Historical Chinatown Walking Tour – Learn The History Of The Oldest Chinatown In Canada
- Location
- Victoria, Canada
- Duration
- 1 hour 30 Minutes (Approx.)
- 20.94
- View Price
Trip inclusions
- Local Guide Facility
Historical Chinatown Walking Tour – Learn The History Of The Oldest Chinatown In Canada
Chinatown Victoria, BC is the oldest Chinatown in Canada with many unbeatable sights and attractions. It is the second oldest Chinatown in North America too. Located on Fisgard Street in Victoria, the neighborhood boasts the colors and culture of the Chinese community. A historical Chinatown walking tour will explore the fascinating entry arch – Gate of Harmonious Interest, Historic Chinese Public School, The Apology Plague, and the narrow alleys.
History of Chinese Public School
History says that in 1908, Chinese-born students were isolated from attending public schools by a law passed by the Victoria School Board. Many children from Chinese community used the Lequn Free School, established by Chinese merchants. After the new law, students who used public schools till that time chose to attend the Lequen Free School. The location became overcrowded and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association constructed the new Chinese public school, which is still in use.
Fan Tan Alley
A guided walking tour Chinatown will take you to the narrow alleys located between Fisgard Steet and Pandora Avenue. Fan Tan Alley housed opium dens and shady pubs and was a gambling district too. Fan Tan is actually a Chinese name for a famous gambling game played in the alley. Opium was legal in Canada until 1908 and the alley was famous for opium factories and gambling dens. By the 1950s, due to heavy police checking, the gambling dens lacked the number of people playing games and at the end of the 1970s the buildings started being condemned. Revitalization leader David Chuenyan Lai recommended asking for a small amount of rent from emerging artists and in return they should help renovate the alley. Today, Fan Tan Alley is a famous tourist spot housing unique shops and is famed as Canada’s narrowest street.
Dining scene
Being the oldest Chinatown in Vancouver, the neighborhood houses many shops and restaurants that are ethically diverse and exclusive. You will find Italian bakeries, French Pastry shops, and many Chinese grocery shops selling a wide range of unique and tasty eatables.
Visiting the city and parking your fleet
Chinatown Victoria walking tour will arrange your itinerary and parking needs. The town gets overcrowded in the summer, you will find it difficult to get a spot for parking. Many parkades offer longer-stay facilities. Hence, you can spend 1-2 hours exploring the town, and even longer if you want to dine at one of the famous restaurants.
Trip itinerary
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1Chinatown1 Hour 30 Minutes (Approx.)
Before Vancouver was founded in the 1880s, Victoria served as the supply hub for the gold rush and expanded to become the largest city in British Columbia. For hundreds of Chinese, Chinatown in Victoria served as their home base. A few opened their own shops, eateries, laundromats, and farms. Some of them worked as cooks, servants, and gardeners in non-Chinese people's homes in the city. Many of them labored for others in the logging camps, coal mines, fish canneries, and gold fields outside of the city. Chinatown in Victoria was the largest in Canada for a long time. Even if there aren't as many Chinese people living there as in other cities, Victoria will always be known for having the oldest Chinatown in Canada.
Victoria, Canada
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2Victoria Chinese Public School (Pass By)
The most interesting structure in Victoria is the Chinese Public School. Find out why it was constructed and why its elaborate architecture conceals much more than what first greets the eye.
Victoria, Canada
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3Fan Tan Alley20 Minutes
Without a question, the most well-known location in Chinatown, if not all of Victoria, is Fan Tan Alley. Fan Tan Alley still has a lot of abandoned casinos. You may incorporate a fan tan demonstration into your trip.
Victoria, Canada
Pickup Information
Your booking confirmation email will include information about your pick-up time and location.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
- For a complete refund, you may cancel up to 24 hours before the experience.
- You must cancel at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of the activity in order to get a complete refund.
- You will not receive your money back if you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience begins.
- The local time of the experience determines the cutoff times.
- Less than 24 hours before to the experience's start time, modifications won't be permitted.
Other Information
- At the time of booking, confirmation will be sent. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Works in any weather; please wear suitable clothing.
- Not suitable for wheelchairs
- In close proximity to public transportation
- Most tourists are able to take part.
- No limitations on health
- There can be no more than 10 participants on this tour or activity.
Tour exclusions
- It is suggested that visitors to the Tam Kung Temple make an optional contribution of $1 per person.
- Tip-Offs
What our travellers say
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sally Ormana week ago
Exceptionally bad traffic made the start later than would have liked but Shawn our driver was a brilliant host making sure we experienced all the features of the trip. Skylon Tower, the Sheraton Buffet, Niagara Falls, the whirlpool, Niagara on the Lake, the world’s smallest church and the wine tasting. Highly recommend and book it all you will not be disappointed.
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Donald Haywood3 months ago
We went with Shawn on our tour and from the very beginning he was very professional and courteous! Shawn was an excellent safe driver and we had a smooth trip and at all of our stops we had more than enough time to enjoy the sights! I would definitely take this tour again if I were in Toronto and didn’t want to drive and I highly recommend Shawn and his fine hospitality and kindness and great knowledge of the area. Shawn loves the Niagara region and knows it well and truly loves it here and that helps make his tour exceptional!
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Sherine Smith4 months ago
We had a wonderful experience on the Niagara Falls tour with Tour Beez! Everything was well organized, and our tour guide, Shawn, was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the trip enjoyable from start to finish. He shared interesting facts, kept everything on schedule, and ensured everyone had a great time. I would definitely recommend Tour Beez and Shawn for anyone planning a Niagara Falls tour!
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Belisse Brandao da Cunha3 months ago
Absolutely amazing!!!!! Shawn was awesome! He was incredibly kind and thoughtful, and somehow managed to give every single passenger one-on-one attention and care. I highly recommend this tour!I was traveling with my 3-month-old baby, and Shawn made sure we were comfortable throughout the entire experience. We absolutely loved it!
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Tammy Kuffner2 months ago
We had a great time! We are from British Columbia and have never been to Niagara so booking through tour beez was easy and they did all the planning, even small details like booking our Uber, providing links and times. Our tour guide, Shawn was extremely knowledgeable with the falls and also the surrounding area. He was so friendly and personable. He even added on a couple extra stops whenever time was saved along the way. I will 💯 recommend Tour Beez to friends and family!
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Priya K2 months ago
Shawn was the tour guide of the day and he was absolutely fantastic! He’s super friendly and very informative. The tour allowed us to explore many sites including Niagara Falls, a scenic drive along Niagara parkway, a stop at Floral clock, and we finished with wine tasting at Niagara College. Would recommend this tour to anyone!
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