Take a self-guided heritage walk through some of the oldest parts of Victoria to discover the wonderful and mysterious secrets that are part of the city’s hidden history. Choose from four heritage walking maps and experience a journey into Mysterious Chinatown, Rollicking Boomtown, Haunted Victoria, and Victoria’s Law and Order. An active and free way to spend time learning more about our city.
Statue of explorer James Cook on the Victoria Causeway in Downtown Victoria, British Columbia.
Printed copies of the maps are available at the Tourism Victoria Information Centre on Wharf Street, the Downtown Victoria Business Association and Victoria City Hall. Check out the Heritage Walking Tour Map app on your mobile device.
Mysterious Chinatown
A journey into a city within a city where fortune seekers from China came with great expectations of the Gold Mountain – Canada. A maze of streets created a fortress around a culture strange to Europeans… one still found most interesting today.
Walking Map: Mysterious Chinatown. (PDF 531 KB)
Rollicking Boomtown
Take a glimpse into an era that was wild and got even wilder when Gold Rush madness descended on Victoria. There was plenty of drama in a town known for opium smuggling, gambling and prostitution.
Walking Map: Rollicking Boomtown (PDF 596 KB)
Law and Order
The oldest police force in western Canada had its hands full as the population exploded during the Gold Rush. Those who came to the frontier coast were often not the most compliant or conventional!
Walking Map: Law and Order (PDF 607 KB)
Haunted Victoria
Ghosts, ancestral spirits – expect the unexpected when you take this tour through the country’s most haunted city. Some were murdered, others were hanged. Watch and listen for their signs…
Walking Map: Haunted Victoria (PDF 834 KB)
Source: City of Victoria
