Victoria’s Open Secret: Top Date Ideas in Canada’s Most Amorous City

Is it yet another weekend where you’re on your tablet, your partner is hooked to a laptop, and you both have your headphones blasting?  Sure sure, some of the best relationships are based on a mutual love of sweatpants and lazy Saturday nights, but there’s a big world waiting just outside your door, and romance doesn’t always exist in a box of mac and cheese. Mix it up! Victoria, British Columbia, was recently named the most romantic city in Canada by Amazon.com, and now’s your chance to see what the clamour is all about. Strip out of those gym shorts and house crocs and pack your bags to this island getaway.

Smoking Caterpillars May Be Found   

Victoria has a well-earned nickname as the City of Gardens. The town is filled with pockets of lush greens and pops of flower beds as far as the eye can see. One of the very best date spots is a top attraction in town: Butchart Gardens. You may think you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and emerged in a wonderland of colours and shapes of all varieties. The stone path twists and turns through a palette of yellow flowers, purple bulbs, green shrubs, and a kaleidoscope of other hues peeking through the arched trees. It’s the perfect spot for some hidden kisses and not-so-modest grazes amongst the rose bushes.

Hard on the Tush, Easy on the Eyes

Many of Victoria’s residents bike to work, making this city an extremely pedal-friendly city. There are several spots to rent a bicycle built for two if you choose to hit the nature trails or city streets. If you and your partner are more of suds and spokes sorts, check out any of the beer and bike tours offered downtown. Sample locally brewed gin, wine, and cider as you tour and marvel the beauty of quaint streets. Ridin’ dirty with your partner in crime? Sounds like the perfect afternoon.

Where Barking at Your Partner is Allowed

The wood planks creak and the seals bark as you two stroll hand-in-hand sharing an ice cream cone. Spending a day at Fisherman’s Wharf is a simple pleasure, but one meant for romance and Instagram photos. If you two are feeling especially adventurous, book yourself a kayak rental or water trolley. Sometimes spicing up romance doesn’t need whips and chains but paddles and rails of a PG variety.

Seizing the Day, Among Other Fondling

Rainy days are the perfect occasion to go on a date in Victoria. The island is home to one of the best-loved museums in Canada: the Royal BC Museum. Filled to the brim with world-class exhibits and collections, it’s the best spot for anyone in love with history. Both natural and human history are included, as you wind through the floors spying animal fossils and societal artifacts. Time inevitably goes by, which is the perfect reminder to your partner to seize the day and try new things—though perhaps back at the hotel instead of the museum.

Like a Queen—But with Butter  

We all love take-out Tuesdays, but every now and then wearing a suit and tie to dinner can kick up any relationship. If there’s one table worth making reservations for, it’s at the Empress Room at the Fairmont. This exquisite room of royal colours and white-cloth tables is fine dining at its best. The servers wear crisp garb, the champagne runs freely, and the menu reads only first class. Nothing quite says “I love you” like spiced venison tenderloin, butter-seared squid on a bed of local greens, and an open wallet.

L is for the way you look at me. O is for the only person I see. V is for romance in Victoria, BC. E is for destination of so many, many, beloved sights and attractions just along the sea. Save those Spaghetti-O’s dinners for another time, and spell out romance for you and your partner with an escape to Canada’s most amorous city.

When was the last time you surprised your partner with a romantic getaway?