Victoria is somewhere that I could travel to again and again, and similar to Vancouver there's so much to do both in and around the city.

As you know, we love going on adventures and exploring more of BC so when Ford came to me with a trip idea to celebrate Canada's 150th Anniversary which is coming up at the beginning of July, we jumped at the chance of heading back to the Island.

Since we spent a few days in Victoria back in March for our anniversary, I wanted this trip to be completely different and to experience the city from all perspectives – from land, sea, and air. We had such a fantastic time and I love how cultural and quirky Victoria is, as well as the British influence and touches which obviously i'm drawn to!

Parliament Building

There are so many local attractions to visit in Victoria and as the oldest city in the PNW, there's a lot of culture and history to discover. One of BC's most iconic landmarks is, of course, the Parliament Building, which overlooks the inner harbour and is one of the city's most prominent features. 

The architecture both inside and out is stunning, and you can stroll around the building for free or take a guided tour if you want to learn more about it. At night time the building is illuminated with over 3,000 lights which is so so pretty especially with the harbour glistening away in the foreground. 

 

Other cultural/historic attractions

Victoria has tons of other cultural and historic attractions, and although I love adventuring I do think it's always nice to understand how a city has developed into what it is in the present day.

Hatley Park and Craigdarroch Castle look beautiful, and the Royal BC Museum, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and Ford Rodd Hill & Fisgard Lighthouse are all worth checking out too if that's your kinda thing!

Scuba Diving in Victoria

A lot of people don't associate BC with scuba diving, but it's actually one of the best places to dive in the world and the Island is phenomenal. It is cold water diving, so you wear a drysuit to keep you warm and dry rather than a wetsuit, but the visibility is amazing and there's so much wildlife under the surface. 

One of the most accessible dive sites is Breakwater Ogden Point which is a 5-minute drive from Downtown Victoria. We went for a dive right off the shore and I was amazed at how clear the water was and it surprisingly wasn't too cold either. 

Having done the seaplane tour the day prior and seen Victoria from up above, it was really cool to then dive beneath the surface and see the area from a whole new perspective. It's not uncommon to spot seals and sea lions, Giant Pacific Octopus', lingcod, crabs, and of course whales and orcas around the Island so it's always exciting as you never know what you'll see. 

We brought scuba tanks and gear over from Matt's Dive school in Vancouver, but if you don't have your own gear and you want to go with a company I believe Rockfish Divers and Wilson Diving both offer guided dives around Victoria. The Ford Edge was the perfect car to carry all our gear as the boot is huge, plus it has the really cool code-lock feature so you can open the car using the code on the driver's door, so you don't have to take the keys out in the ocean with you. 

(PS. I don't think we managed to get one photo where I didn't look like a frog! Scuba masks aren't the most attractive things! haha)

About The Ford Edge

Our adventure partner for this trip was the Ford Edge and we couldn't have asked for a better car. I can easily rave on all day about the Edge and as well as looking good, it's such a comfortable and easy car to drive and it's ideal for both road trips and city exploration. The thing that I love most is that it's packed with every feature you could ever need. From A/C seats (which is a godsend in summer), to the brilliant 180-degree cameras front and back and parking sensors, to the fact that the car unlocks itself when you're stood next to it so you don't have to rummage through your bag and find your keys, it's so well designed to make the driving experience easy and convenient.

In the winter time, you can start the car and lock the door at the click of a button so your car warms up for you without the risk of it getting stolen, and in the summer time you can enjoy the sun through the huge panoramic sunroof which I absolutely loved. 

I actually think i'd become a slightly lazy driver if I owned the Edge (you don't even have to open the boot with your hands - hover your foot under the towbar and it opens automatically), so it's definitely an adjustment going back to driving other cars! We managed to fit all our scuba gear in the back as well as our suitcases, and aesthetically I think it's really lovely both inside and out.

It's a great city and adventure car and it's packed with features to make driving easy, safe, and completely enjoyable. It's actually considered as a "crossover" car, as it sits in the middle of a saloon/hatchback and an SUV so it's great if you want something more spacious but not too high up. Read more about the Edge here.