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Vancouver Recap (Part 2): Victoria

Happy Friday, friends! I’m back with Part 2 of our Vancouver travels. You can find all the details from Part 1 here, where we explored Whistler!

After our weekend trip in Whistler, we planned a day and a half stay in Victoria. Victoria is actually the capital of British Columbia, and is on Vancouver Island.

Getting to Victoria, BC

While you can fly, drive or take a bus over, you can also ferry over, which I think is part of the fun experience. Plus, it’s the most scenic option available. You can also ferry there from Seattle!

We took the BC Ferries out from the Tsawwassen terminal in Vancouver, and ferried to Swartz Bay in Victoria.

Picture of sea from ferry boat from Vancouver to Victoria

Since we rented a car (at least for the first half of our trip), we opted to take it on the ferry. The reason being was that Victoria was much bigger than I realized, and rather than renting one in Victoria or paying cabs to transport us everywhere, we found it easier to keep our car.

The ferry was about 1.5 hours (60 miles) from Vancouver.

Picture of girl leaning against back of ferry boat

We arrived starving, as usual, and grabbed lunch downtown at a farm to table place called Rebar. Rebar is a delightful vegan and vegetarian restaurant.

Standing next to Rebar restaurant sign in Victoria, BC

We loved the food and emphasis on local culture. We ordered Bahn Mi with tempeh and the quinoa power bowl. Both were absolutely delicious.

The tahini ginger dressing on the quinoa power bowl was hands down my favorite part of the meal. I could slurp that stuff down on its own.

Tempeh salad lunch at Rebar restaurant in Victoria, BC

Power bowl with chickpeas at Rebar restaurant in Victoria, BC

Exploring Victoria

After checking into our Air Bnb spot for the night, we headed back out to explore the downtown area. We walked by the Parliament and walked through the Fairmont Empress Hotel, where I wanted to get tea but it was much too expensive.

We also checked out the local farmer’s markets, which is one of my favorite things to do when exploring!

View of boat from Empress Hotel Empress Hotel with colorful flowers along walkwayParliament Buildings in Victoria, BC

We also enjoyed a lot of time on the Wharf by the water before dinner.

Husband and wife in front of water in Victoria, BC Enjoying views of water in victoria, BC

Red Fish Blue Fish

When researching the top places to eat, Red Fish Blue Fish kept coming up, so we had to check it out. It’s a stationary food truck right on the pier near the Wharf that there is always a line for.

Since we weren’t in any rush and could take our time, we decided to wait in line and get the fish tacos as an appetizer before our reservation.

Red Fish Blue FIsh menu in Victoria, BC

Red Fish Blue FIsh line of people waiting

We got ahi tuna fish tacos and they were delicious. What makes RFBF different is that they literally catch the fish from the wharf you are standing on regularly. Therefore, it is super fresh and local. Everything was good!

I don’t think I would wait in the line again, but it is now checked off my bucket list!

enjoying tacos from red fish blue fish in front of water

eating tacos from red fish blue fish

We then grabbed dinner as OLO, where we split a few more small plates – grilled lamb, an amazing smoked salmon, and some mini fried polenta bites which were a taste explosion.

Everything was delicious but we were starting to get full by the time our last plate came out.

From there, we headed to a local Irish bar to watch some of the Olympics and try some Canadian craft beer!

appetizer on green plate at OLO Victoriacut of meat over squash and veggies at OLO, Victoria BC

On Monday morning, we checked out a local coffee shop, Union Pacific. It was a beautiful shop right on the outskirts of China town area, and was actually my favorite coffee throughout our whole trip to BC. 

We enjoyed coffee and split a croissant breakfast sandwich.

Egg croissant with coffees at Union Coffee, Victoria brick wall at Union Coffee

Then, Ed headed out for a long run while I went to a 90 minute hot yoga class at Hudson Yoga. My body needed time off from running and a deep stretch to aid my soreness from the hiking in Whistler.

It was a seamless transition from the hot yoga classes in the states. I didn’t know what to expect if things would be different but I loved it just the same.

