Victoria

The provincial capital occupies the southern tip of Vancouver Island, pairing the Inner Harbour's postcard skyline with dense, walkable neighbourhoods of heritage homes and a famously mild, four season climate.

The Inner Harbour, framed by the BC Legislature and the Fairmont Empress, is the city's working front door, with float planes, the Victoria Clipper and the MV Coho ferry to Washington State all departing steps from downtown's shops and restaurants. Just south, James Bay is Victoria's oldest residential neighbourhood, wrapping Beacon Hill Park's oceanfront trails and the Ogden Point breakwater.

Fairfield's character homes climb toward Gonzales Beach and Cook Street Village, while Fernwood keeps an artsy, close knit feel around the Belfry Theatre and Fernwood Village. Oaklands and Hillside-Quadra sit more centrally, family neighbourhoods built around Hillside Centre and served well by Victoria's regional transit system.

Across the Johnson Street Bridge, Vic West blends the old Railyards with newer waterfront development looking back at downtown, and Rockland's tree lined streets hold some of the city's grandest heritage homes near Government House and Craigdarroch Castle. With Camosun College downtown and UVic just across the municipal boundary, Victoria draws students, retirees and remote workers to a city built for walking, cycling and getting outside year round.