Reviews of Hatley Castle (Tourist Attraction)

Aris Cusi

Beautiful place with rich history. Well maintained ground. Nice and quiet on the weekend. People visiting follows safe social distancing.

Markus Schnell

Even in the wintertime it is so wonderful to explore there

Kevin W

Beautiful building, xmen was shot here which is interesting.

Ryan Chan

Royal college. X-Men castle. Beautiful views.

Explore Your City - Vancouver

What a fantastic place to visit and great for photos. About a 15-20 minute drive from downtown Victoria. Looks like a wonderful place to study!

Seán Conroy

Even though I didn't get to visit the castle itself, the walk around the grounds outside is worth the visit alone. Came in the early morning hours on an October day and almost had the entire place to myself; great way to start the day! After walking around the grounds, I grabbed a quick coffee and bite to eat at the on-site Habitat Cafe. It's a pretty casual and straightforward little spot, but the coffee and baked goods were genuinely good. As well as the castle, a few of the other areas were also closed, due to Covid-19, but I will definitely be making my way back here again in the future to experience everything in full.

Nicholas Milton

Misty when we went so the atmosphere was mysterious.

Maxx Wolting

Fun place to go check out, especially if you've watched a few of the CW shows and other movies it's featured in. I visited several times because it has a great view of the water, a beautiful, large garden to explore and enjoy the trees and flowers, and the castle itself is impressive to look at.

Frédérick Doucet

A must for every x-men fan. The castle and gardens are very nice

Booyaka Stubbs (ExplorewithStubbs.com)

Charles Xavier's School for gifted children is another name given to Hatley Castle in the Marvel Universe. Given this is the home Province of Ryan Reynolds, I'm sure he wanted this place for his Deadpool movies. An amazing place to walk around, take in the views and smells of all the flowers. The vines climbing the walls were pretty cool as they were different colors, made friends with one of the many peacocks walking the grounds. Didn't try and go inside, figure it'll be closed for covid reasons. The grounds staff are friendly and polite let us know we could walk on the grass lol (my dad would kill me for walking on the grass at home, so I asked if it was ok) wish I had more time to walk around but I had to catch a flight later that day. Highly recommended and I'll be back for a longer stay next visit..

Terry the Vegan Cyborg

Beautiful historical landmark. One of the protest FREE gardens. Don't miss the Japanese garden.

Vancouver_Girl

Very cool building! If they are offering try and go on one of their tours. It was a really cool place to get some cosplay photos, but pro tip do not wear that fake leather material in cosplays during a heat wave.

Leslie Scilley

Inside closed due to COVID but explored all the gardens and they are beautiful!

Matthew Campbell

An absolutely stunning spot, so close to Victoria. I had no idea it was here. Only disappointment is I didn't make it into the X-Men. Maybe next time

Kate Denison

Loved the old building! Can't do tours right now because of COVID and some of the gardens are not well maintained at all. However, a cute little stop for sure and lots of history if you have Google at your fingertips.

Chica Hassan

Had so much fun walking and exploring the castle even when we just had viewed outside. The weather was nice. I was waiting to see prof X but i think he’s busy with the student profile.????????

Alan Griffith

The Japanese garden is the absolute highlight. Very beautiful.

Rita Montgomery

Had a wonderful visit of the grounds walking around the castle and the lagoons. Then also drove around Royal Roads University. Such a diverse and beautiful property to walk. I will most certainly be back again.

Andrew Murney

Visited in October, so the grounds were quiet. There appeared to still be private tours going on, but we just checked out the public outdoor spaces.

Nancy Clemens

Would love more history on the outside until it opens but beautiful grounds.

Jess W

Love coming here! My friend got married here a few years ago, so had to come back. And it does not disappoint. The grounds are absolutely stunning, even at this time of year! 10/10 recommended

Marta Borowska

Gorgeous castle almost near the water. It’s not open but the outside is really cool and the garden well kept. Saw some peacocks in the garden. Located near a really big pay parking lot. It is $1 an hour. One of the cash slots on one of them does not work properly. There is an accessible entrance for when it does open.

