The Victoria Guide Book

M.M. Glenn was a freelance librarian residing in Oakville, Ontario.

The response to the first edition in 1979 prompted the author to update the material on shopping centres, restaurants, sports facilities, walking and driving tours, and prices. There are black-and-white photographs of events and points of interest, as well as appropriate illustrations.

The first section deals with how to get there, and the cost and length of time for transportation. This is followed by a section of four walking and four driving tours which were reprinted through the courtesy of the Greater Victoria Visitors Information Centre. Each tour provides a map and points of interest which are numbered for reference to the descriptive section. The approximate length of time is given, along with interesting suggestions which, if followed, increase the time allotted.

The section dealing with sightseeing provides location, events to attend, and dates, time, and price of admission. You can walk, take a bus, or rent a bike or moped. The Visitors Information Centre offers personally guided walking tours during the summer, and it also rents machines or tapes with actors impersonating famous figures; each tape has two earphone outlets. There are also industrial tours. Even the most enthusiastic traveller needs a break, and in Victoria you’re never far from a park or a beach — they’re all listed.

Where to stay? — 26 pages. Where to eat? — 16 pages. Fishing? — 9 pages. Nightlife? — a listing of lounges, beer halls, discotheques and cabarets, theatres and playhouses. The last section, called a Survival Kit, contains emergency telephone numbers, a calendar of events, and pertinent information for visitors.

This guidebook allows visitors to choose their own itineraries.