Royal British Columbia Museum 🇨🇦

Located in Victoria, British Columbia, along the Inner Harbour between the Legislature Buildings and the Empress Hotel, the Royal British Columbia Museum offers an engaging journey into the province's rich natural and human history. Founded in 1886, this history museum hosts three permanent galleries—Natural History, Becoming BC, and the First Peoples Gallery—along with touring exhibitions and an IMAX Victoria theater showing educational and commercial films. As you explore, you will discover a vast collection of approximately 7 million objects ranging from scientific specimens to historic artifacts.

In the First Peoples Gallery, you can view indigenous totem poles, ceremonial masks, a village model, and the long house of Chief Kwakwabalasami. Heading to the Becoming BC galleries, you will walk through Old Town, a life-sized model of early Victoria featuring a cobblestone streetscape, a hotel, and a silent movie theatre, plus a large replica of Captain George Vancouver's ship HMS Discovery. The Natural History gallery features prehistoric displays, taxidermic specimens, a popular woolly mammoth, and a tide pool with live crabs and starfish.

You can even admire John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls-Royce on display. Outside, the museum anchors a cultural precinct featuring historical sites like Thunderbird Park.

What to see at Royal British Columbia Museum

• Walk through Old Town, a life-sized model of early Victoria with cobblestone streets
• See indigenous totem poles, Kwakwaka'wakw ceremonial masks, and a long house in the First Peoples Gallery
• Marvel at the popular woolly mammoth and live tide pool in the Natural History gallery
• View John Lennon's iconic psychedelic Rolls-Royce
• Catch educational or entertainment films at the on-site IMAX Victoria theater

Visiting tips

Take time to explore the surrounding Cultural Precinct, which includes historical sites like Thunderbird Park, Helmcken House, and St. Ann's Schoolhouse.

How long: 2-4 hours · Best time: Morning

How to get there & what’s nearby

Royal British Columbia Museum is easy to reach on Victoria’s public transport, and pairs naturally with St. Andrew's Cathedral. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Victoria travel guide.