Dylan Soo

My old stomping grounds as a student a Royal Roads. 12 years later it's still as beautiful as when I took classes. A few changes with some new buildings but for the most part this campus is really a historical time capsule and beautiful park all rolled into a place you can walk around for hours. There are the gardens with the entrance tucked away. The castle which yoy can tour during the week. Find the resident peacocks hanging around. And when you are hungry you can check out the cafeteria which serves up delicious food.

Jorge Rivera Espinoza

Very beautiful! 40 minutes away from Victoria's Downtown but worth it!

Lorilei Pinley

This castle is just beautiful with gorgeous views and beautiful gardens! Definitely worth the little drive to get there from downtown Victoria.

Brielle McKendry

the castle was closed for touring but we decided to stop by anyways. SO glad that we did. the grounds are incredible, almost as beautiful as butchart gardens even! I would say take a visit even if you can't go inside to tour the castle. we saw so much wildlife and walked for hours.

Nena

From the outside the area is lovely, great for taking photos and wandering around. The gardens are beautiful, a must see

K Carson

Such a great place to visit! The gardens were so lovely, amazing place to take photos!

Roxy Tp

We only saw the outside because there was a wedding going on, beautiful exterior, feels like you’re in medieval England ,nice place to visit I wish I’ve been able to see inside.

Justin Platnar

Puts Casa Loma to shame.

Aziz Dhamani

Amazing castle worth visiting any season

Tiffany Bibby

couldn't see inside but the exterior is breathtaking ????

Marilou Decafe Stubbings

The garden is the best part for me! Different colors, smell. So beautiful! The castle is a good backdrop. Well kept and attended. See it for yourself.

Justine Mae

Peaceful and beautiful spot to visit! The only reason I took a star off is due to the limited access inside the castle. It's a beautiful structure. It shouldn't be limited to students & staff only. The public would greatly appreciate more of this iconic X-Men set.

Kiki Lam

This is a beautiful Castle with a beautiful garden. Plan to spend at least a couple hours here and I highly recommend you take a tour of the castle where the tour guides will tell you the history of the castle being built, the money and people behind it and some of the new films that have been filmed in there. It’s also nice if you want to just take a nice stroll through the extensive gardens. It’s very beautiful and peaceful. On the back side of the castle there is open grass to hang out on as well. Being a tourist, I highly recommend this as a destination to go to. The architecture and history was great to learn about.

Anne

Lots to see and so beautiful. The tour is worth the money. It's located about 20 minutes outside of downtown Victoria so it's well worth the drive. There are three Gardens all beautifully arranged and landscaped was some of the most amazing Greenery I've ever seen. Unfortunately there was a wedding going on in one so we didn't get to see that Garden but we could see of it it was really gorgeous. I really can't wait to go here again when we get back to Victoria.

Chris-Ann Lake

As a wedding officiant with Young Hip & Married, I have done numerous wedding ceremonies at Hatley Castle, and each one gets better and better. I highly recommend this venue to anyone searching for a magically unique wedding location. I can't wait to be back real soon!

LEONARDO BLENGINI

Its beautiful and amazing. Its history is very important and interesting.

Kendra S T

Wish parking was free. Better to visit in the spring/summer when the gardens are full. Nice walk around the grounds.

Gurumoorthy Mohan

Nice place for an evening outing or to fly kites near the lagoon. Peacock sightings inside the campus gives you a pleasant feel.

Iengemdoo

Scenic. Clean. Beautiful. Need I say more? Such amazing grounds.

Javier Cob Briceño

Beautiful Castle. Due to COVID I couldn't see it inside, but outside is very nice. The gardens are very beautiful and take a while to explore

Shaun Wray

Stunning tour of this fascinating landmark. Spend a few hours wandering through the different garden areas after the tour. Get lost for awhile and enjoy the excellent greenery.

Jenny Lo

The garden next to the castle outshines the castle. The Japanese, rose and Italian gardens are lovely. Pack a picnic and enjoy the serenity inside the garden.

Dan McDonald

Great place to visit and take photos !

Julien Valat

Because if Covid restrictions, we were not able to visit the castle, but the stop still worth it when the weather is nice! The gardens themselves are wonderful (Japanese garden, rose garden, Italian garden…). And you may hear or even see one of two peacocks around there! Will totally come back to visit the castle someday!

