Fringed by crashing ocean, this waterfront park is ideal for feeling the breeze in your hair – check out the windswept trees along the cliff top. You'll also find a gigantic totem pole, Victorian cricket pitch and a marker for Mile 0 of Hwy 1, alongside a statue of the Canadian legend Terry Fox, who ran across the country in 1980 for cancer research. If you're here with kids, consider the popular children's farm (www.beaconhillchildrensfarm.ca) as well.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Beacon Hill Park
Victoria
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Butchart Gardens
11.44 MILES
Far more than just another pretty flower arrangement, Butchart is a national historic site and a triumph of early-20th-century gardening aesthetics. With…
Royal BC Museum
0.47 MILES
Arguably the finest museum in British Columbia and carrier of a ‘royal’ prefix since 1987, Victoria’s flagship sight mixes the cream of BC’s provincial…
Craigdarroch Castle
1.16 MILES
More ostentatious country mansion than fortified castle, Craigdarroch, with its turrets, stained-glass windows and palatial interior, looks like it might…
Spencer Spit State Park
24.56 MILES
Spencer Spit State Park is one of only four state parks on the San Juan archipelago. Two sand spits have formed a marshy lagoon that is a prime spot for…
Parliament Buildings
0.48 MILES
This dramatically handsome confection of turrets, domes and stained glass is British Columbia's working legislature and is also open to visitors. You can…
Victoria Bug Zoo
0.68 MILES
It’s not big, nor are its resident critters (although some of them are alarmingly colossal by insect standards); however, this diminutive indoor ‘zoo’ is…
Miniature World
0.62 MILES
Tucked along the side of the Fairmont Empress Hotel, this huge collection of skillfully crafted models depicting important battles, historic towns and…
Turtleback Mountain Preserve
25.2 MILES
Saved from possible development when it was bought for $18.5 million as public land in 2007, Orcas' second mountain (rising to 1519ft) was in private…
Nearby Victoria attractions
1. Emily Carr House
0.23 MILES
The birthplace of BC's best-known painter, this bright-yellow gingerbread-style house has plenty of period rooms, plus displays on the artist's life and…
2. Royal BC Museum
0.47 MILES
Arguably the finest museum in British Columbia and carrier of a ‘royal’ prefix since 1987, Victoria’s flagship sight mixes the cream of BC’s provincial…
3. Parliament Buildings
0.48 MILES
This dramatically handsome confection of turrets, domes and stained glass is British Columbia's working legislature and is also open to visitors. You can…
4. Robert Bateman Centre
0.6 MILES
Colonizing part of the Inner Harbour's landmark Steamship Terminal building, this gallery showcases the photo-realistic work of Canada's most celebrated…
5. Miniature World
0.62 MILES
Tucked along the side of the Fairmont Empress Hotel, this huge collection of skillfully crafted models depicting important battles, historic towns and…
6. Christ Church Cathedral
0.65 MILES
This early-20th-century Gothic-revival cathedral is one of Victoria's most attractive buildings. The third Anglican cathedral to be built in the city, the…
7. Victoria Bug Zoo
0.68 MILES
It’s not big, nor are its resident critters (although some of them are alarmingly colossal by insect standards); however, this diminutive indoor ‘zoo’ is…
8. Bastion Square
0.87 MILES
This square once held a jail, gallows and a brothel. Many of its scrubbed stone buildings are now restaurants, boutiques or offices. There's also a summer…