35 Free and Cheap Things to Do in Victoria with Kids

Victoria, BC, is a family-friendly destination we return to over and over again. Not just because I have a Victoria-based friend with impressive culinary skills (Hey, it’s a nice perk!). But also because Victoria offers so many affordable and free options.

35 free and cheap things to do in Victoria BC with kids:

1. Enjoy outdoor festivals and celebrations in one of Canada’s sunniest cities.
2. Watch for bald eagles and salmon at Goldstream Park.
3. Ride trail-a-bikes or pull your toddler in a bike carrier along the 55 kilometre (34 mi) long Galloping Goose Trail.
4. Go on a self-guided spooky Victoria tour with your preteen or teen – discover the haunts of spectres, poltergeists and ghostly pianos.
5. Paddle around (with hands or oars) with kids onto Elk / Beaver Lake.
6. Meet the farmer! Visit a Vancouver Island farmer’s market, go on a farm tour or go on a u-pick farm on Vancouver Island.

1. Go to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria on the first Tuesday of the month, when admission is by donation.
2. Ride the double-decker bus to Sidney, BC.
3. Visit Victoria’s parliament building on a free public tour.
4. Buy some fish scraps from The Fish Store and feed the seals at Fisherman’s Wharf.
5. Picnic and play in the Watering Garden at Beacon Hill Park, then count blooms along pathways.
6. Relax in the lazy river in the Gordon Head Pool or the Esquimalt Recreation Pool.
7. Catch a summer concert performance from Victoria Symphony Canada.
8. Watch the running of the goats at Beacon Hill Farm.
9. Visit the gun batteries and watch historical re-enactments at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites of Canada.
10. Along Victoria’s Inner Harbour, watch buskers perform and seaplanes land.
11. Pack snacks and enjoy a family hike in Victoria.
12. Count the hanging flower baskets in downtown Victoria, then learn to make a proper Victorian Hanging Basket.
13. Walk through Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest alley in Canada.
14. Go to a star party at the Centre of the Universe.
15. Climb through an giant octopus eye and slide down a fish tale in the trippy Cadboro-Gyro Park.

    

16. Treasure a storytime at children’s bookstore Tall Tales Books.
17. Look for a golden-crowned sparrow or barred owl at Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary.
18. Bring a copy of Peter Rabbit to the University of Victoria campus, where you’ll see rabbits here, there and everywhere.
19. Try one of Saanich’s free family events.
20. Catch a Stars and Strollers first-run movie (with baby!) at SilverCity Victoria.
21. Pick out a cute, vintage comic book at Legends Comics or pack of Pokemon cards at Curious Comics.
22. Go for a kids’ tea at Crumsby’s Cupcake Cafe, walk among the old-fashioned tudor buildings in Oak Bay, then dip your toes in the ocean at one of the Oak Bay beaches.
23. Challenge your child to identify the animals on the totem poles in the Thunderbird Park, east of the Royal BC Museum.
24. Bring binoculars to spot Caddie (Cadborosarus) in the waters off Vancouver Island.
25. Sit inside the second-story, luxe lounge area at the Fairmont Empress hotel and people-watch new hotel arrivals (don’t forget to make up silly stories about each one).
26. Reflect in the gothic-style Christ Church Cathedral or the stained-glass gorgeous St Andrew’s Cathedral.
27. Walk along Ogden Point breakwater. Stare up at the giant cruise ships or look down and watch divers surface.
28. Make a splash at the Beckwith “frog pond” splash feature in Saanich.
29. Drive or hike up Mount Douglas, where you can look out over the city and out to Washington State’s Olympic Mountain Range.

Can you suggest a free or cheap family-friendly Victoria attraction, restaurant or activity?