Reviews of Victoria’s Chinatown (Museum)

Chris Cross Crafts

Such a fascinating little area of Victoria British Columbia. Cute little shops and lots and lots of restaurants.

Emma D.

Despite being the oldest Chinatown of Canada, it’s quite small, just about one block. It was fun to come here on lunar new year and enjoy the atmosphere. There’re some Asian grocery store that you can pretty buy most Asian stuffs from.

Ken Smith

Not a lot to see. It's not very big considering that it is one of the oldest China towns in the province. Still a nice walkabout.

Eva Webb

Just loved this Nautical themed furniture and accessories. It's on Store Street but can't remember the name. So wish I could remember it.

Dave backeland

Very sad most stores are now gone. Used to love this place but not much left. What a shame

Gabri “GabeStudio72” Pes

Nice to have a quick walk around. Nice shops and bar everywhere. Please visit also the three fun alley a very tiny street very particular.

Thomas Cowan

Best neighbourhood in downtown Victoria for shopping and lunch/brunch! So Many noodle shops (my fave is fantan sweet spicey noodles) or Jam cafè near by. A ton of history being Canada’s oldest China town. Well worth a visit and stroll to grab some photos and at least a trinket or two for souvenirs.

Kathy McKay

Lots of nice little shops. Restaurants and grocery stores as well. Fun to watch the people.

Kayla Shaw

Good way to waste a few hours away, dip into the vintage stores and grab some bubble tea!

yi teh liu

From the inner harbor to Chinatown it was less than a ten minute walk. If you took a taxi or a bike cart you could be there in less than that. Chinatown felt pretty small, but there were plenty of restaurants and shops to walk through.

Angry Old Man

I used to go here a lot when I lived in Victoria. It’s a good place for tourists and locals alike. If you are local then this is a perfect place to get fruits and vegetables. The prices are always changing so be sure to compare stores, each stores fruits and veg will be different, at different times. You will always be rotating to get the best deal. The shops have wide varieties of Asian food products. At night, this is a cool place to hang out. I once shared a gigantic bowl of wonton soup, at a place here, with this old man who was trying to pick me up. Well at least I got to know him better, but he didn’t stand a chance. The soup was great. Stretch your arms out and grab onto them-that’s how big the bowl is. Definitely something to check out. The store on the right hand side when first entering sells it. Be sure to eat and buy from every store here, they all are worth trying.

Cori Worlton

Small but lovely! FanTan Alley is small but has some fabulous shops!

Nicholas Kong

Very clean and various Chinese shops and restaurants. A bit less than I thought but food choices are sufficient. Many other shops in the area are not owned by Asians

Jeevan Virk

Really nice place to visit for fun specially hidden shops in the alley ways and good quality products to buy

Vincent J. Spencer

Very cool visit and enjoyed walking the area. Beautiful landscapes

Sakib A

Being Canada's first China town, it has tons of characters to it. Amazing cafes & shiny decoration makes it full of life. Those narrow sub-path will reminds you of the ashes it has seen.

Nimet Sag

Best Chinatown, hidden places everywhere. Good arts on every other corner. Lovely:)

Marta Borowska

Lots of shops with knick knacks here as well as produce and other food. A bunch of restaurants. Some cool sculptures. Nice entrance on the way in.

Travis McCrea

Go here before they raise their prices. Everything was so delicious and very reasonable.

Sheree Zielke

Don’t miss this teeny tiny Chinatown with its charming skinny alleyways. Well worth a visit. Harry Potter fans will delight at Fan Tan Alley with its Potter style addresses. Walk down Dragon Alley, too. Lots of eateries and grocery stores. We love it here, rain or shine. A photographer’s happy place.

Justin Platnar

Has a very palpable atmosphere. Feels like you’ve been there in a dream before.

Shun

Historical important landing place in Canada's past for early Chinese immigrants. A few restaurants and good free tourist sightseeing walking area.

Sarah Neasloss

It was very beautiful to drive through next time I will definitely have to stop and talk a walk around! :)

Bonnie Wong

Like most Chinatowns now; small, old, and being taken over by more modern, stylish shops. I saw a few Cantonese style restaurants that we would have be interested in trying, but unfortunately, due to covid, we can't even enjoy the full experience of eating inside. So we passed. We also saw 2 bbq meats places on Pandora St, but the meat in both the shops looked very unappealing and dry. I wanted to help these restaurants, but I'm not brave enough to attempt what may taste like moistened paper towels.

