Non-Touristy Things to Do in Victoria: Hidden Gems & More

Yes, you've taken an obligatory stroll in the Butchart Gardens. You've worn your sophisticated hat and had afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel. You have successfully spotted orcas at your whale-watching tour and patted yourself on the back (or maybe you were one of the unfortunate 10% who couldn't see anything mammalian out there except your species.) You have cultivated a love for human and natural history (against your will) to explore the famous Royal BC Museum. You've seen it all, done it all, but you're still not satisfied.

That's because you need something more to *really* connect to this beautiful place. Something that would be more than a typical tourist’s itinerary of the city! Well, I've curated a list of some hidden gems you need to explore in Victoria that can satiate your craving for the off-the-beaten-track journey into this city! Hopefully, this list will be your guide after you've done everything touristy there is to do in the city.

Goldstream Provincial Park

Vlad D / Unsplash

If your journey leads you to the west side of the Saanich Inlet, just north of Victoria, don't forget to visit this gem of a place. Resting on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, this lush park is a sight for sore eyes with its gorgeous Douglas fir, western yew, red alder, western red cedar, and big-leaf maple trees. Spending just a few minutes in this enchanting place will transport you to another realm where you'll be blanketed by greenery all over. Where your music will be the music of the majestic waterfalls. 

Interestingly enough, Goldstream Provincial Park houses a waterfall called Niagara Falls (no, not the one you're thinking of.) This waterfall is a must-see in spring when it's a bellowing spectacle, standing as high as its namesake (47.5 meters.) Spring also welcomes the blossoming of rare plant life and wildflowers in the park from Dense Spike Primrose to the Pacific Waterleaf. So I’d recommend that you visit this park in spring to get the most out of seasonal delights! But if you're more of a fauna person, you'll be glad to know that this park is home to many species of reptiles, amphibians, and whatnot. So it's safe to say that this park offers something for everyone!

Ross Bay Cemetery

This is not your typical Victorian historical place to visit like Craigdarroch Castle. Ross Bay Cemetery is a perfect place for those who are bold enough to claim they love strolling in cemeteries (maybe they read Mary Shelley beyond academia.) If you're one such person, don't miss this one! Come and pay homage to the many famous Americans and Canadians resting in eternal peace here. If you're into art and all things refined, you'd find this spot even more interesting (Emily Carr rests here.) 

Abkhazi Garden

Yes, I know you've already witnessed the exquisiteness of Victorian gardens! No one can escape the charm of Butchart Gardens when they visit this beautiful city. But Victoria has much more to offer from its treasury of nature. The Abkhazi Gardens are one such example. The love child and heritage home of Prince and Princess Abkhazi, these gardens were maintained by the Abkhazis for 40 years, and later by The Land Conservancy after their deaths.

Visiting this place is a non-touristy experience you must have. After hearing all that talk of history, heritage, and the West Coast design this attraction is surrounded with, the garden gives way to a breathtaking natural landscape that you'll find nowhere else but in Victoria. Dotted with glaciated rocky slopes, and carpeted with alpines, naturalized bulbs, and woodland plantlife, this garden offers a serene escape away from the hotspots bustling with tourists. Everywhere you look, you'll see 50 years of natural beauty enriched with conifers, rhododendrons, native Garry oaks, and Japanese maples. So if you're tired of seeing urban landscapes and seas of tourists everywhere you go in Victoria, come visit this garden to escape it all! 

Uplands 

If you're a fan of Jane Austen, history, and period films, Uplands will be a delightful spot for you! Nowhere else will you find such elegance of architecture and vibe of English country homes. Stroll down the Beach Drive, and step onto the side roads, there you'll witness giant mansions, and houses rich with heritage and architectural beauty. 

One spot you must see in Uplands is a national historic site—Hatley Castle. This gorgeous castle offers more of what Victoria does best—lush Rose, Japanese, and Italian Gardens! Moviegoers will be delighted to find out that some scenes of X-Men feature this beautiful castle. The castle is also home to Royal Roads University, a museum, and a gift shop which you can visit from 10 am to 4 pm. 

Peter Scholten / Unsplash

Dragon Alley

Not to be confused with Diagon Alley from Harry Potter, Dragon Alley is an equally mysterious street. Nestled in Chinatown, this alley has a personality as large as the Fan Tan Alley (which is a tourist hotspot because it is Canada’s narrowest alley.) Dragon Alley bridges Fisgard and Herald Streets, beckoning you with a red Dragon Alley sign on the north tip of Fisgard Street. This place is crawling with quaint Work/Live townhouses, eateries, and shops. 

