Bastion Square & Helmcken Alley

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Apparitions, residual sounds, poltergeist-style activity
Neighbourhood: Downtown Victoria, Canada
Best time: Dusk to late night, especially on cool evenings
Good to know: Once the site of gallows, brothels, and unmarked graves
Why this stop belongs on your route: This square is Victoria’s most concentrated pocket of haunted history with multiple haunted businesses and alleys to explore in one stop! By daylight it is patios and heritage buildings. After dark, whispers, footsteps, and shadows remind visitors that the past is never far away…

Wind Cries Mary

Address: 45 Bastion Square, Victoria, BC V8W 1J1
Once Camille’s restaurant, this cocktail bar is said to host the spirits of Brady and Charlotte. Guests report sudden bursts of cigar smoke and perfume when no one is around signs that the lovers return to keep their tragic date.

Garrick’s Head Pub

Address: 1140 Government St, 69 Bastion Square, Victoria, BC V8W 1Y2
Operating since 1867, Garrick’s Head is one of the oldest pubs in Canada. On quiet nights, a man appears by the fire and disappears when you look again. Believed to be murdered owner Michael Powers, he remains one of the square’s most enduring resident ghosts.

Helmcken Alley

Location: Passage off Bastion Square
Prisoners once walked this lane from jail to the gallows. Many never received proper burials and were left in unmarked graves. Visitors today hear chains clinking and feel unseen figures trailing them through the dark!

Old Provincial Courthouse

Address: Bastion Square, Victoria, BC V8W 1H9
Built in 1889, this historic site is most famous for sightings of Judge Matthew Begbie, known as the “Hanging Judge.” Staff from the former Maritime Museum recall poltergeist activity when the Empress of Ireland exhibit was installed. Visitors also speak of the Crying Lady, a sorrowful apparition that leaves them shaken for days. Although closed for seismic work, the courthouse remains a fixture on ghostly walks past Bastion Square.

Ross Bay Cemetery

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Apparitions, shadow figures, residual energy
Neighbourhood: Fairfield, Victoria BC
Best time: Evening, especially around Halloween
Good to know: One of the most haunted cemeteries in Canada
Why this stop belongs on your route: The final resting place of pioneers, politicians, and artists, including Isabella Ross, makes this one of Victoria’s most haunted sites.

The Story:
Ross Bay Cemetery is a hauntingly beautiful Victorian graveyard filled with ornate headstones and towering trees. The most famous apparition is Isabella Ross, the first woman in Victoria to hold legal title to land. Others have seen David Fee, shot on Christmas Eve 1890 leaving midnight mass, drifting in the white raincoat that caused his mistaken identity. Paranormal investigators regularly capture poltergeist phenomena here, making Ross Bay one of the most haunted places in Canada.

Rogers Chocolates

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Poltergeist activity, recurring handprints
Neighbourhood:Government Street, Downtown Victoria
Best time: Day or evening activity is often reported after closing
Good to know: Heritage business founded in 1885
Why this stop belongs on your route: This beloved chocolate shop hides one of Victoria’s strangest recurring ghost stories.

The Story
Founded in 1885, Rogers Chocolates is a Canadian institution, still serving handmade chocolates like their famous Victoria Creams. There have been reports that staff have had to frequently wipe a mysterious handprint off a ceiling mirror, something that should be impossible. The strangest part of this however, is not only the placement of the handprint but that the hand print seems to have missing fingers, just like the founder’s injured son. In addition to this phenomena, rocking chairs have reportedly moved on their own, and one unlucky customer once had a chocolate hurled at their head after spitting out a sample! Proof that even sweet shops can have sour spirits…

Chinatown & Fan Tan Alley

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Apparitions, residual violence
Neighbourhood: Chinatown, Downtown Victoria
Best time: Evenings after shops close
Good to know: Canada’s oldest Chinatown, filled with narrow alleys and history
Why this stop belongs on your route: Fan Tan Alley is not only a famous filming location but also the scene of one of Victoria’s most gruesome tales.

The Story:
Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest in Canada, full of hidden courtyards, markets, and legends! Fan Tan Alley today, is a well-visited, extremely narrow but lively alleyway filled with eclectic shops. However, there have been reports over the years of visitors getting suddenly shoved only to find that no one is nearby. This is the chilling story of Yo Gum, a young entertainer who was murdered by her lover, Chan. While Yo Gum’s spirit seems to rest, Chan is said to still rush through the alley, pushing past anyone in his path. Market Square nearby also has reports of paranormal activity, making this neighbourhood one of the richest for ghost hunting!