Cynthia Osiemi

Great place for a stroll. Great restaurants as well. I had some good Thai food there.

Asym_Invest

Nice interesting area of town. Not as many traditional Chinese stores as you might think.

RG whatup

A nice historical place about the past of Victoria. Parking can be hecting but worth it

Atis Metuzals

Experience the old Chinatown of Victoria with all its charming little small shops. Lots of restaurants to choose from. Plenty of chinese grocery stores to stock up on ginseng and chinese spices & herbs. Fan Tan Alley is very funky and fun to photograph. The chase scene in the movie Bird on a Wire with Mel Gibson was shot in this alley.

D Dasilva

Everytime I go to Vic I hit up China town. So much to see and the shops are fab. The food is great! And the atmosphere is fun.

A L

The Victoria Chinatown is a neat mix of its historical past and revitalized present. It may be very small and sometimes uninteresting, but it is certainly safer and cleaner than Vancouver's Chinatown. The narrow Fan-Tan and Dragon Alleys …

Cenastor

First time in a China town anywhere had a blast and lots of little shops and hidden gems! Must see!

Ni N.

Nice area with lots of stores

Pete vander Zalm

Canada's oldest Chinatown. Something to see while passing through but don't expect too much. FanTan Alley is really neat to see.

H J Melnick

A real nice experience. Check out FanTan Alley. Lots of ethnic history to explore here. Enjoy.

Char Ika-Heimonen

Absolutely charming!! Great photo op here!! Love Fan Tan Alley!! A must see for any visitor!!

Angela Beauchamp

Fun to visit

Phil aw Sufer

Haven't been here in years. Always a blast, love the history and heritage.

Kenneth DeHaan

The area of “Chinatown” is actually very small. Not much to see, but if you have the time. Worth just walking around the area and seeing small local owners. Especially the infamous alley. This is also on the way to the public market.

MissTaken Awakening (STkY)

It's a greatly unique experience if you're from a smaller city or town, probably not if you've traveled to other larger ones, Vancouver, Calgary or possibly Toronto (never been to Toronto) It is however located right downtown and near so many restaurants and pubs, just down from the seawall and other great shops on Governement. The stores are stocked full of awesomely random goods and beautiful garments. The food is pretty amazing too!!

Rolanne Taylor

Historic China Town is full of Chinese culture; restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, meat stores, clothing, furniture and gift shops, to name a few. The famous Fantan Alley is full of cool little shops of all kinds. Some of the authentic stores are full of really different items and the people are so friendly. Do not miss an opportunity to visit this amazing place...A must-see!

Jonah Ferguson

Gorgeous place to visit. The last few times I have been through here, you could hear flute music echoing down the street, which created an incredible atmosphere. Fan Tan Alley is a must-see as well!

Constantinos Blachuras

I get there's history but that's about it. You could be all past and barely look twice. Get the pictures and that's about it. It was okay

Dylan Benson

The Chinatown in Victoria, British Columbia is the oldest Chinatown in Canada and the second oldest in North America after San Francisco's. It also features Fan Tan Alley which is a tourist destination with many small shops including a barber shop, art gallery, Chinese cafe, apartments and offices. It is the narrowest street in Canada. At its narrowest point it is only 0.9 metres (35 inches) wide. It was designated as a heritage property by the local government in 2001.

Katherine Jimenez

Wonderful place to visit and you could find a long variety of Chinese restaurants, cafeterias and other stores.

Štěpán Kráčmar

I heard that this is the second oldest Chinatown in Canada, so I went there with some expectations but it was disappointing. This is the smallest Chinatown in the world I have ever visited. Hence 3 stars rating. To the pros, the street looked clean and well maintained. You can find some Asian spices and products other than Chinese in local shops, will return only for that.

Michael Moriarity

This section of Victoria is always a special place to visit for the teas, the specialty food products, the visually stunning atmosphere,the restaurants brimming with enthusiastic patrons and the general ambiance which is very distinctive in nature... even a walk through the area brings back memories of the special nature of this section of the city...the Silk Road teas are our favorites ...

Edgar Gronovius

Nice place to visited with a lot of hidden treasures

Ajit Maski

Beautiful place to walk around and shopping

Pup Dax

Beautiful sunset!

Brian “Flyin' B” Bullas

Pretty cool part of town. Keep an eye out for the narrow in between streets.

