Where to see totem poles in Victoria BC

Hi there!

If you have a couple of hours while it’s still light out, you can make it your mission in Victoria to see totem poles!

There are a bunch of totem poles that you can see around downtown Victoria, so it can be a fun thing to do even if you don’t have all day in Victoria!

The areas that you’ll find totem poles is a good area to walk around Victoria in general, so with totem poles as your excuse, it can also be a good way to get a glimpse of what Victoria has to offer!

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Now, here’s where you can go to see totem poles in Victoria BC!

1. Inner Harbour

If you just have a couple of hours in Victoria, whether it’s during the day or at night, one of the places you must consider going is the Inner Harbour in downtown Victoria!

If you go to the Inner Harbour, you’ll see a totem pole!

On google maps, this is called the Kwakiutl Bear Pole. (map – You don’t need to take this exact walking route, but it gives you an idea of where the totem poles are located.)

This is right next to the iconic Parliament Buildings of Victoria, which is why you should really consider going here regardless of totem poles!

2. Parliament building totem pole

Another classic Victoria activity to do is to walk around the Parliament Buildings. There’s a fountain in the front and back.

And on the lawn in the front, there’s a totem pole!

If you’re coming from the inner harbour and you face the parliament buildings, you don’t have to look too hard to see it.

On google maps, this is called the Knowledge Totem. (map)

👆 You can see a totem pole in Victoria at the Parliament Buildings!

See what the inner harbor and parliament buildings are like in the evening: Victoria at night (pictures!)

3. Thunderbird Park totem poles

Also located downtown within walking distance of the Inner Harbour and Parliament Buildings is Thunderbird Park.

This is a small park where you can see several totem poles.

On google maps, it’s called Thunderbird Park. (map)

This is right next to the Royal BC Museum, which is another place that you can see totem poles. There are also more indigenous (First Nations) collections that you can explore.

4. Beacon Hill Park

Beacon Hill Park can be a place to go for a nice walk. There are some small gardens, and there’s a walking path through the park.

And, there’s a totem pole! It’s said that this totem pole in Beacon Hill Park is the world’s tallest totem pole.

On google maps, this is called the Beacon Hill Totem Pole (map).

Victoria totem pole walking route

Starting from downtown Victoria, you can walk to the Inner Harbour totem pole, then walk across the street to the totem pole on the lawn surrounding the Parliament Buildings. Then, you can head over to Thunderbird Park to see the totem poles there, and make a longer stop at the Royal BC Museum if you want to check that out. Then, you can continue your walk through Beacon Hill Park to the world’s largest totem pole!

Then, if you’ve arrived to Victoria on a cruise ship, from Beacon Hill Park you can walk to the Dallas Waterfront Trail and follow that trail (yes, along the water!) all the way back to the cruise port!

See the map of this proposed walking route.

This walking route starting from downtown Victoria and doing this totem route will be a walk of over an hour. (You might walk extra in Beacon Hill Park.)

If you don’t mind more walking, you can walk from the cruise port (Ogden Point) to downtown Victoria, stopping by Fisherman’s Wharf, and that will be a 30-40 minute walk one way (map). You can see pictures from that walk on my post about walking in Victoria from the cruise port.

Otherwise, you can save a little bit of walking by taking the cruise shuttle ($) from Victoria cruise port to downtown. There is also a bus stop near the cruise port if you have Canadian cash in exact change. See current bus fares.

The bus will also be a good way to go to the next places to see totem poles.

5. Government House gardens

Victoria has a ton of gardens. The Government House gardens is one of them!

And there’s a totem pole here!

And it’s free to walk through these gardens. It’s not that big, and it’s a nice walk.

I don’t see the totem pole listed on google maps, but it’s in front of the entrance of the actual Government House building. It’s near the Sir Douglas James Statue (map).

I went to the Government House gardens after I went to the nearby Craigdarroch Castle. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the castle to the gardens. I went there by bus.

6. Butchart Gardens

The most famous gardens of all in Victoria is the Butchart Gardens.

Now, you probably don’t want to go to Butchart Gardens ONLY because there’s a totem pole.

But if you will be going to Butchart Gardens anyway (one of the most popular things to do in Victoria!), then be sure to look for the totem poles!

Butchart Gardens is a public bus ride away from downtown Victoria, or you can join a Butchart Gardens tour.

There is also a shuttle to Butchart Gardens but there seem to be mixed reviews about it, with some saying there’s not enough time at the gardens and/or being concerned about not enough first come first served seats on the way back. (Read the reviews!)

If you’re staying in Vancouver, there are also day tours to Butchart Gardens from Vancouver, although it is a long day.

Along with the Butchart Gardens, another popular thing to do in Victoria is a whale watching tour!

And those are places where I saw totem poles in Victoria!

More for your trip!

For more totem poles during your Alaska cruise, see my post about where to see totem poles in Ketchikan and walking in Sitka!

More more in Victoria, see about things to do in Victoria without a car!

Make it a garden walk in Victoria! See about gardens in Victoria.

Extend your trip! There is a ferry between Victoria and Seattle. See about things to do in Seattle without a car!

Extend your trip! There is a ferry between Victoria and Vancouver. See about things to do in Vancouver without a car!

HAPPY SEEING TOTEM POLES IN VICTORIA BC!