Must-see attractions in Vancouver Island

  • Butchart Gardens

    Vancouver Island

    Far more than just another pretty flower arrangement, Butchart is a national historic site and a triumph of early-20th-century gardening aesthetics. With…

  • Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

    Vancouver Island

    One in a magnificent seven of BC national parks, Pacific Rim is replete with wave-whipped beaches and brooding forests, most of them far from civilization…

  • Totem poles, Totem park, Royal BC Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

    Royal BC Museum

    Victoria

    Arguably the finest museum in British Columbia and carrier of a ‘royal’ prefix since 1987, Victoria’s flagship sight mixes the cream of BC’s provincial…

  • "Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia.Other images of the Victoria, British Columbia:"

    Craigdarroch Castle

    Victoria

    More ostentatious country mansion than fortified castle, Craigdarroch, with its turrets, stained-glass windows and palatial interior, looks like it might…

  • U'mista Cultural Centre

    Vancouver Island

    This must-see longhouse-like facility proudly displays dozens of culturally priceless Kwakwaka'wakw artifacts confiscated when potlatch ceremonies were…

  • BDKR8B Parliment buildings, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

    Parliament Buildings

    Victoria

    This dramatically handsome confection of turrets, domes and stained glass is British Columbia's working legislature and is also open to visitors. You can…

  • VICTORIA, BC/CANADA - APRIL 27 2015:Tarantula spider in the bugs zoo in Victoria BC, Canada on April 27 2015; Shutterstock ID 1427078042; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

Victoria Bug Zoo

    Victoria Bug Zoo

    Victoria

    It’s not big, nor are its resident critters (although some of them are alarmingly colossal by insect standards); however, this diminutive indoor ‘zoo’ is…

  • 2014 May 26: A Display of classic car rally at Miniature World located at Victoria BC. This shows a replica of vintage car rally.; Shutterstock ID 1140846539; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Miniature World

    Victoria

    Tucked along the side of the Fairmont Empress Hotel, this huge collection of skillfully crafted models depicting important battles, historic towns and…

  • Beacon Hill Park, Victoria

    Beacon Hill Park

    Victoria

    Fringed by crashing ocean, this waterfront park is ideal for feeling the breeze in your hair – check out the windswept trees along the cliff top. You'll…

  • Meares Island

    Tofino

    Visible across Clayoquot Sound and accessible via kayak or water taxi from the Tofino waterfront, Meares Island was the site of the key 1984 Clayoquot…

  • Alberni Valley Museum

    Vancouver Island

    Don't be put off by the unassuming concrete exterior: this is one of Vancouver Island's best community museums. Studded with fascinating First Nations…

  • Ucluelet Aquarium

    Vancouver Island

    This excellent catch-and-release facility on the waterfront focuses on illuminating the marine critters found in the region's local waters, which can mean…

  • Cathedral Grove

    Vancouver Island

    This spiritual home of tree-huggers is the mystical highlight of MacMillan Provincial Park. Located between Parksville and Port Alberni, it's often…

  • Raft Cove Provincial Park

    Vancouver Island

    Tiny (8-sq-km) Raft Cove lies south of much larger Cape Scott Provincial Park in Vancouver Island's northwest corner. A short 2km trail brings you to the…

  • Morningstar Farm

    Vancouver Island

    Check out the region's 'locavore' credentials at this delightful and highly welcoming working farmstead. Let your kids run wild – most will quickly fall…

  • Whale Interpretive Centre

    Vancouver Island

    This unique, beautifully rustic barn-like museum is bristling with hands-on artifacts and artfully displayed skeletons of cougars and sea otters, but the…

  • Ecological Park

    Vancouver Island

    A big draw on tiny Cormorant Island, this hidden nature park consists of a small marsh guarded by a clutch of starkly beautiful dead trees (most of them…

  • Cape Scott Provincial Park

    Vancouver Island

    One of Vancouver Island's most ruggedly alluring parks, this isn't the easiest one to access but once you step onto its tree-backed beaches and blink in…

  • Niagara falls creek, in Goldstream Provincial Park, near Victoria, off the Trans Canada Highway 1, on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada.

