Victoria: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Victoria is a city of 289,625 people in Canada (British Columbia), 18 m (59 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Victoria International Airport (YYJ), 24 km (15 mi) from the centre. It has 1 railway station on record, including Victoria station.
Key facts
Daylight in Victoria runs from about 8 h 22 min a day in late December to 16 h 11 min in late June (computed for 48.44° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Victoria is served by 6 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Victoria International Airport (YYJ), 24 km (15 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 7,000 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Vancouver International Airport (YVR, 85 km), Friday Harbor Airport (FRD, 26 km), Orcas Island Airport (ESD, 44 km), Bellingham International Airport (BLI, 72 km), Nanaimo Airport (YCD, 79 km).
Flights to Victoria: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Victoria station. Trains to Victoria
Buses to Victoria · Driving and car hire
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Royal British Columbia Museum | 350,000 | 2012 |
| Craigdarroch Castle | 150,000 | — |
| James Bay Branch | 139,447 | 2018 |
The busiest is Royal British Columbia Museum at 350,000 visitors in 2012. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Victoria
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Seattle, 119 km (United States) — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Vancouver, 92 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Portland, 328 km (United States) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Surrey, 84 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Burnaby, 97 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Tri-Cities, 397 km (United States) — flights
- Tacoma, 148 km (United States) — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Richmond, 83 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Vancouver, 315 km (United States) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Salem, 389 km (United States) — flights · trains
Twin towns and sister cities: Suzhou, Morioka, Napier, Khabarovsk.
Common questions
Which airport serves Victoria?
Victoria International Airport (YYJ), 24 km (15 mi) from the centre, plus 5 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Victoria?
About 289,625 people live in Victoria, across 19,470,000 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Victoria in?
America/Vancouver, currently UTC-7.
What currency is used in Victoria?
The Dollar (CAD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Victoria?
Seattle (119 km), Vancouver (92 km), Portland (328 km), Surrey (84 km), Burnaby (97 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.