Victoria is a beautiful city located at the Pacific Coast of Canada on Vancouver Island. This quaint and charming city enjoys the mildest climate in Canada. Golfing and gardening are a way of life for many residents, and outdoor activities can be enjoyed year round.

The city was named after Queen Victoria and its British heritage is apparent with many gift shops selling fine china, Irish lace, and woolens and tartans. There also are several tea rooms. A visit to the Empress Hotel at the waterfront to enjoy their afternoon tea is an experience many tourists don't want to miss. This hotel overlooks the Inner Harbour, the area where the Washington state ferries arrive, and across the street from the stately Parliament buildings which are brightly lit at night.

Ferries go from Victoria to the British Columbia mainland and Washington state many times a day and all year. The ferry trips are all very scenic as you enjoy passing by many small islands and the mountain views. Be prepared for possible long line ups, particularly on weekends and holidays.

Walking tours downtown are very popular, and you can also see the sights by taking one of the many horse drawn carriage tours. There is much to see and enjoy downtown all within short walking distance.

Thunderbird Park is small but is renowned for its native heritage and totem poles. Close by is Beacon Hill Park, absolutely beautiful in the spring with the rhododendrons, tulips and daffodils, but it can be enjoyed even in the winter months. Victoria has winter pansies, heather, and primrose flowers that time of year.

The Carillon bell tower chimes on the hour and is a gift to the city from the Netherlands marking Canada's centennial back in 1967.

Victoria's Chinatown is small but beacons the visitor with its ornate gate featuring two stone lions. It is the oldest in North America and has fine restaurants and shops.

There are many restaurants featuring every cuisine. Especially popular is salmon and shellfish, fresh from the Pacific waters. You may also enjoy Italian, Greek, and British among many others.

The world renowned Butchart Gardens is located about an hour away from downtown Victoria. The sunken garden is breathtaking and the gardens also feature roses, a japanese garden, two fine restaurants and in the summer spectacular fireworks. The gardens are illuminated at night in the summer time.

Victoria is rated one of the world's favorite places and with good reason. With so much natural beauty, lots of activities to enjoy, pleasant climate and outstanding accommodations and dining it is a city that is not to be missed!

By: Joanne Ott
Joanne Ott is an entrepreneur from Canada. She has a home based business. http://www.squidoo.com/itsjoanne.

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Saltspring Island is regarded by many to be one of the premiere getaway destinations on the west coast. Located between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Saltspring Island maintains the perfect balance of easy accessibility and small town island feel. Just a short ferry ride from Tsawwassen and Victoria, Saltspring has managed to preserve the feeling or laid back, rural island charm.

With its stunning island beauty and one of the gentlest climates in North America it should come as no surprise that Saltspring Island is rated as the 3rd most desirable community to live in Canada. It is not uncommon for visitors to come for a relaxing getaway but wind up buying a piece of Saltspring real estate and turning into islanders themselves!

Saltspring Island activities are varied and numerous. You could:

* Take a moonlight kayak paddle
* Try beachcombing on some stunning west coast beaches * enjoy some 4 star cuisine at one of Saltspring Island's many restaurants
* get a massage and spa treatment
* enjoy an island art tour
* cycle the island on its many quiet back lane roads
* take a whale watching tour
* try your hand at fishing one of Saltspring Island's several lakes
* enjoy a round of golf on one of the local courses
* spend an afternoon hiking one of Saltspring Island's many parks
* find a bargain at the island's fresh air craft and produce market


Finding accommodation on Saltspring Island is easy. The island has one of the highest numbers of Bed and Breakfasts per capita, with one to suit almost any budget from the cozy and quaint to the truly luxurious. The island also offers several quality hotels.

And getting to Saltspring Island is half the fun. The ferry ride from Tsawwassen or Victoria is relatively short and you will get to enjoy some truly pristine west coast scenery along the way!

With a vibrant art scene, colorful local characters and politics and rural charm, Saltspring Island is a little bit like finding yourself in Peter Mayle's novel 'A Year in Provence'. And just like the novel, you'll undoubtedly be taken in by this island's quirky local charm.

By: Ian Cunliffe
Ian is a former Salt Spring Islander and has written many helpful articles for making the most of your visit to Salt Spring Island.

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Prince Edward Island tourism is alive with all the sights and sounds that go into a genuine maritime experience.

While the smallest province in Canada, Prince Edward Island boasts the largest number of golf fans who come from across the country. In fact, this tiny island has been selected Canada’s number one golf destination not once, but twice in a row. No small feat for a tiny island - but with just one experience of the 26 Prince Edward Island golf courses, it’s not hard to see why! Resplendent and challenging with their rolling greens, sand and water traps alternating with woodlots and vistas that open up onto lively ocean waters, sandy beaches and red sandstone cliffs, these are golf courses to rival the world’s best.

For those in search of an island vacation, Prince Edward Island tourism and tourist attractions abound. Visit Confederation Bridge: an engineering marvel over 9 miles long – it is the largest bridge over ice-spanned waters in the world. Explore the home of Confederation in Canada with a visit to Province House in Charlottetown. Spend an evening at the theater enjoying Anne Of Green Gables – The Musical. Attend just a sampling of arts and music festivals during the summer month. And, last but not least, visit the artisan studios that pepper the province with their abundance of genuine island arts and crafts including pottery, weaving, knitting, handmade soaps, sand crafts, folk furniture, aboriginal works, quilting and much, much more.

