Is it worth visiting Victoria, British Columbia?

Hi

I know it is expensive to get across to the Island, but I think Victoria would be well worth a visit. If you have kids or don't there are plenty of things to do.

The Empress Hotel is one of the Finest in BC and is Beautiful with the ivy growing all over it.

It is right near the Provincial Buildings which are spectacular at night and don something like 6000 little lights.

Here also is the Waterfront where the Wax Museum, Miniature world, the Bug Museum, and there are venders that are great artists, and some musicians that are very unique.

Victoria has a wonderful Historical Museum that has alot of BC history. From the Natives to the Gold Rush and all kinds of neat displays. The egyptian mummies were there recently as was the Titanic display.

Bouchart Gardens is one of the most wonderful gardens in all of Canada and I believe it is free to attend, they also have fireworks at certain times of the year.

I live in Northern, BC and have been to Victoria many times and think it is a wonderful beautiful city with fabulous houses and Yaghts and great things to do, what I have listed here are just a few. I know you would not be disappointed....

YES! Here are the top reasons:

1. Beautiful city, right near the harbor - Vancouver is too, but Victoria is more 'quaint'.

2. Wonderful museum

3. If you have ANY interest in gardens, Butchart is worth the trip

4. If you like sweets, do go for high tea at the Empress.

5. Great shopping.

If you have the time, you can get off the ferry at one of the San Juans and spend a day there - that's also well worth doing.

There is also a car ferry that leaves from Anacortes WA, about an hour north of Seattle, and arrives in Sydney Vancouver Island. This ferry also stops at the San Juan Islands, There boat ride is shorter than it is from Seattle. Sydney is about 1/2 hour from Victoria. Make sure you go to Butchard (sp?) Gardens outside of Victoria. There is a small inn in Anacortes right near the pier, can't remember the name but I'm sure their chamber of commerce would know it. Also stayed at the Best Western in Sydney which was reasonable. If you are only interested in Victoria, I too would suggest leaving the car in the US, and do Sydney on foot

I worked the when I was achef, and the ferry to Seattle leaves from there to, as for hotels, there are some lesser priced motels coming into town on Douglas St, I lived off of Bay near the Armories, even on Blanchard you can find some reasonable places, if you take the ferry to the isalnd and then go to Seattle from Victoria you will save time and money. Go across to Port Angeles, the ferries go more than once a day and drive the rest of the way, this time of year the route is safer and scenic.

Visiting Victoria

I can understand your hesitation and second thoughts. Moving to another country is a pretty big deal. Wait and see if you get this job, anyway, or if you even want it after you've checked them out. First thing that comes to my mind is that you're at a pretty good age to give it a shot. You still have time to establish yourselves in a new place, with lots of energy(I hope) to handle new circumstances, before starting to think about retirement. If, in a few years, it doesn't seem to be working out, you still have time to change your minds. Are there really any stable jobs any more? Things can change in a heartbeat at work these days. Your pay will be lower here, sure, but so will your health care premiums and you'll never have to worry about paying a large medical bill. That matters more as you get older. You've checked house prices, I guess? Don't know what they are in LA but some of ours are pretty high. Your wife's work sounds like it could be flexible in terms of future possibilities. BC is a great place to live, don't know why anyone wouldn't like it, though I'm sure some don't. I'm a transplant myself and they will have to pry me out of here if I ever leave. It's not so far from here to LA for visits, and at least it's in the same time zone which simplifies things. Having elderly parents is definitely a consideration, and I suppose you have to assess that with all the circumstances in mind, like is their health still good or obviously deteriorating, will they need financial help from you, do you have siblings who can help take care, etc etc. You can't see the future with something like that, no matter where you're living. Many older people manage very well for much longer than you might expect. My opinion is that you should go with your first gut feeling, which is that you would like to live in BC. All the rest is details to be managed. I moved out of Vancouver a few years ago, after a couple of years of wondering what I was still doing in a large city. Things haven't worked out like I thought but they've worked out better, if different, and almost every day I find myself thinking I'm glad I did what I did because I love where I am. Really liking where you are can matter a lot.

You can park your car at the ferry terminal, walk on to the ferries and take the bus in to Victoria for a whole lot less. There's lots to see and do in the downtown area of Victoria. It's a beautiful city, with a very pretty waterfront area in front of the Provincial Capital buildings.

Sorry - I shouldn't say a whole lot less because I don't know how many of you are going to be in the car. You can google up the information at BCFERRIES.com and compare the rates for yourself. It's usually less if you travel mid=week.

With its hill backdrop and downtown beaches, Vancouver gets the rightly acquired standing of being one of the very most lovely towns on the planet, with hotelbye you will have the opportunity to see this unique city. Among the places you will need to see in Vancouver may be the Downtown Vancouver. Downtown Vancouver is brilliantly based on a peninsula in the Strait of Georgia bounded to the south by the delta of the Fraser River and to the north by a strong fiord achieving far inland. Here you may also see the frequently snow-covered stages of the Coast Mountains. Stanley Park is one of the very most visited parks. Is a lush Peninsula Park of large trees adjoining to Downtown Vancouver. A flat seawall way encircles the natural space, and most guests make an effort to discover on foot or by bicycle. Inland, the park offers many things to complete, and guests may spend the full time exploring attractions ranging from the totem poles at Brockton Point to the west coast sea life at the Vancouver Aquarium. Spectacular opinions are a standard through the entire park.

Yes, totally. Visit Mary Tudor's House. It's a replica of the house Shakespeare was born in. Very cool. Also go to Butchart Gardens.

Victoria's really nice. I think it's worth it, It has a lot of history there and building and statues worth taking pictures of xD And it's small and peaceful. A real province :]