If you stumble upon The Emporium in Unit 12, get in! This gift shop is a locals’ favorite with its eclectic mix of items of culture and art from pottery, and paintings, to candles, and jewelry. If you're cultured enough to find meaning in artwork, you'd be delighted to know that The Emporium features local artists such as Nathan Davis, Caleb Speller, Samantha Dickie, and Irma Soltonovich! 

Dragon Alley also embraces the culture of “little libraries” where people take a book for free by leaving one of the books they own. So make sure to grab a book with dog-eared pages that you're tired of reading over and over, and leave it in the Little Library to grab one of its books that you're sure you'll fancy! 

Trounce Alley

Trounce Alley is another quaint pedestrian walkway in Victoria with decidedly European vibes. Hugged by Government Street, View Street, Broad Street, and Yates Street on its sides, this alley is teeming with cute indie shops to satisfy your collector’s soul and local eateries to let you recharge for your next step! A local’s tip for visiting Trounce Alley: indulge in Spanish-inspired tapas on the heated patio of the Tapa Bar (they take reservations!) Another tip: explore this neighborhood right after visiting Government Street!

Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse

If you’re overstimulated by the noisy parade of city life in downtown Victoria, escape to the beachy embrace of Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse. These National Historic Sites are just 20 minutes away by car! Check out historic battlements, gun turrets, searchlight emplacements, weapons, and operations rooms and revive that history nerd in you. Trust me, everyone is into history, they just don't know it. But if you're adamant about not caring about history at all (I truly admire the steadfastness because I'm just like you) you'll find lots of other interesting things to do here!

Mario Mendez / Unsplash

For starters, stroll around the fort and climb up the lighthouse to see everything there is to see there. Pro tip: wear your comfiest sneakers because there's lots of strolling in store for you at Fort Rodd Hill. Wander through the many walking trails and take in the breathtaking views of the ocean. Another pro tip: keep your atmospheric post-rock playlist ready for this spot because there's nothing like listening to serene music while admiring nature's abundant gifts! 

There's also a wonderful Garry oak meadow on this hill where you can stroll some more and reconnect to Mother Nature. Stroll even more down to Charlotte's Landing nestled just below the Belmont Battery, for some beachy bliss. Your strolling might get interrupted by some river otters, but you won't possibly get annoyed (they're adorable!)

Ghost Tours

Hereditary, Midsommar, The Lighthouse, Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King. If these words resonate with you, you would love this item in my list of off-the-beaten-track things to do in Victoria! This city has a wonderfully spooky side full to the brim with stories of hangings, murder, and love (with dark twists.) If you want to be familiar with the lore, the best way to do so is by going on a guided tour of Victoria’s most haunted spots!

Now that you have a bit of know-how about the hidden gems of Victoria, let me show you around Victoria like a local!

A Local’s Ideal Day in Victoria 

An ideal day would start with crisp sunlight streaming in through the window (you need the sun to do the best things one can do in Victoria in a day.) After I'm out and about, I'll grab breakfast from my favorite breakfast spots, preferably Frankie's Modern Diner or Jam Café. Then, there would be a bit of bike-renting and joyriding around Beacon Hill Park and along Dallas Road until I'd have burnt out the calories I consumed in breakfast (I'm kidding, I'd stop when I'd get tired.)

Vlad D / Unsplash

Then I'd do my favorite thing of the day: have a delicious lunch, preferably in a restaurant near Fisherman's Wharf. A perfect day in Victoria demands a bit of kayaking, so that's what I'd do next. Or I'll cruise around the harbor in a water taxi to take in the best sights of Victoria on water. After that, I'd indulge in good old consumerism back in the city's eclectic mix of shops followed by dinner downtown to wrap it all up nicely!

Let's Wrap It Up!

Victoria is a place rich with coastal beauty and authentic charm, so even if you visit all the spots I've mentioned in this list, Victoria would still hold many hidden treasures. Only a lot of exploration over the years will be your best bet at uncovering those. Still, this guide holds a lens through which you can glimpse at the charm of Victoria's beautiful gardens, the mystery of its haunted places, the richness of its history, the serenity of its beaches, and more. I hope you have a lot of fun while exploring!