchart Gardens: admission by month, how long to allow, getting there from Victoria or a cruise ship.
- Royal BC Museum: admission prices and what we could not confirm.
- Whale watching: species by month, boat versus Zodiac and the viewing-distance rules.
- Afternoon tea: a facts-only comparison.
- Day trips from Victoria: travel details where official sources give them.
Arriving in Victoria
If you are still planning how to arrive, see how to get to Victoria. For a cruise ship day, a dedicated planner is coming in a later phase.
Frequently asked questions
Which things to do in Victoria list no admission fee?
The cards marked “No fee listed” are places whose official pages list no admission or day-use fee: the parks run by the CRD, BC Parks, Saanich and the City of Victoria, plus Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and Ross Bay Cemetery. Two say it outright: Hatley Park’s formal gardens and Government House’s grounds and gardens are described as free. That is a statement about the page, not a promise. Thetis Lake and Sooke Potholes charge for parking from May 1 to September 30, and Hatley Park has pay parking, so check each card.
What can we do in Victoria when it rains?
Use the “Indoor (rainy day)” filter: Craigdarroch Castle, the Maritime Museum of BC, Miniature World, Victoria Butterfly Gardens, the Victoria Bug Zoo, the Royal BC Museum, the BC Parliament Buildings and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. For the last three, the official sites would not load for us, so hours are not confirmed. Craigdarroch is closed Monday and Tuesday and the Maritime Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday.
What can we do with children?
The “Family features listed” filter shows places whose own pages list a family feature: the Maritime Museum’s activity books, children’s tea and stroller loan at Butchart Gardens, stroller loan at Victoria Butterfly Gardens, goat stampedes at Beacon Hill Children’s Farm (closed for the winter), animal handling at the Bug Zoo, a scavenger hunt at Government House and family beaches and a nature playground at Elk/Beaver Lake. Craigdarroch Castle does not allow strollers inside. A place without a family feature listed may still welcome children.
How long do I need at each place?
Only some operators say. The Bug Zoo says 20 minutes to 2 hours, the Maritime Museum 30 to 60 minutes, Victoria Butterfly Gardens 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, Craigdarroch’s tours take a minimum of 45 minutes and Butchart Gardens 1.5 to 2 hours. Where an operator gives no guidance, the card says so.
What is closed or changed right now?
As of 18 October 2026: Beacon Hill Children’s Farm is closed for the winter until March 2027; Hatley Park’s daily guided castle tours have ended for the season; at Fort Rodd Hill the lighthouse and historic buildings are open weekends only until April 30; and the road to the summit of Mount Douglas (PKOLS) is closed until December 1, 2026. Hours change, so check each official page.
Where do the opening hours and prices come from?
From each place’s own official pages, with the date we checked and a link on every card. Several sites blocked or refused our requests. Where that happened, the card says “not confirmed” instead of using a third-party listing.
More in Things to do
- Craigdarroch CastleGuide
- Butchart GardensGuide
- Whale watchingGuide
- Royal BC MuseumGuide
- Afternoon teaGuide
- Day trips from VictoriaGuide
Sources
- Craigdarroch Castle: plan your visit
- Butchart Gardens: hours and rates
- Maritime Museum of BC: plan your visit
- Miniature World: rates and contact
- Victoria Butterfly Gardens: FAQ
- City of Victoria: Beacon Hill Park
- BC Parks: Goldstream Park
- Hatley Park: gardens
- Parks Canada: Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse hours
- Government House: visit
- Capital Regional District: regional parks
- Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary: visit
- Beacon Hill Children’s Farm: FAQ
- Victoria Bug Zoo: visit
- Royal BC Museum ticketing