1 Best Sight in Victoria, British Columbia

This former convent and school, founded in 1858, played a central role in British Columbia's pioneer life. The academy's little chapel—the first Roman Catholic cathedral in Victoria—has been restored to look just as it did in the 1920s. The 6-acre grounds, with their fruit trees and herb and flower gardens, are free to visit. They have also been restored as historic landscapes, and are a delightful, quiet respite from the Downtown bustle.