Teas, ales and killer whales

The shop assistant hands me some white tea to taste and says: "This is one hundred monkeys."

"And why is it called that?" I ask dubiously.

"Because it's as playful as a hundred monkeys."

It seems a leap of imagination to me as I down the clear liquid in one gulp, but Silk Road in Victoria's Chinatown takes its tea seriously. It stocks many different varieties of white, green, semi-green and black teas (there's me thinking there was only one colour) and holds tea tastings every Saturday & Sunday at 2pm, during which you can sample a range of teas much like you would sample wine at a wine tasting.

In many ways Silk Road is emblematic of Victoria as a whole. The Canadian city of some 350,000 people feels quite English in some ways. It takes teatime very seriously (tea at the grand Fairmont hotel is a popular pastime), it has many pubs offering a wide range of local ales, and the hanging baskets and cobbled streets can remind one of towns in Dorset - but it offers twists on traditions and new things to try out.

More people walk and cycle here than in any other city in Canada, and probably North America for that matter, and you can rent bikes from Cycle BC. If you just want to walk, the streets surrounding the harbour area are easily walkable and offer many traffic-free zones, meaning you don't feel as if pedestrians are an inconvenience impeding the way of the large trucks so popular in this part of the world. Maps of popular walking or cyciling routes are available.

Victoria also has the mildest climate in Canada. That's not saying much, given how fiercely cold Canada can be, but it does mean you can get outside more often here than in other parts of the country.

The climate in southern and coastal British Columbia surprises many people with how temperate it is. It is very like southern England's climate and snow rarely settles in places like Victoria and Vancouver.

You might feel grateful for the pedestrianisation and the mild weather, weaving your way back home after completing the self-guided ale trail. All Victoria's breweries are within walking distance of the city's harbour.

You could also pop in to Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub for a chocolate and beer tasting where chocolate truffles are paired with tasters of Spinnakers' ales.

If chocolate and beer isn't your thing there are plenty of other places to eat and drink. Willie's bakery has great coffee and extremely large helpings of pancakes, and the muffins on display are quite possibly the biggest in Canada. Mo:Le serves what can best be described as posh hippy food and it's good for all that. Red Fish Blue Fish operates from a steel container in the harbour and serves excellent local seafood to go. For something more upmarket try the acclaimed Aura for lunch or dinner. Experimental and fun in philosophy the food was more hit than miss and it has an extensive wine list concentrating on vineyards in BC.

Canada's wine scene is definitely on the up and from Victoria it is easy to visit several wineries. Grand Wine Tours will arrange tours or you can do it yourself, visting estates such as Venturi-Schulze (good sparkling), Cherry Point and Averill Creek (good pinot noir and pinot gris).

You'll want to avoid the beer, chocolate and wine before going whale-watching though. Companies like Great Pacific Adventures will take up to 12 passengers out on high-speed Zodiacs hunting, with cameras only obviously, orcas, humpbacks, sea lions and other wildlife.

Our first glimpse of an orca was a chilling and exhilirating sight. The sea was an oily calm and a mist had reduced visibility. An orca broke the water yards away, causing barely a ripple. Even if they're too busy chasing salmon to pay much attention to the boat or to breach, to see these animals in the ocean is a humbling experience.

The guides are experts - ours was a marine biologist - and do not interfere with or harass the whales, so you can watch them with a clear conscience.

It's not all food, drink and wildlife though. Victoria has some interesting shops to browse, especially around North Fort and LoJo, the Butchart botanical gardens are nearby and there are the Royal British Columbia Museum and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. And it's a perfect starting point for an exploration of Vancouver Island, an adventure-seeker's paradise.

Find out more:

Alastair travelled to Victoria as a guest of Tourism Victoria.

BC Ferries ply a regular route from Vancouver and will take you, your car and a passenger to Victoria at a cost of around $70.

Seaplanes from Vancouver cost around $130.

The Inn at Laurel Point has a waterfront location, superb ocean and harbour views from most rooms, Molton Brown toiletries and is home to Aura restaurant mentioned above. Room prices vary by season and package but start at around $100 per night. The spacious terrace suites start at around $200.

Car hire is available from operators including Avis, who provide car rental in most cities and airports throughout Canada.