Craigdarroch Castle

Beautiful mansion of a former wealthy Victorian family. Nor necessarily a castle by size, but sure in style. Most rooms are recreated to their original style with much love for the detail, and story cards and staff are happy to share the history of the place and it's owners with you

Great place! They have loads of signs for info on the 3 or 4 uses for this castle over the years. You get to see and can feel the greatness of the place. Its beautiful. They have a scavenger hunt for kids though it isnt to much for them. All and all a great place to stop in and see if your in the area!

Such an interesting and worthwhile experience. 10 min from downtown Victoria. We spent roughly 90 minutes here. Watch the video for the best summary of the origin, ownership and quirky history of the place. A great insight to Victoria history as well. Kudos to the preservation society.

Wonderful place to visit, gain some historical knowledge of Victoria origins and the Dunmuir family. Really liked the new Admissions and Gift Shop, added in 2018 (my last visit was 2004!).

Amazing place to go check out history, the stained glass and style in this Castle are amazing, would love to come back in the summer, apparently you can see Mt. Baker from the tower, but unfortunately was a bit to cloudy out the day we went, something every adult should check out, absolutely intriguing, may be a bit dull for some younger audiences that are not into historical experiences. Love that you can go at your own pace, and can just go to the rooms that interest you if you're parculiar, took us 2 hours to go through, but says takes about 1 hr, so depending how much you like to read will be the real time cruncher here

Nice from the outside, but we couldn't get in. When we got there, we were told that if we don't have a reservation, we would probably wait several hours. So if you plan to go there, make sure to make a reservation beforehand (we couldn't because we were leaving the city already).

This was a pretty cool castle. I couldn’t help but imagine what things were like back then and kept getting carried away in my imagination! Good experience!

Loved this self-tour. The museum keepers are always a step away. They knew so much and shared the best stories ever!

Really cool castle, both the exterior and interior inside were beautiful.i really enjoyed the history behind it as well!

Wonderful visit. Very detailed info on all the rooms with period pictures that bring you back to that era

An amazing structure with tons of history! A good symbol of early colonial-capitalism within British Columbia. Very interesting seeing how the very wealthy lived back then. Also kind of creepy in spots, if you're into ghosts and hauntings, I have heard lots of stories regarding the castle. There is something eerie about the ball room and servants quarters in my experience but I am far from being a medium of any type. Would recommend the tour to anyone in the area interested in history or architecture!

You can book online or in person ticket. It was awesome experience to see royal life and stuff.
Everything is well preserved. Its has many levels and easy to follow instructions with arrow. There is a gift shop too. Overall, amazing experince

Walked around the grounds one evening and we're impressed by the beautiful architecture! I remember touring the castle when I was a child and being very fascinated and captivated.

Rich walk through history in Victoria. If you just look at it as a visit to a castle with all it beautiful trimmings and quirks, and forget the colonial repercussions.then it is quite a lovely tourist thing to do. Beautifully preserved rooms, architecture, and dining services. Lovely view of the surrounding area. And I absolutely loved the GIFT SHOP! It is a well organised tour, with clear directions and helpful staff along the way.

The highlight of our week visit to Victoria. Amazing step back in time with amazing woodwork and antiques throughout. Liked that it is self guided so you can take your time. Docents were knowledgeable. Must see!

Buy tickets online and not when you get there as it could get busy. They followed covid protocols. The castle was very interesting and beautiful. We learned a lot and would recommend it. It is not wheelchair friendly though as there are many steps within the castle.

Worth historical place to visit!

Highly recommend to book your ticket on the website before going.
(It’s in EvenBite, scrolling down the see date and time that you want to go)

Go a bit earlier before your time to get the tickets. There is no washroom to use in the castle.

$12.66 for student
$18.48 for adult.

If you don’t buy a ticket before, you can buy at front as well but you need to wait for 1-2 hours.



Historical place worth to visit in Victoria, BC, Canada

Brief history
The Dunsmuirs (1890–1908)
* Military Hospital (1919–1921)
* Victoria College (1921–1946)
* Victoria School Board Office (1946–1968)
* Victoria Conservatory of Music (1969–1979)
* Craigdarroch Castle museum (1979–Present)

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Really nice castle, don’t need to spend much time here. The grounds are under some work so it’s just grassy. The building architecture is quite nice. Some parking on the grounds and limited parking on the street as well. There are a few informational signs on Craigdarroch.

