The Empress

Victoria, Canada

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

You can stay here: Hotel · ★★★★
Phone: +1-250-384-8111

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

Find out more

The Fairmont Empress, designed by Francis Rattenbury and completed in 1908, stands on Government Street in downtown Victoria facing the Inner Harbour. This elegant Châteauesque-styled hotel, built by Canadian Pacific Hotels as one of Canada's grand railway hotels, features distinctive gables, spires, and gothic architectural elements characteristic of Edwardian architecture. Opened on 20 January 1908, it underwent two early expansions—from 1910 to 1912 and again in 1928—and was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981. Between 2015 and 2017, the building underwent a comprehensive restoration costing more than $60 million, completed on 28 June 2017. Now managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and owned by Nat and Flora Bosa of Vancouver, it remains one of the oldest and most significant hotels in British Columbia.