Andrew “CPTCanuck83”

What an amazing hidden gem. The grounds of this Edwardian designed estate, are a pleasure to walk. This is a university as well so it's a very safe place to adventure. The trails and the gardens are like non-other on Vancouver Island. There are ponds and many different gardens from rose to swamp this place has it all. Please ???? make sure to respect the hard work of the gardening staff and mother nature, stick to the trails.

Vasily R

Very well-groomed area. Couldn't go inside as of 11/26 but still a great picture spot. Go x-men!

Nguyen Ngoc Tan

Very nice place. Beautiful scenery in the sunny day. Unfortunately they do not open the castle for visit.

Bhavesh Gaykwad

Hatley Park National Historic Site is located in Colwood, British Columbia, in Greater Victoria. It is the site of Hatley Castle, a Classified Federal Heritage Building. Since 1995, the mansion and estate have been used for the public Royal Roads University. From the 1940s to 1995, it was used for the Royal Roads Military College, a naval training facility.

Andy Lai

Love the architecture here. The landscapers were working hard to plant flowers when we went around end of Feb. It would be beautiful once all the flowers bloom. We were lucky and entered the castle, first thing you notice is the scent of ancient wood, lovely! We saw a lounge area which looks out to the ocean. Love it! This is next to Royal Roads university so be sure to check out the campus as well! The gardens were not in shape because of the season but I suspect they are just as beautiful as the castle in spring!

Dana T

Very nice castle and grounds. Closed Sept 2020 due to Covid, but still worth the visit.

Max Novich

This is an extremely quiet and peaceful place. There are peacocks walking around the gardens and hummingbirds buzzing near the castle. The structure itself, though small for a castle, is more of a large manor, but boy is it beautiful. There is a reason this is often a set for shows and movies.

Jennifer Logan

Beautiful castle surrounded by beautiful gardens and trees. A pretty beautiful place with an ocean view. Great place to walk and take photographs.

Natasha Harms

Definitely have to go back during the season to see inside and the museum, but it was a nice quick sightseeing adventure.

Lana Normore

Definitely worth spending a few hours enjoying the sights this castle & gardens have to offer, and it’s FREE! ???????? The only thing you pay for is parking, and it is very reasonable. We overpaid our time on purpose, as we felt guilty it only cost us $3 to enjoy the hours we spent there. It may be harder to find parking in the busy months of summer, the parking lot is small. Hatley Castle is a very traditional looking castle. Only invited guests & staff can go inside. But, don’t be too disappointed... The outside is beautiful! It’s easy to see why so many movies have used it. Then there are the incredible gardens, that you can walk through for hours. They are a maze of beauty! This was definitely a highlight for us. Glad we took the time to come see it.

Eleithia M.

This place is absolutely gorgeous, I only wished I was able to see the gardens and maybe venture inside.

Jefferson Kaine

Cancel has been kept in great shape very historic site loved being there want to go back when it's actually opened after covid

Marina M

Beautiful University +Castle! Impecable gardening and trees.

West Prime

Wonderful place to visit on the westshore. Beautiful gardens, castle and views. Peaceful paths to walk all over. Good place for anytime of the year. Kids will love it too.

Kenneth Fung (Kenneth Fung)

Very nice castle building surrounded by parks.

Nick McGeachie

With stunning views of the ocean and Olympic mountains as the backdrop, Hatley castle is well preserved national historic site. The gardens below the castle are well presented and scenic. It is free to roam the grounds and enjoy the ocean views. However, the Hatley Gardens have an admission fee.

Rajdeep Brar

Beautiful place for a quiet stroll during fall

Selina Yang

Very nice place to go with family and kid. Due to covid 19, We couldn't go inside. But outside is classic and beautiful enough. You won't Be disappointed. The castle is surrounding by Japanese garden and rose garden. Also you can see the ocean from the garden and the restaurant. We didn't know this castle is the place to film X-Men ????????: professor X teaches the mutants inside! I will definitely go again to visit inside.