The actual self guided tour is great and well worth the visit. The only reason for the low stars is that we were told to book ahead of time, which we did for 3: 00, but when we arrived there was a big line to get in and some groups in front of us hadn't even booked yet. We knew they hadn't booked yet because they had someone hold their spot while they ran over to the main office to buy tickets. I feel like they should have had two lines. One for those who pre-booked, and those who just showed up. It ended up being a bit of a wait, and we did have to rush through since we had another engagement to get to for 4: 45.

Horrendous customer service from the guy behind the counter on July 30th. I called because I was unable to book tickets online. The guys said they couldn't support our 5 people and they only had 2 spots at 10: 30. After trying multiple times to get through on the phone without success, we arrived. I stood in line and the guy said the only available spots they have is at 2: 30. Ok, fine. I stayed in line to find out how many spots were available to book.
After waiting in line for 10 minutes to fix his screw up with the customers in front of us, he seen us approaching the counter and turned away, instead of greeting us. Then he turns around and speaking over us, didn't even look at us, announces to everyone that he'll only be helping people with reservations.
Zero acknowledgement of us, or if we had any questions.
This guy needs serious customer service skills training.
We'll not be returning.

Nous nous sommes rendu sur place, parcontre le site fermais trop tôt nous ne pouvions pas visiter l intérieur.

I loved visiting Canada's castle. Its a worth visiting. This place is self guided tour. I'm amazed by the detailing of recreation. Thank you for restoring preserving history.

Visited recently on my trip to Vancouver. The castle is very nice. The history of the place is fascinating and explains the family that once lived there and how when it was then turned to a hospital to a place where students lived to a school board office and to its present state. Some of the exhibits are still under construction, otherwise it was a great visit!

We missed the timing of buying tickets so we didn't end up going inside. The outside of the building looks just like picture except it was much smaller than I expected and there was no pretty gardens around there. It was still worth to check out.

I was unable to go inside as it was closed, but from the outside it was smaller than I expected. But since it wasn't busy, I got nice uninterrupted photos

I went to visit today with my kids. Giovanni, operational manager was at the ticket desk. Giovanni said " I already told you the next admission is at 12. You heard that. " Giovanni thought we were part of the other asian group and gave us attitude from the get go. Giovanni adds to this by saying " You need to adopt to our culture if you want to go into the castle. " I askes for one adult ticket since my kids are free. Giovanni says, "You cannot go in if you have that kind of attitude and cannot adopt to this culture. You need to step aside. " Giovanni would not let us enter the castle and we had to leave. I realize racism exists anywhere we go but hopefully Giovanni realizes that this kind of bahviour is not tolerated anywhere he goes.
Could you please return my call from Aug 1st 2021? I am trying to reach the executive director and left a voice mail. I have not heard back yet. I would like to address the hate incident I had experienced at the castle.

Stunning place but the gentleman who worked the reception on the weekends was very rude so we left. Came back another time and was greeted by someone with manners. Apart from the service the castle is impressive.

Nice quite spot close to city. We could not go inside as place was closed by the time we go there

It is closed at the moment and some outside renovations are in process. However it is still a fairytale built just for a single family. Harley castle in Colwood is of the same style because it was also owned by coal baron Robert Dunsmuir.

We didn’t manage to enter the castle as we didn’t have a booking and there was no availability for walk ins. Regardless, I found the front desk guy a bit rude with a serious attitude. He seemed annoyed of dealing with people. Anyway, from outside the castle was nice. Also, parking is very limited around the area so you might want to consider taking a taxi to get here.

Absolutely amazing. The house is large on the outside yes, but it is still deceptively enormous on the inside. I thought it would be a fun stroll to see some Victorian architecture but by the end, I had become completely absorbed into the story of this family as well as the numerous tenants of the manor through the years. Absolutely fascinating and really is like stepping through history, can't recommend enough

The castle was closed but the grounds are beautiful and there's a lovely hike through the forest

Visited the castle couple of years back before all this madness and it was amazing experience. Emily, our tour guide made the tour a special and unforgettable experience!

