Inner Harbour & Fairmont Empress
Inner Harbour / The Fairmont Empress
Victoria's city living room: the ivy-covered Fairmont Empress, harbor walkways, seaplanes and small ferries. Afternoon tea at the Empress is a classic experience.
The Inner Harbour is the heart of Victoria. Along the harbor, the stone-paved Causeway has street performers and craft stalls in summer. On the north side of the harbor, the Fairmont Empress was designed by the same architect as the Parliament Buildings and opened in 1908. Its castle-like exterior is covered in ivy. The lobby's 'Empress Afternoon Tea' has been a century-old tradition. It costs about CAD 100 or more per person, and reservations are required in advance. There is a dress code. Seaplanes and whale-watching boats dock in the harbor. You can take the round, plump 'Pickle Boat' harbor ferry, charged per stop, to Fisherman's Wharf. At sunset, watch the sun go down from the waterfront as the Parliament Buildings light up.
Opening hours
Open all day; afternoon tea approx. 11:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Royal BC Museum
- Victoria Whale Watching
- British Columbia Parliament Buildings
- Market Square & Lower Johnson
- Victoria Chinatown & Fan Tan Alley
- Emily Carr House
- Beacon Hill Park & Mile 0
- Fisherman's Wharf