Joan N

Beautiful, well-maintained gardens. The castle itself is closed to public now, but the gardens are free to explore - they have a beautiful rose garden, and a Japanese garden, as well as smaller hedged gardens closer to the castle. You can park in the open lot for $1/h. Recommended for a nice morning or afternoon to explore the gardens.

Sprout Local Digital Marketing

Always quaint. Great if you’re looking to get shots of some cool architecture and beautiful gardens. Must see when visiting Vancouver Island.

Ram Purohit

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Victoria. You might find yourself going back to Professor Xavier School for Special people on seeing this magnificent structure. Must visit place, when in Victoria. There are beautiful gardens just besides the castle.

Cheryl Willis

Wish the inside wasn't closed to the public, on the day I visited. I only got a quick look. But what I saw was beautiful. The gardens are a must see. These pictures were taken in October.

邵子裕

Nice place to go

Mike Lynds

I'll be honest it didn't jump out as being the xmen castle like I hoped it would. It was still well worth the visit as it's an amazing and interesting building.

Amanda Jarrett

Fantastic! The gardens and grounds far surpass Butchart Gardens in beauty, design and plant specimens.

David Beilis

What a surprise. We stopped at this place on the way to B&B at the end of the day. The castle is located in the university area and is closed at the moment. However, it is possible to enjoy gardens and walk around. The place is marvelous and is worth a detour if you are in the area to walk around and enjoy a nice scenery. Garden is something special. I was surprised to see big lilies and large variety of other flowers ????. The view to the US coast is greatest well. Walk from the castle towards the Bay to watch many species of birds from the area.

Gordon Sjodin

Well worth the trip even if you just walk the grounds on the outside. Very interesting history. Read all of the plaques and get to know the past. Very interesting alumni list. Also really neat to see the movies that have been filmed here. Very nice location with excellent views of the ocean.

Ah-Yeong Jo

The place is beautiful but not as big as you see in the pictures. The photographers did pretty good job I would say. We visited the castle today (June 26,2021) and the garden was closed for a film event or something but we were still able to get a few good shots. I would recommend to check out if it is on your way but I would not take a detour just to see the castle...

The Epic Lalondes

What a beautiful landmark to visit! Absolutely stunning grounds! First time here, and I can see many more visits to come! The gardens are absolutely heavenly! Wonderfully quiet, and so much to see! You can tell the caretakers love their jobs, as it shows in the quality of care and attention to detail!

sayar samanta

Located in Vancouver Island it is a great place to visit. Currently it serve as a administrative building of a college. Will definitely recommend to all of my friends and others.

Dan M

Great place to bring visitors from out of town and for walks across the different gardens. Out of all the Castles in Victoria, this is probably the best. I recommend going when the sun is out. The setting is pretty cool since you have water, mountains, and all kinds of natural elements.

Tere Arboleda

Very beautiful castle. We had a good walk around the castle. They have free garden access, but no inside tour. Still, the visit is so worth it. The peacock is so cute. They roamed around. Having a bird seed in you, would be fun.

Pree Badrinath

Splendid looking in snow. Due to covid restrictions it was closed for indoor tour but the property around the castle was beautiful to walk around.

Fabiola Martinhago

Amazing, specially when you learn about the history behind it and you have watched X-man. The bunnies and peacocks are a special attraction for the kids. But the interior of the castle is still closed...

Sophie Wu

Great place to take photos and have a walk. It’s great to see the Olympic mountain top across the sea in a sunny day.

Ravi Reetoo

X-men school for the gifted! Spent the day there, it was a day we'll spent. Loved the history of the place and how well preserved were the artifacts. The gardens are simply amazing, great job maintaining everything in great shape! Definitely recommend it!

Shan Susan Huang

The day I went was pretty quiet. It's also quite romantic since it's snowing. Unfortunately the garden was closed. But I still had a good time with my husband. ????

James Watson-Burgess

Beautiful place and the grounds are amazing (the trees are magnificent!). Highly recommend going down into Charlie's Trail on the edge of the grounds.

Emerson Willer

Amazing to see this place! Gardens are not so beautiful for now. There is a horrible tend in front of building! :-(

Cindy Tang

Stunning castle with beautiful garden, over looking the lagoon. There are peacocks and bunnies too!