The castle is big, it has 39 rooms and the tour was easy going so we got to visit everything in a timely manner.

What I liked the most was the fact that the cleanness was on a very high level! You clean your shoes upon entry and everything was tidy and presentable.

Definitely one of my best experiences, a place worth visiting and would visit again if the chance arises.

Great job overall, keep up the great work!

It is an awesome Castle. It was a military hospital for 2 years and some section has been rebuilt or reshape to cater for it. You need to spend 1.5 hours the least in here.

It is a very unique place to go. I thought I would not enjoy the place that much since I have been to Casa Loma. It turned out to be really an experience. It is all about the details, details about the furniture, the design, the history.

Sitting in amongst a neighbourhood street is this unusual beautiful house. Its worth a visit just to get a few Instgram photos. It tells you all about the history of the building and has shop/cafe.

Enjoyable visit and good amount of interpretive signage. I learned a lot about the family and history of the house. I wished there were more staff to ask questions as I had a few. A great place to visit!

This was an incredible historical site, very well preserved and cared for. Be prepared to spend a couple of hours here if you are a reader and history but like me, as there are four floors and 20+ rooms open to visitors!

I volunteer at Craigdarroch and pass along to visitors to Victoria the stories behind the opening of the western part of North America to the world as it is today.

Castle seems to be a true spirit of Victoria IMO. Away from downtown perched on a hill, the interiors are truly Victorian. Additional perks include great views from the castle windows.

This was a nice walk from the waterfront. The staff were friendly, and ready to answer questions; I found that helpful.

The restoration is gorgeous. Stepping into the dodgy, un-restored rooms is such a contrast.

Absolutely beautiful the amount of detail and craftsmanship that went into this building.
It is heartwarming to see another one of the few Canadian castles in such good condition!

Always a pleasure to go here. It's not the greatest with young kids because some areas are roped off, and pretty much everything is look but don't touch. Great for those who can visually appreciate, not so great for those who are inclined to want to touch.

Wonderful museum with a ton of character and so many details I could spend hours looking and still never scratch the surface. Great place for the family or the history buffs.
Interesting to see there plans for the future and the renovations and transitions the building has made so far. Definitely recommend.

Every Christmas there is an orator who performs A Christmas Carol. It is wonderfully enjoyable. He is quite talented and I go every Christmas. Wonderful!

Gorgeous manor house, great place to spend a couple of hours, imagining the times that produced such a gorgeous building and times that produced such an amazing province and city. Beautiful.

It is not a castle. It is a Victorian mansion originally owned by a rich mining tycoon. All of the belongings were sold off after the wife passed. They are buying back items but it is more of a museum of Victorian living of a rich family. There is not any elaborate jewelry to view. The house has various owners and uses which they explain as you go through each room.
If you like Victorian houses and history, or romance novels, then you may like it. There are narratives of the family and what became of the children and fortune. There is a gift shop. Restrooms are next door where you buy your tickets and the gift shop is located next door as well. You cannot touch anything and I understand for preservation reasons.
It was a nice leisurely walk down Fort Street to see it. I believe that you can make up your mind whether you want to visit from this summary without my personal opinion.

A great experience. I learned so much from the time spent on the grounds and really reading through the explanations and artifacts. You could easily spend a whole afternoon here and find plenty to explore.

I absolutely loved Craigdarroch Castle! She was my most favorite visit of Victoria. In addition to the beautiful stained glass and ornate Romanesque exterior, all of the woodwork was just gorgeous. The castle's staircase and entry are stained white oak and the library has built-in cabinets made out of Spanish mahogany. I strongly recommend visiting Craigdarroch, because she's absolutely gorgeous.

Absolutely fantastic adventure for anyone interested in history. The details of the home where the Dunsmuir family of Victoria BC lived in is exquisitely reborn to look as it did in the late 1800's. Many of the original family heirlooms are in their proper place. Every room has one or more explanation boards informing you about what you see. Also the guide sheets that are given to you are helpful. Tours can be arranged if requested in advance. Well worth the time and effort. There is limited parking available.

Amazing place to see. The historical society has been doing a great job of bringing the castle back to its original form. A place I will definitely visit again.