Where to Stay in Victoria: Inner Harbour vs James Bay, Old Town/LoJo & Oak Bay

Because Victoria's historic core is so walkable, staying in any of the three central neighbourhoods—the Inner Harbour, James Bay or Old Town / Downtown—puts you within a 5-to-12-minute flat walk of the Parliament Buildings, whale-watching boats, seaplane terminal and Douglas Street buses.

1. The Inner Harbour (Belleville, Government & Humboldt Streets — Best for First-Timers & Views!)

If this is your first visit to Victoria, you are arriving on the FRS Seattle Clipper, MV Coho Ferry or Harbour Air Seaplane (all of which dock right in the Inner Harbour!), and you want to look out your window at the 3,300 lights of the Legislature, stay right on the Inner Harbour:

• Top Picks: splurge on the newly restored 1908 Fairmont Empress or luxury boutique Magnolia Hotel & Spa (one block off the harbour on Courtney St); for spacious modern balconies right opposite the Belleville ferry terminal with a 25-metre indoor lap pool, book the Hotel Grand Pacific, Inn at Laurel Point (set on a waterfront peninsula at the harbour entrance!) or Huntingdon Manor / Pendray Inn.

2. James Bay (Immediately South of the Parliament — Best for Quiet Charm, Families & Walkability)

Walk literally two minutes south behind the BC Parliament Buildings and you enter James Bay—a peaceful peninsula neighbourhood bounded on the north by the Inner Harbour, on the west by Fisherman's Wharf and the cruise terminal, on the south by the ocean cliffs of Dallas Road, and on the east by Beacon Hill Park! Look for suite hotels with kitchens (like Oswego Hotel, Parkside Hotel & Spa near St. Ann's Academy, or Royal Scot Hotel) and romantic heritage bed-and-breakfast inns.

3. Old Town / Lower Johnson ('LoJo') & Oak Bay (Best for Foodies, Nightlife or Resort Luxury)

• Old Town & Chinatown (10 Mins' Walk North of the Harbour): stay in a converted 1890s brick heritage loft or boutique hotel (such as Swans Brewery Hotel or Hotel Rialto) surrounded by Victoria's best restaurants, coffee roasters and craft breweries.
• Oak Bay (15 Mins East by Car or Bus #2): a leafy, upscale seaside enclave famous for the Tudor-style Oak Bay Beach Hotel—where guests soak in three outdoor 40°C heated mineral pools perched right on the rocky ocean edge looking across at Mount Baker!