Vancouver Island has been on our travel wishlist for many years, and a planned trip in 2020 was sadly scrapped due to the pandemic; we were finally able to get it rescheduled in August 2024. We arrived in Vancouver in the early evening, and decided to spend the night in North Vancouver so we could be close to our rental car pick-up and the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal where we would be departing for Nanaimo. We stayed the night at the Lonsdale Quay Hotel, which is close to the SeaBus terminal and the bustling waterfront.

We arrived at the ferry about an hour before departure, which gave us enough time to walk to Horseshoe Bay village and grab a sandwich. Food is available on the ferry if you don’t have time for the village. Don’t worry about leaving your car in the ferry queue, just be back in time to load! If the ferry is in your travel plans, definitely reserve in advance; you can pay upfront or upon arrival at the entrance.

The ferry was about two hours, and was very comfortable. There are decks outside if you need air or want to spy a whale; we had a humpback sighting en route to Nanaimo.

After landing in Nanaimo, we made the hour-plus drive to Victoria where we would spend our first week at a comfortable Airbnb in Saanich, which was a 15 min. drive from Victoria. Once we got settled in to our home for the week, we headed to Victoria for dinner. Once again we were faced with packed restaurants with long waits, but a friendly restaurant manager directed us to End Dive, a quirky space with an even quirkier menu, inventive cocktails, and friendly service. After dinner we walked around Chinatown for bit, hunted down a supermarket for our weekly provisions, then headed home for the night. One note about Saanich and the residential areas of Victoria: there are a LOT of deer roaming the streets and yards so be careful driving.

The following day, we drove to Fisherman’s Wharf Marina, where we saw an otter lounging on the rocks, and had excellent fish & chips at The Fish Store. The Wharf is small and easy to cover in an hour or two. In addition to restaurants and shops, there are also some private residences, and many of the whale watching companies are located here.

Once our exploration of the Wharf was complete, we drove to the city center where we found street parking directly in front of the Fairmont Empress hotel. One of our favorite travel traditions is having “fancy cocktails” in high end hotels wherever we are visiting, so we headed inside the Empress for a look and a drink. For those interested, the Empress offers a traditional English afternoon tea service from 11:00 to 4:00 during the week (which is extended to 5:30PM Thursday to Sunday). Interesting fact: “high tea” is not the same as afternoon tea…afternoon tea is a light meal that includes delicate sandwiches, pastries, biscuits, and cakes. High tea is a more substantial meal that includes meat, fish, baked food, or vegetables, is served later in the day, and is referred to more frequently as supper or dinner. After cocktails, we wandered around the Empress gardens, and eventually made our way over to Government Street where we checked out some of the beautiful architecture. Definitely take a moment to pop in to the Bard & Banker, which is a beautiful building with an interesting history.

The next day we headed to Butchart Gardens, which is one of the most impressive botanical gardens we’ve ever seen. The original home was established in 1904, and Isaburo Kishida was commissioned to design the first gardens by Jennie Butchart. Over time, different sections of the property were transformed in to additional gardens, which in time were opened to the public. The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada, but are still owned and managed by the Butchart family. The Victoria Butterfly Gardens are very close to Butchart, and if you have time, it’s an interesting stop. 

On day three, we ventured out to Hatley Castle, which offers guided tours. This was a bit of a disappointing excursion; there are only a few rooms included in the tour, and the rooms are not decorated from the period. The history is interesting, however, and the grounds are beautiful, with stunning views of the Esquimalt Lagoon. Be aware that your entry fee to the castle does not include parking; you will need to pay to park at the castle.

The next day we were ready for a road trip so we headed west to the Juan De Fuca park to do a little hiking along a moderate stretch from China Beach to Mystic Beach. On our way, we saw our first bear of the trip as it attempted to cross the road we were traveling on, and quickly changed its mind and turned back to the woods from where it emerged. We started our hike with enthusiasm, but an hour in we realized the trail was a bit more aggressive than we were prepared for. We turned around and went back to the trail head, and decided to walk down to China Beach instead, which was partially paved and much more our speed.

The following day we joined a whale watching cruise with the Eagle Wing Tours which launches from the Wharf. We selected Eagle Wing because they offered numerous boat options, so we were able to pick a partially covered boat, which was a great move in hindsight. Despite it being a warm, sunny day, once out on the water it was quite cold! If you take a whale watching cruise, be sure to dress in layers and bring a warm jacket.

The whale watching was an incredible experience, and we saw seals, a few Orca pods and a humpback. It’s exhilarating to see these animals in the wild, and one of the whales came very close to our boat, giving us an up-close perspective before swimming under the vessel. The crew was very excited as were the passengers! The excursion lasted about 3.5 hours, which was just enough time. After the tour we had an excellent dinner at Eva Schnitzelhaus, which I highly recommend.

On our last day in Victoria, we checked out Craigdarroch Castle, which we loved. Unlike Hatley Castle, Craigdarroch has been fully decorated with period furniture and nearly every room in the castle was open for self-guided tour. We spent over an hour admiring the mansion and its history, and afterward we headed to the Royal BC Museum to see the Blue Whale IMAX film, which was excellent and moving. For dinner, we celebrated our last night at Il Terrazzo, which many consider to be the best restaurant in Victoria. Our meal was amazing and memorable.

The next day we departed for Ucluelet for the second part of our Vancouver Island trip. It was a long drive, with heavy traffic making it even longer. To break up the drive, we stopped in Parkville for lunch, and at the Taylor River Rest Area to stretch our legs and lay eyes on the bright blue water that seems out of place at a rest stop. Although the water was cold, there were many people swimming and enjoying the crystal clear pools.

In Ucluelet, we checked in to the Cabins at Terrace Beach. Our room was in the Lodge, and although somewhat sparce, it was comfortable and had a beautiful view. We didn’t have the greatest weather during our time in Ucluelet (Ukee to the locals) and Tofino, but we made the best of it. We checked out the Amphitrite Point Lighthouse, the Ancient Cedars loop trail, and did a bit of walking around Ukee and Tofino. On our last day in Ukee, we saw our second bear walking on Big Beach picnic park near the Black Rock resort. For nature lovers, surfers and cyclists, this area would be a dream, with miles of bike trails, beaches, and camping.

At the end of three days, we headed to our Airbnb in Nanaimo for a few days to do laundry and rest up for the next leg of our journey: Banff. We made one short trip out of town to Coombs to see the goats at the fabulous Country Market, and to walk along Qualicum Beach (we found another schnitzel restaurant so of course we stopped).

We have dreamed of visiting Vancouver Island for years, and now that we’ve been, we understand what all the fuss is about. Vancouver Island has so much to offer, it would be impossible not to fall in love with this natural paradise!