15 Sights in Victoria, Canada (with Map and Images)

Fan Tan Alley is an alley in the Chinatown neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada that is known for being the narrowest commercial street in North America, being less than 0.9 m (3.0 ft) wide at its narrowest point. It runs south from Fisgard Avenue to Pandora Avenue at the block between Government Street and Store Street. Named after the Chinese gambling game Fan-Tan, the alley was originally well known for opium factories that produced opium until it was made illegal in 1908. The alley became known for gambling and got its Fan Tan name from the card game of the same name during the 1910s. Police raids on the illegal gambling clubs and declining visitors led to the closure of the gambling clubs in the 1950s and 60s. Fan Tan alley fell into disrepair and buildings were condemned at the time but was later revitalized in the 1970s and 80s with leadership from David Chuenyan Lai. Today the alley is a tourist destination containing many small shops, an art gallery, restaurants, apartments, and offices. It was designated as a heritage property by the local government in 2001.

Wikipedia: Fan Tan Alley (EN)

The Old Victoria Custom House or Malahat Building, in Victoria was completed in 1875 and designated as a historic building in 1987. It is a three-storey, mansard-roofed, custom house overlooking Victoria's harbour, symbolic of the time when Victoria was the pre-eminent commercial centre on Canada's West Coast. The building is described by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as a "relatively plain example of the imposing Second Empire style adopted for these buildings under Thomas Seaton Scott, first Chief Architect of the Department of Public Works (1872-1881). Its modest design and materials are in keeping with the relative size of Victoria at that time."

Wikipedia: Old Victoria Custom House (EN)

Congregation Emanu-El is a synagogue in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is the oldest synagogue building still in use as a synagogue in Canada, and the oldest surviving synagogue on Vancouver Island. It can also boast of being the oldest synagogue building on the west coast of North America. Founded by 1859 when the cemetery is known to have been dedicated, in 1863 the congregation built the synagogue that is still in use. It is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. The building is a National Historic Site of Canada, and has also been designated as a heritage property under the provincial Local Government Act.

Wikipedia: Congregation Emanu-El (Victoria, British Columbia) (EN), Website

The British Columbia Legislature Cenotaph, also known as the Victoria Cenotaph and the War Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, is a war memorial, installed outside the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Unveiled by Lt. -Gov. W. C. Nichol on July 12, 1925, the granite cenotaph commemorates the sacrifices of Canadian Forces personnel and citizens during both World Wars, the Korean War and peacekeeping missions. The bronze statue was designed by sculptors Vernon and Sidney March.

Wikipedia: British Columbia Legislature Cenotaph (EN)

The Royal British Columbia Museum was Founded in 1886, it consists of The Province of British Columbia's natural and human history museum as well as the British Columbia Provincial Archives. The museum is located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The "Royal" title was approved by Queen Elizabeth II and bestowed by HRH Prince Philip in 1987, to coincide with a Royal tour of that year. The museum merged with the British Columbia Provincial Archives in 2003.

Wikipedia: Royal British Columbia Museum (EN), Website

The statue of Queen Victoria is a bronze sculpture depicting Queen Victoria by British artist Albert Bruce-Joy, installed outside the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, in Victoria, British Columbia. The 4-metre (13 ft) statue was commissioned by Richard McBride in 1912, and completed in 1914. World War I delayed the sculpture's unveiling until 1921.

Wikipedia: Statue of Queen Victoria (Victoria, British Columbia) (EN)

Douglas Obelisk is an 8-metre (27 ft) marble obelisk, installed outside the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria, British Columbia. The sculpture was erected in 1881 to honour James Douglas, the first Governor of the Colony of British Columbia, and was made by Mortimer & Reid using marble from Beaver Cove, Vancouver Island.

Wikipedia: Douglas Obelisk (EN)

Helmcken House is a museum in Victoria, British Columbia, located in Thunderbird Park. It was built by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, the first doctor in Victoria, in 1852, a surgeon with the Hudson's Bay Company. It is one of the oldest houses in British Columbia. Some interesting items on display include his medical kit.

Wikipedia: Helmcken House (EN)

Thunderbird Park is a park in Victoria, British Columbia next to the Royal British Columbia Museum. The park is home to many totem poles and other First Nation monuments. The park takes its name from the mythological Thunderbird of Indigenous North American cultures which is depicted on many totem poles.

Wikipedia: Thunderbird Park (Victoria, British Columbia) (EN), Website

The Fallen Paramedics Memorial is a monument commemorating paramedics who have died in the line of duty, installed in Victoria, British Columbia. The memorial was unveiled on May 6, 2015. It is located in the BC Emergency Services Garden of Honour, south of the Legislative Buildings.

Wikipedia: Fallen Paramedics Memorial (EN)

The Knowledge Totem Pole is a totem pole carved by Coast Salish artist Cicero August and sons Darrel and Doug August, installed outside the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, in Victoria, British Columbia. The pole was originally created for the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

Wikipedia: Knowledge Totem Pole (EN)

The Pemberton Memorial Operating Room is a National Historic Site of Canada, the first operating room of the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia. It established the Royal Jubilee Hospital as the leading surgical hospital in the province.

Wikipedia: Pemberton Memorial Operating Room (EN)

The bronze sculpture of Canadian physician John Sebastian Helmcken was installed outside the Helmcken House, in Victoria, British Columbia, in 2011. The statue was designed and created by artist Armando Barbon, and cost $180,000.

Wikipedia: Statue of John Sebastian Helmcken (EN)

The British Columbia Search and Rescue Volunteer Memorial, installed in Victoria, British Columbia, commemorates volunteers who serve, including those who died in the line of duty. The memorial was unveiled on March 2, 2017.

Wikipedia: British Columbia Search and Rescue Volunteer Memorial (EN)

Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is a historic, Victorian-era Scottish Baronial mansion. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to its landmark status in Victoria.

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