    Goldstream Provincial Park

    Victoria

    This swath of temperate rainforest a 20-minute drive from the city is bisected by the Trans-Canada but squeezes a lot of nature into its 4.5 sq km. A…

  • Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park

    Vancouver Island

    Home to some of BC's eldest residents, the old-growth spruce and cedar trees in this magnificent but remote park frequently exceed 1000 years of age. With…

  • Strathcona Provincial Park

    Vancouver Island

    Featuring a greatest hits of wilderness attractions as well as Vancouver Island's highest mountain, Mt Golden Hinde (2200m), Strathcona is the poster…

  • Ahousat

    Tofino

    Situated on remote Flores Island and accessed by tour boat or kayak, Ahousat is the mystical location of the spectacular Wild Side Heritage Trail, a…

  • Westholme Tea Farm

    Vancouver Island

    Thought tea was a tropical plant? Not always. Hidden in bucolic farmland 8km north of Duncan, the improbably located Westholme grows its own tea plants…

  • Coombs Old Country Market

    Vancouver Island

    The mother of all pit stops, this wood-framed and turf-roofed food and crafts menagerie is stuffed with bakery and produce delectables. It attracts huge…

  • Clayoquot Campus

    Tofino

    Explore what coastal temperate rainforests are all about by checking out the frog pond, forest boardwalk, native plants and educational workshops at this…

  • Averill Creek

    Vancouver Island

    An upmarket glass-fronted winery that’s popular with tour groups, Averill is cradled by mountains guarding terrain that’s ideal for producing the vineyard…

  • Cumberland Museum

    Vancouver Island

    A wonderfully quirky museum located on a row of false-fronted buildings that looks like a Dodge City movie set, with evocative exhibits on the area's…

  • Elk Falls Provincial Park

    Vancouver Island

    This small but nature-packed provincial park was given fresh impetus for visitors with the building of a new centerpiece, a 60m-long suspension bridge…

  • Merridale Estate Cidery

    Vancouver Island

    One of BC's earliest exponents of craft cider-making, Merridale has since gone from strength to strength. The rustic-chic cidery site is lined with trees…

  • Cherry Point Vineyards

    Vancouver Island

    One of the Cowichan Valley's original wineries is now on its third owners, Colombians who have added a bit of Latin panache to wines such as the crisp,…

  • Juan de Fuca Provincial Park

    Vancouver Island

    A rough and rugged wilderness swath with a wave-crashing coastline where whales, otters and a multitude of marine life thrives. Old-growth forest,…

  • Museum at Campbell River

    Vancouver Island

    This fascinating museum is worth an hour of anyone's time. Its diverse collection showcases indigenous masks, an 1890s pioneer cabin and video footage of…

  • Sooke Region Museum

    Vancouver Island

    This jam-packed community museum is like a 100-year-old attic turned inside-out. It illuminates the area's rugged pioneer days with dioramas, glass cases,…

  • Robert Bateman Centre

    Victoria

    Colonizing part of the Inner Harbour's landmark Steamship Terminal building, this gallery showcases the photo-realistic work of Canada's most celebrated…

  • Emily Carr House

    Victoria

    The birthplace of BC's best-known painter, this bright-yellow gingerbread-style house has plenty of period rooms, plus displays on the artist's life and…

  • Milner Gardens & Woodland

    Vancouver Island

    This idyllic outdoor attraction combines rambling forest trails shaded by centuries-old trees with flower-packed gardens planted with magnificent…

  • Storey Beach

    Vancouver Island

    If you haven’t got time to hit the epic beaches of Cape Scott, decamp to this closer-to-town option mixing urban comforts (picnic tables and parking) with…

  • Horne Lake Caves & Outdoor Centre

    Vancouver Island

    BC's best spelunking, a 45-minute drive from Parksville. Some caves are open to the public for self-exploration, though the excellent guided tours are…

  • Victoria Distillers

    Vancouver Island

    The ambitious manufacturers of Victoria Gin have branched into vodka, whiskey and beyond. The distillery relocated to Sidney in 2016 and now inhabits a…

  • Victoria Butterfly Gardens

    Vancouver Island

    These gardens offer a kaleidoscope of thousands of fluttering critters, from around 75 species, in a free-flying environment. As well as watching them…