Three months ago, I moved from Houston, TX to the PNW (the kitsap peninsula to be specific. near Seattle). What I love about living up here is the accessibility to a plethora of national parks, lakes, the ocean and of course, Canada. I had been to Vancouver in 2017 and really enjoyed it but since then, I knew I wanted to revisit and particularly go to Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island.

So when my high school friend from the Bay Area, CA wanted to visit me over Labor Day weekend, the decision was made! We would spend 2 days and one night exploring Victoria and all it had to offer. Since I live on the Kitsap peninsula, west of Seattle and the Puget Sound, it was an hour and a half drive up north to Port Angeles. From there, we took the Black Ball Ferry Line or Coho Ferry (option for ferry + hotel packages here: (https://www.cohoferry.com) across the water to Victoria, which was another 90 mins away.

Pulling into the harbor in Victoria, we were welcomed by the hustle and bustle of the beautiful port town. A short walk away from the harbor was our hotel for the night: the Royal Scot Hotel & Suites. The hotel was super quaint and cute and our room was more like a suite that came with a small kitchen and living room area. It was more than enough space for the two of us and I highly recommend it if you’re planning to visit the area. After checking in to this hotel, it was time to explore our itinerary!

Day 1:

1. We were ready to eat after our ferry ride and wanted the authentic, Canadian poutine as our first meal! For those that may be unfamiliar with poutine, it’s basically French fries served with gravy and cheese curds and can be topped off with your favorite kind of meat. I promise it tastes better than it sounds when done well 😉 Near the harbor, there was place called L’authentique poutine and burgers that had been recommended to me by a patient. This place DID NOT disappoint! I loved that they had traditional poutine options, but they even had vegan poutine, which surpassed my expectations (especially when you’re lactose intolerant).

2. Next, we hopped in an Uber for a 45 min ride away to the very well-known Butchart Gardens. Pictures truly say a thousand words when conveying the beauty of the gardens. We spent hours here visiting every garden that makes up the giant park. They also had an incredibly cute gelato place in the Italian garden section and a cafe with decent coffee drinks and food. Little did we know that they do a fireworks show on Saturday night and it’s included in your ticket! It wasn’t my favorite part of the gardens, but it’s worth the experience if you visit on a Saturday evening.

Day 2:

3. One of the fun, but basic things to do while in Victoria is to enjoy English high tea. The most popular places to go for high tea is the The Empress, the tall, grandiose hotel that looms over the harbor. However, I decided to try a smaller high tea experience at the Abkhazi Gardens. We did make reservations over the phone a couple weeks prior to our trip because it was a long weekend, but they’re not necessary! A short 10 min Uber ride away, we found ourselves in a residential neighborhood with a gate welcoming us into a small garden. We opted for the royal high tea experience complete with finger sandwiches, scones and clotted cream, various desserts and of course a pot of fresh, hot tea of your choosing. The aesthetic was pleasing and it was a beautiful, sunny day to walk around the small gardens. The original owners were Georgian immigrants that found themselves in Victoria around the WWII era.

4. Sushi was necessary to end our time in Victoria before our 7 pm ferry back on Sunday. However, having lived in the Bay Area, CA for many years and spending a few months on Oahu, Hawaii, I am picky about sushi. Luckily, the Google reviews lived up to the hype when we went to: Uni Sushi on Wharf st. They had a unique selection of rolls and nigiri and as you can see with the video below the presentation was impeccable!

An added bonus was the amazing sunset we saw while on the ferry ride back!

Although it was a quick weekend trip to Victoria, BC, we checked off all the first-timey things to do off our list. I will definitely go back and visit to enjoy the port town vibes including the great views and even better food!