And then there are the beaches. Miles and miles of them! In colors of white, champagne, pink and red they offer the quintessential Prince Edward Island tourism vacation experience. Discover a moment’s peace, fun for the whole family, rediscover a romance, or nature at its best over this network of natural beauty that extends from tip to tip on this gentle island. Don’t forget: Prince Edward Island boasts one of Canada’s foremost national parks, and no less than seven provincial parks.

There can be no talk of a tourism experience on Prince Edward Island without the mention of food. The ocean offers up wonderful and unique dining experiences - and, along with the lobster, world-famous Malpeque oysters and fresh island mussels, Prince Edward Island is also renowned for its chocolates, its jams and its jellies, and of course, renowned Prince Edward Island potatoes.

Tourism is a mainstay of the Prince Edward Island economy and with a wealth of things to see and to do including golf, shopping, camping, dining, culture, deep sea fishing or simply hanging out at the beach; it’s really not hard to see why.

By: Amy Nutt
Discount Car hire Sydney has locations throughout Sydney and Australia. http://www.discountcar.com.au.

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There are so many reasons to visit this city but here are only a few of them for you to think about.

1. Architecture

The Vancouver skyline is varied and attention-getting and even though the city is not exactly known for having structures that are hundreds of years old, there are a number of buildings that do have some most interesting shapes.

Library Square, the main branch of Vancouver Public Library system for example is constructed as a circle within a square. It looks a lot like a Roman Coliseum.

Canada Place, the cruise ship terminal and convention center looks commanding and majestic with a roof that is designed to look like five unfurled sails.

The giant puffy dome in the downtown sky is the fabric roof of BC Place Stadium and the only thing that holds the roof up is air. This is the largest air-supported dome of this type in the world.

Another unusual looking building is Science World which looks like a gigantic golf ball. At night it glows with hundreds of tiny lights.

2. Attractions

Vancouver's best attractions are the stunning natural vistas, mountains, ocean views and beaches.

Here are the three top ways to take it all in.

For a panoramic view, go to the lookout at the top of Harbour Centre. From there you will get a clear, 360 degree of the view of mountains, the harbour and the downtown core.

The next one is Grouse Mountain. There are two ways to the get to the top. One is to hike straight up the face of the mountain and the other is to take the gondola up to the plateau. Once you are there you can hop on the chairlift for a spectacular view of the city and the ocean.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is another top attraction. It's a bridge that sways 70 meters (230 ft.) above the River. Amidst the hiking trails, gift shop and interpretation centre is the largest private collection of totem poles in North America.

3. Festivals

There are a ton of festivals throughout the city all year. Here are some of the biggest.

The largest festival in Vancouver is the annual Celebration of Lights fireworks competition over the waters of English Bay. It's an amazing spectacle where competing countries light up the night sky showcasing their biggest and best fireworks.

Over a million people watch the fireworks display each year cramming every beach, every patio, every balcony, every rooftop and every elevator shaft to see the show.

There are several lantern festivals a year usually around the times of the solstice but the ones you really don't want to miss happen at Halloween and at Chinese New Year.

The strong Chinese population in Vancouver makes the Lunar New Year lively and colorful. And, at Halloween the Commercial Drive neighborhood is where the Parade of Lost Souls happens. Bring your homemade lantern. There's live music, fire dancers and costumed partiers.

The Dragon Boat Festival is another one you don't want to miss. Dragon boat teams from around the world cut through the waters of False Creek to the beat of drummers drumming.

Another big festival is the Gay Pride Parade and Festival. This fun filled festival attracts people from all over North America. A parade in the West End of Vancouver kicks off the festival happenings.

4. Dining

When it comes to eating out Vancouverites are experts at it.

More people in Vancouver eat out and we have more restaurants than anywhere else in Canada. Healthy eating is a big deal here. There is lots of emphasis on local, organic ingredients and we love our seafood.

Short of good company and an amazing view a great way to enjoy your meal is eating outdoors on the restaurant patio. Even in winter many restaurants with outdoor spaces have heaters and some even provide blankets.

5. Gardens and Parks

For garden lovers the very best time to come is late spring. That's when the city is truly alive and in it's glory.

Everywhere flowers sprout from flower boxes and the gardens, parks and neighborhoods are alive with hundreds of cherry blossoms, plums and azaleas in full bloom. Great places to stroll and admire the flowers are Stanley Park, Van Dusen Botanical Gardens and Queen Elizabeth Park.

6. Outdoor Adventure

There really aren't that many places in this world where you can ski in the mountains, go boating or windsurfing in the ocean and play a round of golf all in the same day but Vancouver is one of them.

The many recreational areas include tennis courts, beach basketball or volleyball and heated ocean-side swimming pools.

7. Shopping

Vancouver is blessed with many diverse neighborhoods and unique shopping areas. The downtown core is unofficially the tourist zone. You will love it but just know that pretty much everything will be more expensive!

The main high end shopping district is Robson Street here you will find all the major designer store fronts. Yaletown used to be a warehouse district now there is all kinds of up scale salons and off the beaten track shopping. In Gastown you will find multitudes of souvenir shops. If you want to get some thing with I love Vancouver on it, this is where you'll find it. There are also some nice places to find First Nations (Indian) carvings. Vancouver Chinatown is the second largest Chinatown in North America. There are all kinds of Chinese import shops here with lovely, inexpensive gifts items.

Anyway you want to look at it Vancouver offers the best of many worlds.

The city is ideally located on the Pacific Coast, and boasts a mild climate and offers activities ranging from a challenging hike straight up to the face of a mountain to romantic walks through manicured gardens.

Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved.

By: Nantley Forde
Discover one of the world's most beautiful cities visit http://www.whyvancouver.com/html your entrance to attractions, activities, places to see, things to do and the best photos of Vancouver, British Columbia.

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