Downtown Victoria is a neighbourhood of Victoria,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada that serves as the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

and the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

for the City of Victoria, and the

Greater Victoria Greater Victoria (also known as the Greater Victoria Region) is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is usually defined as the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD) on V ...

regions.

Characteristics

The downtown area is an extremely popular place for tourists and local Victorians as that is where many of the movie theatres, stage theatres, hotels, restaurants, pubs, night clubs, and shops are. Many tourist attractions are located in and around the area including Bastion Square, heart of the 19th-century city's professional district. Centennial Square is next to Victoria City Hall; it is used for small venue events such as the Electronic Music Festival, which takes place during the same time period as the BC Day statutory holiday and Symphony Splash.

Market Square A market square (also known as a market place) is an urban square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world. A market square is an open area where market stalls are tradit ...

, towards the northwest end of downtown, is used for small venue concerts and festivals, containing shopping establishments and eateries and is part of the city's "Old Town". Just beyond Market Square and Old Town which is the cultural and historic

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

which forms part of the northern end of downtown Victoria. It has a colourful Chinese historical past from the early days of Victoria. Downtown Victoria contains most of

's and the

Capital Regional District The Capital Regional District (CRD) is a local government administrative district encompassing the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The CRD is one of several regional d ...

's urban high rise office towers. The Bay Centre shopping mall is located in the middle of downtown. Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, located on the site of the former Victoria Memorial Arena, is the largest sports-entertainment multiplex on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

and the second largest in

outside of the

Greater Vancouver Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term ''Greater Vancouver'' describes an area that is roughly coterminous with the r ...

area.

Attractions

Places of Interest

* Bastion Square * Beacon Hill Park * Bug Zoo *

British Columbia Parliament Buildings The British Columbia Parliament Buildings are in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The Speaker and the Sergeant-at-Arms are amongst those responsible for the legislative precinc ...

* Christ Church Cathedral * The Fairmont Empress Hotel * Fan Tan Alley * Government Street *

Johnson Street Bridge The Johnson Street Bridge is a bascule bridge spanning the Victoria Harbour (British Columbia), Victoria Harbour in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia. Four known bridges have spanned the narrows between Victoria's Inner Harb ...

* Miniature World * Inner Harbour * Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre * Victoria Conference Centre

Events

* Victoria Film Festival * Rifflandia Music Festival * Victoria Ska Fest * Symphony Splash

Major skyscrapers and buildings

This list ranks notable highrises in downtown Victoria that stand at least 50 metres (164 ft) tall, based on

CTBUH The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings, including skyscrapers, and sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in Chicago, Illinois, U ...

height measurement standards. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts.

References

External links

Map of Downtown Victoria

Downtown Victoria Business Association

Victoria Buzz

Tourism Victoria
{{VictoriaNeighbourhoods Neighbourhoods in Victoria, British Columbia Victoria