Victoria, Canada

There are a number of ways you can get to the southern tip of Vancouver Island where the city of Victoria is located. If you are arriving by air, there are regular, daily flights from the United States and Canada to Victoria International Airport. The airport is about a 30-minute drive from downtown Victoria. Rental cars, taxis, buses, and shuttle services are available at the airport. Travelers going to Victoria from Vancouver and Seattle also have the option of helicopter and float plane services.

For those who prefer a sea trip, vehicle and passenger ferries, as well as high-speed catamarans, provide a service to Victoria from mainland British Columbia and Washington State to Victoria. By taking a vehicle ferry, you can ensure you have your car with you for getting around Victoria. Arrival points for sea travelers include the Inner Harbour, the town of Sidney about 30 minutes from the centre of Victoria, and the Swartz Bay ferry terminal near Sidney. Scheduled coach services are also available between Victoria and Seattle, as well as between Victoria and Vancouver.

Visiting Victoria on business will probably require you to get to various parts of the city for appointments. If you don’t have your own car, there are a number of easy ways to do this. Renting a car is a good option, with many car rental companies operating in Victoria. There are car rental offices throughout the city and also at Victoria International Airport. You can rent a car for just a few hours or for several days, using it to see some of the area as well as to travel to business venues.

Public transport by bus is also readily available in Victoria. The bus services are regular and frequent, and can take you into the outskirts of Victoria as well as anywhere in the city and suburbs. The city also has reliable taxi services operating around the clock in Greater Victoria and surrounding areas.

One way to ensure you get some exercise during your business trip is to take your bicycle or to rent one in Victoria. Known as the Cycling Capital of Canada, Victoria is an extremely cyclist-friendly city. If you don’t have a bicycle, it is easy to rent one from a tour company or bike shop in Victoria. The city’s design also makes walking a pleasant option for visitors, with various walking tours and trails available.

Business travelers in Victoria will have no problem finding accommodation to suit their requirements. The city has a great range of options, including hotels, motels, resorts, bed and breakfast inns, hostels, cottages, and camping grounds. Just remember to book early, especially if you are planning to visit Victoria during a peak season, as its popularity with tourists is well known.
Early booking is especially advisable to make sure you take advantage of some of the beautiful views available from many of the 7,000 rooms that the city of Victoria has on offer to people seeking accommodation. The scenic setting of Vancouver Island makes it possible for many of these rooms to feature excellent ocean outlooks or views of mountains, gardens, and forests. By booking as early as possible, you will be able to pick and choose, and make sure you have the type of room you want. For business travelers, returning to a room with a scenic view after a day of business appointments and meetings can be an especially relaxing and beneficial experience.

Making early bookings in Victoria also ensures that business travelers can have the facilities they need in their rooms. Many types of accommodation offer Internet access and other business services that you may require. Hotels, motels, and resorts frequently provide such facilities in rooms, while bed and breakfast establishments may provide a computer with Internet access in a common room for the convenience of guests.

With its harbour, beaches, and wonderful climate, the city of Victoria offers a great diversity of leisure activities. Business travelers who are spending time in the city will find a virtually unlimited range of things to do between appointments and after hours. If you like being outdoors and enjoy water-based activities, your only problem will be finding enough time to make the most of the many attractions of Victoria.

Swimming, sailing, boating, and whale watching are just some of the activities available in the ocean and harbour waters of Victoria. The area is also a paradise for divers, and there are plenty of dive shops and charter operators to show you the sights of the waters of Vancouver Island, regarded as one of the world’s best cold-water diving areas. If you prefer to stay on the surface, you can explore the beauty of the waterways around Victoria by kayak or canoe. Take your own equipment or hire it in Victoria, where you’ll also find local guides who can help you find your way around the rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans of the area.

For those who want to enjoy the water in Victoria without being too active, try a spot of fishing. You can take your own gear or rent it there. There is an abundance of saltwater fish in the area, and shellfish lovers will also find more than enough prawns, clams, and crab to satisfy their appetites.

As well as enjoying the water-based activities that Victoria has to offer, there are many things to do on land when business is over for the day. There is a year-round schedule of cultural events including concerts, live theatre, art exhibitions, performances by dance companies, and a variety of arts and music festivals. Classic movies are screened at the harbour boardwalk in Victoria during summer, and if you feel like seeing a movie at any time of the year, you’ll find a great range of films on show at the city’s cinemas.