Rick Lee

nice place

Bogdan Pankovsky

One of the truly beautiful and well taken care place. A lot of history and beautiful, beautiful nature all around. Must to see for someone who haven't seen it yet

Grace Waeohongsa

Hatley in the fall ???? I do love this castle.. very beautiful and peaceful place. No entrance fee in 2021. It opens for outdoor and the garden only. Indoor and museum are closed..

Connie Shaw

Not as nice as it use to be very over grown in places

Kaley Parchoc

Must see place to look into the past. Gorgeous building, beautiful gardens, excellent place to walk around and look into the past.

Susan Frew

March 21, 2020-A True Story Faerie Tale... Wedding of the Apocalypse. Thanks for Our Castle... it was the perfect setting weather and all. The Sun Shone.. our day was gorgeous... the challenges of Covid we met and adjusted from our original plan through to our success with your team from A-Z. the Faeries were very happy to dance in the sunlight and be with you. Thanks to Nancy, Jamie, & Rebecca for helping adjust our sails to all the rule changes day of and still give us time to get ready... as you can see we home where we belonged at the castle * wink *wink.. Thanks for taking such good care.... S & G..

E Chan

Lovely place to visit. Lots of spot you could spend time to take photos.

Diana Marat

Beautifully arranged themed gardens. Well maintained

Kendall Larson

Hatley Castle was one of my favorite stops on Vancouver island. The grounds are beautiful from any point. The garden was a very pleasant surprise. Both the entrance and the back are very nice. Word of advice, check to see if the castle is reserved for a private event. My friends and I were unable to see the inside. I didn’t really need to, though. The outside was enough for me.

Travis Turriff

Even though i was therein the off season, it was still very beautiful. Guessing because of the Covid, castle wasn't open.

Dean B

Nice grounds for a run or walk, little bit hilly.

Yota X

Home of the X-Men! Beautiful.. A must see if your in the area.

M8 Events

Absolutely gorgeous. Indoors was closed due to Covid but our family (kids ages between 4-9) had a fantastic time wandering the grounds and taking pictures. Next time we'll bring a picnic to sit under a massive tree in the shade and enjoy the water view. There is also a pretty trail just off the university that I'd like to hike next time. Just a majestic place with unbelievable gardens and landscaping.

Linda Latter

I was only able tour the grounds. Really looked like an English garden.

Richard Krahn

This was a nice place to walk around. Very beautiful and the gardens were gorgeous even if they weren’t in bloom yet. The kids had fun watching the peacocks.

Odion Welch

A great photo spot ???? Also, RRU is a Fabolous campus. I wouod highly recommend attending here!

Darren Findlay

A true beauty, so perfectly created in its look and setting. Easily matches some of the country houses of Great Britain. A lovely example of Edwardian mansions, while it’s father Castle Craigdarroch is a lovely example of Victorian mansion. If you ever get a chance to visit the inside do it! But the exterior and setting is the best thing about it.

Kenny T

From the excusite gardens to the magnificent architecture. We had quite a nice time walking around the grounds and building here. The beach was also nice. If you need to kill a few hours, stopping here will not be dissapointing. And it's free, you can't beat that.

van Nghia Phan

So lovely Italian and Japanese garden behind the Castle..

Sandra Karr

Beautiful castle and a must visit! We were not able to go inside, as it’s temporarily closed, but we managed to take some beautiful photos of the gardens and the exterior. There were hardly any people so we had the place all to ourselves for the most part! ????

sarah-leanne deslippe

Visit the school where professor X taught his mutants to spread their wings (seriously, this is the school from the X-men movies)! Mostly a university now so not as much to check out (I hear there's a museum but it was closed when I visited), however the grounds and garden are beautiful and there are some nice short hiking trails in the vicinity.

lia lipkovits

Beautiful area to explore with many trails. There are 2 resident peacocks.

Diane Hwu

Beautifully kept grounds. Found out after stumbling upon this gorgeous castle that this was where some of the X-Men and Deadpool movies were shot! Made for a great photoshoot. Would definitely come back!

Nancy Lan

Loving it. Its worth going.