Victoria’s Chinatown

More sizzle than steak. If you're already primed by hearing the claim that it's the oldest Chinatown on any three planets that you could both name and spell, and tend to be wondrously dazzled by tour guide narratives and mythology, rather than relying on the evidence of your own senses, then you may well have a great time - or at least wind up telling yourself that, indeed, the emperor was magnificently clothed. However: - it's a small geographical area - many shops in Chinatown close remarkably early for it being promoted as a tourist attraction. Spent 10 days staying in a third floor condo apartment on Fisgard. Evening after evening, both weekdays and weekends, I would see both small and large tour buses disgorge their tour groups into a parking lot across the street, only to see those tourists wandering around, looking obviously disappointed at just how many of the shops were already closed for the day. Sometimes they would be so bored silly, waiting for their bus to pick them up again, that they would wind up photographing motorcycles parked along Fisgard. Bikes that looked quite ordinary to me. But hey, they were parked in exotic Chinatown. - too many of the shops in Chinatown are the equivalent of too many of the shops elsewhere in the downtown area of Victoria, full of touristy souvenir type offerings ranging from tacky quality to better than tacky quality. (Although the plush toy moose about the size of a very large dog, in the one shop window downtown, I thought that was entertaining. Had a sort of Calvin and Hobbes look to it.) - local groceries, not just in Chinatown itself, but in the downtown area of Victoria more generally, are expensive and limited in selection, if you are staying right there at rental accomodations with a kitchen. Spent more than two and a half hours over the course of two days, checking dozens of stores, local independent stores plus some major, nationwide convenience and/or drug store retailers, a block after block grid search, before finally finding one last carton of lactose-free milk. Apparently, 99% of downtown Victoria is supplied by just the one dairy, and they don't produce much of a range of products. - the downtown area of Victoria, from Chinatown to Beacon Hill park, because of its climate, or perhaps because it is over the western mountains and far away, has a cosiderable homeless and/or street people population.

Chinatown Victoria BC is a must stop destination in the city. Besides this beautiful arch welcoming you to the neighborhood there are nice shopping alleys with wonderful shops ranging from produce, metaphysical, Saltspring Soap, to chocolate and bakeries. Plan to spend a few hours cruising the neighborhood on foot. Bring some cash and your appetite you wont be disappointed.

Great experience. Went after 9 PM to walk around. Chinatown not very big so doable, easily. Shops were closed when we went but lots to see. High end clothing / home store, Carriage rides, food places, sushi and tea shops everywhere. I would recommend it.

Only 3 stars because I walked through the Chinatown on one of the nights that Rifflandia was happening and i was onl6 focused on getting to the music and not paying attention to anything else as much, but it seems cool. I'll give another review once i have actually visited Chinatown for chinatown.

This Chinatown is very nice and clean, there re some decent boutiques and a Market Square mearby. It's very close to downtown Victoria too, some come and check out.