What to Do During the Christmas Season in Victoria, British Columbia?

Victoria is a magical place to visit during Christmas. You will have the opportunity to admire festively Victorian Christmas decorated 19th-century storefronts that line downtown streets, decked with garlands, hanging Christmas baskets, and colorful lights. There are also strolling carollers found quite often during Christmas. Christmas celebrations starts from November to early January. Here's some activities to consider when you visit Victoria during Christmas.

The Butchart Gardens

From December into January, the amazing Butchart Gardens will have Christmas-related features. For anybody who does not know much about the Butchart Gardens, this place has multiple gorgeous gardens full of flowers, plants, and trees. The Queen of England is fond of visiting the Butchard Garden whenever she and her family visit Vancouver Island. During Christmas, the Butchard Gardens will have thousands of colored lights and seasoned entertainment.

Heritage Treasures

Traditional Victorian decorations and seasonal entertainment are available at many of the city's heritage sites including Helmcken House, Point Ellice House and Carr House. The Craigdarroch Castle is filled with Victorian decorations, hundreds of lights, carollers, and entertainment during Christmas.

Christmas Tours

Special tours are available throughout the season and include city tours to view the colorful glittering lights downtown, Victoria neighborhoods, and Esquimalt Dockyards, where the ships in port are beautifully decked with lights. In addition,you can have a ride on a horse-drawn caroling tour, where everybody sings festival songs while seeing the city sights from a horse-drawn carriage. Victoria is very well known for their horse-drawn carriage tours, and I have had the opportunity to take the tour several times and never was dissapointed.

Shopping

Of course, the one thing we all do during the Christmas season, is shopping! Victoria is full of wonderful stores. You will be able to find special gifts, novelties, and decorations with no problems. Also there will be craft sales offering hundreds of unique handmade gifts. One must not forget that the Fairmont Empress Hotel will have an annual fund rasier where local businesses sponsors will decorate dozens of trees that deck the halls of this hotel. Make sure to explore as you will find some beautiful items to buy while scrolling through the gorgeous halls of the Empress Hotel. Your gifts will be unique and your friends will want to know where you got your gifts from so they can get more!

I hope you find this list useful during your visit in Victoria, British Columbia during the Christmas season. Merry Christmas!