Victoria is very well known for the Butchart Gardens. While we debated going before our ferry left the following day, we didn’t have enough time to fully appreciate it or justify the $30 entry fee.

However, if you have more time in Victoria, this is something you may want to see. From all of the TripAdvisor reviews, the beauty is overwhelming.

 These photos are taken from the website, so if I ever return, this is on the bucket list. 

Butchad Gardens with waterfall and red flowers Butchad Gardens

We ferried back to Vancouver on Monday night and returned our car. I had read many reviews that urged against having a car in the city because there were so many public transportation options, parking can be expensive and we just didn’t want to deal with the hassle. It was 100% the right decision.

And, on another note, we found that staying in Air Bnb’s was a wonderful way to save money! Our stays also enabled us to learn more about the culture (our hosts were wonderful), and stay in the area we wanted to stay in! If you’ve never used Air Bnb, here’s my code for $30 off your first trip!

Well, since this recap is getting rather long, I’ll save Part 3 for next week about our actual 4 days in the heart of Vancouver!

Victoria, BC

If you’re on the east coast, check out this recap of things to do in Deep Creek, which includes a beautiful lake, mountains, hiking and more in the winter. 

Would you wait in line for an hour for a fish taco? ๐Ÿ™‚

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  1. What a gorgeous place to explore! We love Airbnb when travelling as you tend to find places you wouldn’t never would have thought of – and if you’re lucky and get a great host, you often get to know them too! We went to a New Year’s Eve party in New Zealand that our hosts were holding and it was so much fun!

    1. That’s so cool to be at a party like that. I agree, you meet people you never would have met and get some great recommendations!

  2. I haven’t been to Vancouver forever, but my friends and I think that’s where we probably want to move if Trump wins. :O …and after this post, I think it’s probably the right relocation decision. ๐Ÿ˜›

    I really want a mango lassi now, and that quinoa power bowl sounds delicious! :] I may have to try making something like it one of these days!

  3. Sounds like such a fun day! Would love to visit here. I would wait an hour, but only if I had a friend or someone to talk with! But fish tacos are so good so they are def worth the wait!

  4. we loved our first time with Air BnB. I definitely plan to use it as much as I can now.
    This day sounded perfect! You packed it so full. I don’t know why but Canada has never been a must visit place for me, so I appreciate you showing me it’s beauty!
    I’d definitely wait an hour. Especially if I had someone to chat with!

  5. I want to learn how to use AirBnB because it seems so fun and cheaper than a hotel. I think anything tastes better in taco or burrito form ๐Ÿ˜‰

    1. It is great! You should try it for your next trip. Highly recommend! Plus, you’ll save a ton of money ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. I’ve never used an Air BnB but my travel-lovin’ roommate swears by them. And an hour wait? Nah – I get too hangry for that! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    1. Haha, it requires a little planning since you’ll be smelling food the whole time. Don’t go hungry!

  7. Ahh this looks like such a fun day! We were in Victoria last year and walked around on Government Street for a bit. We stopped there on a cruise and only had a couple hours but I would have loved more time there! And yes.. I love AirBnbs! We’re going to Colorado next week and staying in them throughout our whole trip! So much more affordable and it is neat to get to know the owners and get local recommendations ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Looks like you hit some of the great spots in Victoria! I love Rebar, such yummy food. Their cookbook is pretty good too! I have yet to wait in line for Red Fish Blue Fish. Haha.

    1. Rebar was amazing! I’ve heard great things about the cookbook, too! You should try RFBF, just once ๐Ÿ˜‰

  9. Wow such beautiful pictures! I cant believe that they catch the fish right where the food truck is–thats so cool! I would wait in line for those fish tacos i think–cant get any fresher and more local than that! I’ve never used airbnb but id love to next time i go on a trip!

  10. Hmmmm…if on vacation and it was known to be super tasty…yep I’d wait an hour…that’s kind of the beauty of vacationb ecause you CAN wait an hour !!!

    Amazing views!

  11. I love that you took a yoga class while you were there! I don’t like fish tacos, but Im pretty sure Rob would want to wait in line for them. Your pics are gorgeous and it looks like a great trip!