Welcome to Victoria: Your First 90 Days

60Days 31 to 60: settling in

The paperwork is done. Now make it feel like home.

Health

• Get your BC Services CardYour health card. Get it at an ICBC driver licensing office, ideally on the same trip as your licence.BC Services Card (BC)
• Join the Health Connect RegistryB.C.’s list for being matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Register early: the wait can be long. You’ll need your Personal Health Number.Health Connect Registry (HealthLink BC)
• Know where to go in the meantimeFind your nearest walk-in clinic, urgent and primary care centre and pharmacy. Call 8-1-1 any time to speak to a nurse for free.
• Transfer your medical recordsAsk your previous doctor to send them once you have a new one.

Getting around

• Get set up with transitBC Transit runs the Greater Victoria buses. Pay with Umo, a reloadable tap card or app. The BC Transit site has trip planning and real-time bus tracking.BC Transit VictoriaUmo
• Try the trailsThe Galloping Goose, Lochside and E&N trails connect much of the region for walking and cycling. Helmets are the law in B.C.Regional trails (CRD)
• Set up a BC Ferries accountSwartz Bay to Tsawwassen for Vancouver, and Departure Bay (Nanaimo) to Horseshoe Bay. Reserve ahead on summer weekends and holidays.BC Ferries
• Learn your way out of townVictoria International Airport (YYJ) is by Sidney. Harbour Air floatplanes and Helijet go harbour to harbour to Vancouver. Highway 1 runs to the Westshore and up-Island; Highway 17 (Pat Bay) runs to Sidney, the airport and the ferry.Victoria Airport
• Car share, if you need itModo has cars around the core, booked by the hour.Modo

Your everyday essentials

• Find your regularsGrocery store, pharmacy, hardware store, gas station, and your closest coffee shop. These are the places that make a neighbourhood feel like yours.
• Get a library cardGreater Victoria Public Library or Vancouver Island Regional Library, depending on where you live.GVPLVIRL
• Visit your recreation centreMost offer drop-in classes, pools and gyms, and they’re a great way to meet people.

Liz’s little list

• Murchie’s on Government Street, then browse Munro’s Books right next door
• Silk Road for tea in Chinatown
• Crust Bakery, for the best croissants in town
• The Dutch Bakery, a great little diner with so many treats up front. My favourite are the marzipan dollar rolls.
• Thetis Lake and Brentwood Bay, when you want to get out of town

90Days 61 to 90: finding your people

This is the part people leave for later. I think it matters most.

Get connected

• Join a newcomers clubThese clubs exist just for people new to the area, with regular get-togethers and interest groups. The three below are for women; the Meetup group is open to everyone.Newcomers Club of Greater VictoriaVictoria Evening Newcomers ClubPeninsula Newcomers ClubNew to Victoria (Meetup)
• Join something that meets every weekA rec centre class, a walking or hiking group, a book club, pickleball. Seeing the same faces each week is how friendships start.
• VolunteerVolunteer Victoria matches people to local organisations. Festivals, museums and theatres often need help too.Volunteer Victoria
• Find your neighbourhood groupsYour community association, plus local Facebook groups (try “New to Victoria” or your neighbourhood’s name).
• Say hello to your neighboursIt sounds simple. It works.

Stay in the loop

• Local newsThe Times Colonist, CHEK News and Victoria Buzz.Times ColonistCHEK NewsVictoria Buzz
• What’s onTourism Victoria’s events calendar, and your municipality’s website for notices, permits and bylaws.Events calendar (Tourism Victoria)

Be ready

• Sign up for emergency alertsYou have to sign up, and each area has its own: Vic-Alert (Victoria), Esquimalt Alert, Oak Bay Alert, Westshore Alert (Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Highlands) and Saanich Peninsula Alert (Sidney, North and Central Saanich). The CRD lists them all with sign-up links.Alert systems by area (CRD)Vic-Alert
• Put together an emergency kitVancouver Island is earthquake country. PreparedBC has simple checklists.PreparedBC
• Invest in good rain gearWinters are mild, but they’re wet. A good waterproof jacket and boots make all the difference.

Start enjoying it

• See the classics like a localThe Inner Harbour, Beacon Hill Park, Dallas Road, Fisherman’s Wharf, Butchart Gardens, Craigdarroch Castle and the Royal BC Museum.
• Catch a showThe Royal and McPherson theatres, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and live music downtown.
• Explore beyond your neighbourhoodMy neighbourhood guides cover what it’s like to live in each part of Greater Victoria.Neighbourhood guides

My first weekends here

Mostly, I explored. A different area every weekend. A few that stayed with me:

• Walking along the harbour, taking in the sights and breathing deeply, with real gratitude for where I was.
• The Gorge Waterway walkway and Gorge Park, sitting in the Japanese Garden in wonder at so much beauty.
• Hiking at Thetis Lake.