While your customs declaration might require you to clarify if your trip is for ‘business’ or ‘personal’ reasons, more and more travellers are blending the two with ‘bleisure” trips. Here in Victoria, B.C., mixing work and play can be as simple as taking in an afternoon tea experience at The Pendray Inn or extending your trip and embarking on a road trip on the Pacific Marine Circle Route. No matter your preference for leisure, Victoria can deliver. 

In a recent Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) survey, “84 per cent of North American business travelers say the quality of their business travel experience impacts their business results.” It makes sense: when travellers are given the space to re-charge, explore and ignite their creativity the results will translate over to their business endeavors. 

Victoria has all the elements necessary for a successful bleisure trip: great food, history, museums, art and culture. And as one of Canada’s most walkable cities, navigating around the sights here is a (ocean!) breeze. 

Fisherman's Wharf

12 hours:

If you’ve got a half-day open before boarding you hop on a seaplane home, here are some great options right downtown:

• Grab a coffee and explore colourful Fisherman’s Wharf 
• Meander through Beacon Hill Park’s series of ponds, gardens and pristine grounds
• Sit down for refreshing drink and bite with a view of the ocean on the patio of The Flying Pig
• Take a quick walk to the Royal BC Museum to take in their new Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises exhibit

Exploring Beacon Hill Park

24 hours:

No matter if your extra day is on the front or the back of your business trip, we suggest exploring the day-tripper’s paradise that is the Saanich Peninsula:

• Catch the shuttle to The Butchart Gardens to see 55 acres of beautiful, award-winning gardens
• Stop in at Church & State Wines for a wine tasting and pizza on their beautiful patio
• Swing by Snowdon House for their selection of unique food products and gifts
• Settle into an island-famous burger at Chuck’s Burger Bar 
• Experience a breathtaking sunset kayak tour in Sidney with Blue Dog Kayaking

Church & State Wines

2 days:  

Two days translates into tons of memories on our beautiful island. We recommend these experiences in no particular order - choose your own adventure!

• Catch a glimpse of local wildlife with one of our whale watching tour companies
• Take a drive to East Sooke Park and go “forest bathing” 
• Make a stop at Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse for lunch on their patio and treat yourself to a tasting flight
• Rent a car and discover a portion of the Pacific Marine Circle Route
• Take a tour of Victoria on two wheels with Bike Tour Victoria
• Rest and relax at The Boathouse Spa followed up with a soak in the mineral pools at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel
• Enjoy a world-class dinner at Boom + Batten as you look out at super yachts docked at the Victoria International Marina
• Explore Victoria’s rich relationship with barley on a tour of our city’s many breweries (including the oldest one in Canada – Spinnakers Brewpub!) 

Exploring Cowichan Bay on the Pacific Marine Circle Route

No matter how much extra time you have in British Columbia’s capital city, we’ve got some great ways to create memories.