Kevin Ao

Smaller Chinatown but there’s a few stores for gifts and restaurants around here

Àyọbamikale Olukoya

This Chinatown was the smallest and cleanest Chinatown I have ever been to. I enjoyed the cleanliness of the district but it is really small, with not many restaurants which is typical of other Chinatowns such as the one in Vancouver. All in all it is an okay Chinatown.

Jared Bayley

Very interesting part of Victoria! Good place to go to experience culture and to check out some different stores and restaurants in the city. There are places selling really good Chinese food; carefully look at reviews to find the best one, because I know there are some not-so-good ones. Go for a walk through Chinatown and appreciate all the different sights. You won't regret it!

cathy b

Chinatown, Victoria is more appropriate. This is a working, living part of Chinatown. I would not consider it a tourist attraction. You have markets, stores and restaurants. Look for the delicious hanging ducks. Checkout Fan Tan Alley most fun to walk through.

Marzieh Bashari

Smallest Chinatown I have ever been! Loved the culture, architecture and stores were amazing. Must see

amardeep gill

Super small. Not much to see if I'm being honest. The best thing on the street is the French patisserie which is ironic. Fan Tan Alley is cool because of its Canadian significance but otherwise you wouldn't be missing much if you gave China town a miss.

Lindsey Koenig

Such a great place to kill a cpl hours. The environment was exciting and new to experience. Didn't eat there but the food smelled exceptional ????????????????

Callie Moore

Beautiful area! Fan Tan Alley is so cool and historic. Great shops along the alley. Can't wait to visit again!

Chris Sirinop

Not as big as SF Chinatown, but they do have nice parking space for customer here.

Jannette Lock

Such a diverse experience, our Chinatown! Something for everyone, great coffee shops, awesome prices on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Esfar Zuhayr

Nice place to visit for lunch or dinner. Lots heritage as it is the oldest China Town in Canada. Check out the little alleys!

Kevin Gordon

Super cool history and architecture found in this local alley. Full mix of eclectic shops. Steeped in hundreds of years of history and stories. Perhaps do the walking tour

Google Guide

A must see when visiting Victoria. Take note of the small plaques and signs giving historical information of the area and it's early settlers. The narrow streets and back alleyways are unforgettable.

Sacalamachia

Small and not feel safe around the place

Eric Light

It's cool the history of the place I was expecting it to be a bit more Chinese tbh but overall good place to visit !

Belinda Wang

Victoria’s Chinatown 500 Fisgard St, Victoria, BC …

Daniel Benson

It's pretty small compared to other Chinatowns. Overall, it's like every other Chinatown. Pretty dirty and generic shops.

Kevin Mullett

Very interesting and touristy little area. There are a few little alleys to explore. A lot of the stores are kitschy and have the same stuff. But it is neat to check out

Nathan Au

Very pretty. Lot of cute shops mixed in with classic Chinatown spots

Leonard Erlandson

Very charming and humble atmosphere. Fan-tan alley is filled with character and interesting shops. Great a meal and spend a few hours bowling through the shops, there are some real treasures to find.

Maranda Nielson

Victoria's Chinatown is a must see when visiting Victoria! It is full of delicious restaurants and cute stores. It is a beautiful street that is easy to walk. You will find many places to explore while walking through Chinatown.

C Gordon

Good. A few hidden alleys and bubble tea shops if your feeling the need for a flavorful adventure. And the usual tourist shop to share your travel experiences with friends and family.

Shawn Robins

We really enjoyed our time in Victoria’s Chinatown. Outstanding meal at Fan Tan Cafe. All scratch main when you order it.

Cayenne McIntosh

The grocery store here is great. Amazing selection, if you can’t get something at superstore you can get it here. The area is lovely, good place to take people

sayar samanta

Great place to shop. Varieties of shops are available here with restaurant. Must visit if you are visiting Victoria. Will definitely recommend to all of my friends and others.

Clare Jones

There are some great little shops through China Town if you care to look through them. China Town is easily accessible by foot, if you’re up for a little walk from downtown. The hop on - hop off bus also stops here if you’re looking for an easier way (but this is $$).

Jason C

Oldest China town in North America! Pretty Colonial and super cool

Tanis Abuda

I love going to the New Year celebration there. It also looks really cool there after the snow!

Ava Black

Going in the culture was bright and welcoming, with small alleyways full of little shops on either side it was so safe, a great to take my little boy.

Robert Kent DesRochers

Canada's oldest Chinatown. Fan Tan Alley. Historical.

