Old Victoria City Loop

Victoria,

Directions:

Since we stay at the Magnolia Hotel when we visit Victoria, this route begins and ends there (48.42290, -123.36490).  However, it is a loop and you could join it anywhere you'd like.

Conditions:

The Dallas Road mulit-use paved path follow much of the southern part of the route.  The rest of the route is on city streets with various levels of traffic.  While this route was specifically designed to avoid busy streets, there is still a lot of traffic in some places.  But Victoria is a bicycle friendly city and it never feels unsafe. 

The Trip:

You start with a ride past the spectacular Empress Hotel and Parliament Buildings, on into James Bay, with it's old city feel and interesting homes and shops. Then you reach one of the best bike paths ever, Dallas Road.  It follows the coast for about 7 kilometers where you have ocean and beach views and, of course, many tourists and locals visiting the beaches.

Then you get to Oak Bay, the oldest and most attractive part of the city and then on to Uplands - built for the very rich.  Gorgeous to see what you can get with mega-millions to spend on a home.

The trip back is through various kinds of residential neighbourhoods, from the more plain homes and apartments north of Oak Bay to the grand homes in Rockland.  This return route crosses Oak Bay Avenue where there are a number of restaurants, many with open air tables on the street, where you can lock your bicycles and stop for lunch.

Finally, back into the downtown area to finish this 24km tour.

Map:

Here is a map of the route on Google Maps with a link to the .gpx file: Old Victoria City Loop

Elevation Profile

The route has many ups and downs and one good sized hill, but overall it's relatively flat.  The graph below looks extreme, but the elevation gain/loss is only 40 meters.