Beacon Hill Park, Victoria

Getty Images/iStockphoto


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.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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…