Mags

Wonderful variety of shops, markets, restaurants, and historical places. An easy walk from the harbor and plenty to do and see. Don’t forget to visit Fan Tan Alley.

Joanna Dee

Fun place to walk around, good food stands and Fan Tan alley also nice to stroll

Jackie W

The Gate of Harmonious Interest is a great photo opportunity as well as the entire street behind it as there are original buildings and hanging lanterns. We ate lunch at Don Mee which had great authentic dim sum. There aren't that many Asian stores considering its Canada's oldest Chinatown but there are a few. Other businesses include cafes and some folk artsy type places. Everyone speaks English fluently and the business owners are very friendly and accommodating. Fan Tan Alley is short but worth a quick visit. You can spend about 1 to 1.5 hours here before going to the harbor.

Bridgette H

This was such a cute place to visit. It had a variety of cute little shop, good restaurants, and the alleys were cute to visit and take pictures.

Tanya Bilde

Historic! One of the oldest Chinatowns around, if not the oldest. Full of an eclectic mix of stores, both Asian and non Asian. Great picturesque location with intriguing alleyways. A very nice place to take photos and just wander around and explore

Robert Bryan

Amazing area. So many nice details and architecture. Definitely worth a visit.

Ilana Y

Maybe it was the timing, but I came there on a Tuesday at 6 pm and everything was already closed. There were some nice narrow passages, otherwise, not much to do.

Char McC

Not bad for a 1 block Chinatown. Don Mei dim sum excellent.

J. Cheung

Great place for all. The architecture and history behind this Chinatown is pretty amazing. There's also many hole in the walls which you should not let pass you by!

avi kande

Lovely place. Very Colorful and you see a different environment over there.

Elizabeth Armour

Fun to visit. Be sure to check out Fan Tan Alley and Whirled Arts. The Fan Tan Cafe has good street noodle dishes.

GWoo

Always enjoyable. Lots to look at and if you are hungry a good choice of inexpensive restaurants to choose from. Close to most of the major hotels in Victoria.

ily tian

Authenticity as its finest.. we enjoyed the food and culture but the place is a bit dirty compared to calgary china town???? …

Mohamed Niang

Nice restaurants ;) a lot of small shops it’s the place to go if you visit Victoria !!!

unpredicable man

Beautiful at night. Full if life and just a sight to see with your own eyes. Hard to describe with pictures. This is a place to visit personally. It IS the oldest intact Chinatown's in Canada during early settlements.

Aida Noroozi

Really cool place with many deffrent restaurants and foods.

Kevin Lyons

Nice to visit... the smells are incredible. Next time we will bring our appetites and try a meal.

kiara w

I adore China town! Growing up on the island, Chinatown has always been a favourite place to go and explore. Not only is it beautiful, and fun..it also holds a lot of history for how Victoria started!

TKP

I'm not sure why they call this Chinatown. It's completely gentrified, coffee shops, overpriced western furniture, etc. . Honestly, if you walked through it and didn't know you were there you'd never guess this was Chinatown. Maybe a handful of Chinese type shops. It's a pointless visit. If you want to experience a Chinatown go to Vancouver. Don't get excited about these 5 star reviews, they're highly over gracious.

Harry Peng

Despite its small size, the Victoria Chinatown has many things to offer: colorful buildings, many little neat shops, and narrow alleyways. However, everything is very westernized and few shops are authentic.

Amanda Loughlin

Beautiful place. If you're interested in checking out a bunch of shops most things don't open until 11am but if you're just out for a scenic walk it's quite around 10am

star simran

was not really fun there was nothing special to watch i don't recommend to visit during weekdays. i am not sure about weekends

Cleighton Simons

A historic site in Victoria. Staple Chinese cuisine. Lost it's unique vibe.

Rod Clint

Don mee,s Great asian meats...... bbq pork and rise yum!!!!!!@

Tim Chu

A good cultural display of what is left of the Chinatown generation. Other than those artifacts left here, there is nothing “China” related at this region anymore. As new comers bring different ways of living, plus the locally born are associated with rest of Canadians - this is what’s left of a dying generation that once shared similar language and value.

Kurt Harker

Go check out the loy sing co. Best and only Chinese sausage in Victoria. Other cool stuff here too

dina karan

Visited on a Snowy day... A historic place but nothing much to explore...

Nish Rajah

Very cute little strip. Wanted to to check it out since it is the oldest Chinatown in Canada. Glad we did and it is amazing to see and walk through the very narrow paths. Nothing to big but very nice experience.

