Do-It-Yourself Victoria walking tours
By Jessica Woollard
Guided walking tours are a great way to get to know the history of a city and scope out some neat places to return to later on your own. But there’s also something to be said about the spontaneity that comes with wandering through city streets on your own, discovering a delightful hole-in-the-wall café, an intriguing shop at the end of an alley, or an intimate art gallery.
Self-guided walking tours offer the best of both worlds, and I was thrilled to come across a set of four Do-It-Yourself heritage walking tours for downtown Victoria. Even after living here for six years, I learned a lot about this beautiful city—and the tours were a great way to get some fresh air and exercise!
The four “Secrets of the City” tours lead you around the downtown area, indicating significant landmarks and the stories that have made them memorable.If you’re worried about your level of fitness, it's important to note:
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The tours are easily walkable within 45 minutes
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The routes have very little incline
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You are acting as your own guide, so you can stop and enjoy Victoria’s various coffee shops as often, or as little, as you want
Victoria's Chinatown is Canada's oldest
The tour pamphlets are available in hard copy or they can be downloaded online. They are well worth the time whether you're new to Victoria, a repeat vacationer, or even a long-time resident.
Here’s a peek at what you can look forward to on your journey:
Law and Disorder
Mischief,
murder, and mayhem—oh my! Don’t be deceived by some of Victoria’s
glorious architecture. Behind some of the most beautiful stonework are
tales of criminals and the vigilante characters who sought to protect
our city. Along this walk, you’ll meet the likes of “Hanging Judge”
Begbie, Thomas Trounce and his private alley, and Joseph Carey, the
mayor who refused to pay legal fees.
Forbidden City
On
this tour, you’ll find the once “Forbidden City” is very much a part of
the life and culture of Victoria. Through the Gate of Harmonious
Interest, you’ll explore Canada’s first Chinatown; in Market Square,
you’ll learn about the history of Chinese immigrants; and in Fan Tan
Alley, Canada’s narrowest street, you’ll take in sights of old gambling
halls, opium dens, and even a tofu factory, all transformed into
respectable shops and cafés. Enjoy getting lost in the history and
culture of the Forbidden City.
Happy Hauntings
Don’t
be alarmed if, while you’re walking downtown, you feel a sudden cool
breeze on the back of your neck, or if you feel like someone is watching
you. Someone probably is. But who? It’s hard to say. It could be any
one of the hundreds of ghosts who are said to call Victoria home. Known
for its ghosts as well as its gardens, Victoria is considered the most
haunted city in Canada. A great alternative to Discover the Past’s Ghostly Walks,
this tour will take you from St. Ann’s Academy, past Rogers’
Chocolates, straight to Bastion Square’s Maritime Museum, the former
location of Victoria’s jail and gallows. If by the end of the walk you
haven’t seen any spirits, make sure to check your photos—they are
notorious for cameos!
An up-close look at Waddington Alley's wooden "bricks," the last remaining
Fools Rush In
Before
Victoria attracted residents with its famous flower count and copasetic
climate, the promise of glittery gold drew crowds to the city in the 19th
century. Everywhere around you, you’ll find evidence of the Victoria
boom—the architecture of Commercial Row on Wharf Street, Waddington
Alley’s wooden brick interlocking, and lower Johnson Street’s buildings,
once saloons and brothels. Walk back in history to the time the promise
of wealth transformed little Fort Victoria into a roaring, riotous
little boomtown!
Text and Photos by Jessica Woollard©