For lovers of various types of sport, Victoria also has a lot to offer. You can relax with some mountain bike riding, have a game of golf, go hiking on one of the many beautiful mountain trails to which Victoria provides access, or saddle up for a horseback ride along the beach or through a picturesque rainforest. You can also rent a motorcycle, or join a tour of fellow riders and take a day or two off to explore Victoria.

When you have time to spare, you’ll also find Victoria is a great city for people who enjoy walking. You can stroll around the harbour area, or head off on one of the walking trails that will take you along the coastline or through rainforest or farmland. There are also walking tours that will introduce you to points of interest in Victoria, as well as acquaint you with the city’s history.

If business has taken you to Victoria, you have probably been busy organizing various appointments and meetings in the lead-up to your arrival. You may not have had time, therefore, to plan a program of sightseeing for yourself. If this is the case, don’t worry. Victoria has many tour operators ready to take you on sightseeing trips.

You can see Victoria by bus, float plane, boat, taxi, bicycle, or even horse and carriage. You can take a walking tour of the city or a themed trip, such as a heritage or garden excursion. Your tour can last a couple of hours or longer, depending on the time available to you. Individual tours of Victoria can be booked in advance, ensuring you can look forward to a well-organized visit. You can even decide to concentrate entirely in your planning on the business aspect of your trip and let a Victoria tour operator plan everything else for you. Accommodation, transport, and tour activities can all be arranged to suit your schedule, making your stay in Victoria memorable for all the right reasons.

No matter how much business you have to take care of while you’re in Victoria, make sure you also allow some time to experience the cuisine of the region during your stay. Local produce plays an important part in the menus of the chefs in Victoria, resulting in a delicious selection of seafood, especially shellfish and salmon. With fresh, seasonal produce supplied from farms in the district, you are assured of a meal to set your taste buds tingling at any of the restaurants, hotels, and other eateries you’ll find in Victoria. Apart from seafood, other locally produced food includes lamb, poultry, cheese, and salad greens. You can accompany your meal with a wine from one of the various Vancouver Island wineries, adding the perfect finishing touch to a delicious meal.

One way to discover more about the food and wine of the Victoria area is to join a culinary tour during your visit. You can visit wineries for wine tasting and meals, tour a farm, wander around a property where food is grown organically, and even join a chef for a hands-on cooking class. If you want to prepare a meal for yourself, you’ll find an abundance of fresh food at local farms or roadside stalls in areas around Victoria offering fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, poultry, and an array of other appetizing products.

Whether in the downtown area or the suburbs of the city, Victoria is a paradise for shoppers. If you have elected to stay somewhere in the suburbs during a business trip to Victoria, you will soon discover major shopping centres with many stores to meet your needs. During your visit, wherever you are staying, you should also make a point of visiting the city centre to see for yourself the many fascinating shops and goods that downtown Victoria has to offer.

One of the first places to visit is Government Street, famous for its stores and their imports from the British Isles including Scottish tartans and English bone china. This street is also one of the places to go if you are looking for quality gifts, souvenirs, or items such as jewellery and clothes. Up market fashions and gifts are also available in the shops of Trounce Alley, off Government Street. For Asian wares, find the corner of Fisgard and Government and visit Chinatown. While you are in that area, walk down fascinating Fan Tan Alley, once the location of opium dens, but now another shopping area.

Lovers of antiques should head straight for Fort Street, known as Antique Row. Here you will find a street full of shops offering antiques and a diversity of other collectible items. While in downtown Victoria, you can also enjoy a visit to the bustling shops and restaurants of Bastion Square, from where you can also make your way to the specialty shops of Market Square.

As well as its host of attractions, Victoria also has many facilities for business travelers. Modern conference centres and meeting places are available throughout the city, some in the downtown area near Victoria’s picturesque harbour. These include the Victoria Conference Centre, the city’s largest facility of this type, offering more than 40,000 square feet of meeting space. There is also an excellent range of accommodation within walking distance of the venues in the inner harbour area of Victoria with more than 3,500 hotel rooms in this area alone.

In addition to being well supplied with the meeting space and accommodation business travelers require, Victoria also has the facilities to help you plan your business trip or event so that it runs smoothly. You can hire audiovisual equipment and lighting, arrange live music for your event, and receive professional assistance with your programming. Victoria also has temporary staffing services to make sure your business trip is the success you want it to be. You can also be sure that the leisure attractions of the city will provide more than enough entertainment for delegates after business sessions, and that they will understand why Victoria is a favourite destination for business travelers from around the world.