J C

Really cool place. Check out The Umbrellatorium!

Desi Sloan

Step back in time and experience the magic of our Chinese culture. Old world meets modern Chinatown. The food will awaken you’re taste buds, plus a little fortune cookie to share the lucky you. From small Chinatown great opportunity to explore the ancient ways. I have personally attended Lunar celebrations and this was an opportunity to enrich the senses. There won’t be a railway through British Columbia had it not been for the labourers who arrived from China. There was a thriving Artist scene painters,sculptures,architectures, poets,writers and photographer’s who were embraced by this noble Chinese community. I think that it’s important to persevere this old town for generation’s to experience this thriving community.

Michelle Chow

Took a nice walk through China town, thought it was going to be bigger but it was still fun.

Margaret Pater

I love the place visit everyone I'm in vic

A.C. Greveling

Interesting place. Lots of small shops and restaurants near by. Great place to visit.

Terry Bodaly

I loved Victoria Chinatown. Felt safe and comfortable. Lots to see. Lots of food. Clean.

Zeyuan L

Not Chinese at all, dirty plus messy. Had a Chinese dinner but the food tastes awful, not authentic at all

Jul Dickson

Fun place to wander around in. Our grandson was on a mission to find black doors in the alleyways as he had heard they were secret entrances ????. We didn't find any but we had fun looking.

Brad Calberry

Super fun and always enjoyable! Loved it and urge others to check it out.

Arun Kumar

Canada’s oldest China town. Try to visit in the evenings for colours and lights.

Ray Staats

Not a very large Chinatown, the alleyway leading in is quite nice. Interesting stores in the alley. On the main drag it is pretty much like a city street.

Ino W

This Chinatown is very nice and clean, there re some decent boutiques and a Market Square mearby. It's very close to downtown Victoria too, some come and check out.

D'Arcy O'Byrne

A Victoria institution. Indoor and outdoor dining. Great staff, great food. Evenings are very busy so go for reservations.

Bianca I. Marquez

It was quite the surprise! Very clean in a beautiful city!

Mark Adams

A small yet eclectic area on the island that was fun to see , follow the locals to eat not look at the boards outside .

Petrus W

The location is very central... The wharf, Parliament building, 5 star hotels, restaurants, etc. Ironically, there are not that many Chinese grocery stores and restaurants in Chinatown.

Ricky D

Very nice Chinatown but a lot of homeless people and you have to be aware of your surrounding I would go in evening time.

Melody M

Don’t bother trying to get Asian food here - they’re a lot more expensive. Might get same variety from Walmart or Fairway

Darryl Stauffer

Always love to visit here when in Victoria

Robert Monico

A great piece of history with some nice educational signage that explains different features. Also some beautiful shops to see.

Lara Hochhalter

One of the nicest and most interesting Chinatowns I've been to - great place to walk around, eat something and buy some chinese products.

A Doctor's Orders

Very glad I found this rather special Chinatown - the oldest one in Canada! You can also see the world's narrowest commercial street. Great place for photos!

Corey Church

We enjoyed our visit to Chinatown especially the hidden alleys where I need to eat find turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip

Frank Robinson

Losing all the old iconic places. Such a shame to see new business with nothing to do with chinatown. Losing the charm....like the rest of downtown.

Stan Chan

Nice area to walk around. Brunch was very enjoyable at Jam which is close by.

Ashraf Paruk

Authentic Chinese cuisine. Nice to browse through. Doesn't take more than 20 minutes to walk both streets.

jason tremblay

Very cool even great Chinese food and stores

Mark Peterson

Victoria's Chinatown is a really fun and amazing place. Definitely a hot spot for incredible Chinese food. The infamous Fan Tan Alley feels like an Asian version of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley.

Mark Wilson

Worst Chinese food ever. Will not mention the restaurant out of fairness to them.

Mitch Copas

I love that place on the corner they give you tea with your meal and is amazing. And amazing shops everywhere

Charles Reinhart

Somewhat authentic atmosphere remains though more spoiled as millennial college kids take over much of the jobs completely erasing any presence of a Chinatown being more than a poor attempt at a tourist attraction

Nicole Janzen

We got a very weird vibe walking through this Chinatown. Nobody in the shops were friendly, most didn't even say hi. It was like the shop owners were upset that you had come in. None of the shops really interested us and were so jam packed full of stuff. It was just meh. The architecture was cool, the area was relatively clean, but other than that it wasn't anything authentic or special.