Awesome seafood if your into eating-everything is fresh. There's quite a bit to do if you have never been there before. You can spend a whole day on a beach just hanging out and hunting around in the tidal pools and what not.
The first lighthouse on the west coast is in Victoria, as well Craigdarroch castle is pretty cool or so I though. Butchart gardens is something to be seen if you have never been there before, they have a really great choreographed fireworks show certain nights later in the summer. Its very expensive to get in but good if someone likes gardening.
The inner harbor-that is the port you are probably talking about is right downtown, the empress hotel and parliment building are right near by as well-they both have nice gardens attached to them also. There are lots of little stands and people peddling stuff along the inner harbor in the summer, downtown has some good shopping and is easy to get around.
Fishing is awesome too if you have enough money to charter a boat and go out if you are into that. Whale watching is expensive but is cool if you have never done it before, sometimes you can see whales from the Ferry as well.
It is a pretty relaxed place, beautiful scenery, everything is green and smells soooo fresh out there. Lots of nice cars and ritzy houses, no one is really in a hurry out there. Lots of old people-its true. Is a pretty quiet place, can't say much about the bars really, don't think there are any good ones.
If you do go ripping around some back roads in Victoria-watch for deer, they are rampant out there.
For those of you who lived there, anyone ever go for a rip up the road to the observatory?? Hairpin on top of hairpins doubling back on themselves, some crazy roads where we lived back by prospect and elk lake. Too bad about having to worry about deer and oncoming traffic-those roads are a blast.