Victoria Golf Course

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Apparition
Neighbourhood: South Oak Bay, Victoria BC
Best time: Early morning hours
Good to know: Golfers report sightings near the ninth tee

Why this stop belongs on your route: Doris Gravlin’s tragic story makes this golf course one of Victoria’s most haunted outdoor locations.

The Story:
In 1936, nurse Doris Gravlin was murdered by her estranged husband, Victor. Her body was found near the ninth tee, while Victor’s was later discovered tangled in kelp with her missing shoes. Since then, Doris has appeared as a pale apparition, wandering the greens of the golf course in the early hours. She remains one of Victoria’s most chilling resident spirits.

St. Ann’s Academy

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Apparitions, phantom voices, poltergeist sounds
Neighbourhood: Humboldt Street, Downtown Victoria
Best time: Twilight or evening
Good to know: Former Catholic school and historic site
Why this stop belongs on your route: St. Ann’s blends beautiful gardens with centuries of ghost stories.

The Story:
Built in 1858, St. Ann’s Academy was once a Roman Catholic girls’ school run by nuns. Today, visitors hear phantom singing in the chapel, children laughing in empty halls, and see priests lingering in the kitchens. Staff recall meetings disrupted by the sound of children playing though no children were present. This elegant Victorian landmark is now restored, but its resident ghosts keep its history alive!

Craigdarroch Castle

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Apparitions, unexplained sounds
Neighbourhood: Rockland, Victoria BC
Best time: Fall, after main tourist season
Good to know: Built by Robert Dunsmuir and the Dunsmuir family
Why this stop belongs on your route: One of the most famous castles in Canada, filled with paranormal activity.

The Story:
In the 1890s, wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir began building Craigdarroch Castle for his family. He died before it was complete, but the Dunsmuir family hosted lavish gatherings here. Today, staff and guests hear whispers, phantom piano music, and smell burning candles with no source. Photographs often reveal ghostly shapes, said to be Joan Dunsmuir herself. This castle is among the most haunted places on Vancouver Island.

Hatley Castle

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Apparitions, light phenomena
Neighbourhood: Colwood, Vancouver Island
Best time: Fall and winter when crowds are fewer
Good to know: Built by James Dunsmuir of the Dunsmuir family
Why this stop belongs on your route: Famous filming location and one of Victoria BC’s most haunted castles.

The Story:
Completed in 1908, Hatley Castle was home to James Dunsmuir’s family until 1939. Visitors and cadets from its years as a naval academy report being woken by a woman tugging at their legs, believed to be Laura Dunsmuir mourning her lost son. A mysterious nanny is also said to have followed guests home. Recent visitors captured glowing lights and even a woman in an Edwardian hat on the stairs. Hatley remains a jewel of Vancouver Island, with beauty by day and paranormal activity by night.

The Fairmont Empress & Parliament Buildings

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Apparitions, poltergeist activity
Neighbourhood: Inner Harbour, Downtown Victoria
Best time: Year-round, evenings for atmosphere
Good to know: Iconic Victorian landmarks facing the harbour
Why this stop belongs on your route: These two landmarks embody Victoria’s grandeur and its ghostly side.

The Story:
The Fairmont Empress Hotel is not only one of Canada’s most famous hotels, but also one of Victoria’s most haunted places. Guests and staff have reported the ghost of architect Francis Rattenbury, murdered in England in 1935, wandering its corridors. A maid in a black dress is said to still tidy rooms on the sixth floor, and more than one visitor has seen luggage moving without explanation. The Empress remains a grand symbol of British Columbia’s history and a hotspot for paranormal activity!

Across the street, the Parliament Buildings are equally imposing after dark. While best known as the seat of government, they also have their share of eerie tales. Security guards and cleaners have reported footsteps in empty corridors, voices echoing through locked chambers, and shadowy apparitions drifting past the lit-up facade at night. Though less publicized than the Empress, the buildings contribute to the Inner Harbour’s reputation as one of Victoria BC’s most haunted districts.

Shelbourne Street

Quick Look

Type of hauntings: Time slip / residual phenomenon
Neighbourhood: North to south arterial through Victoria
Best time: Between 2:00 and 3:00 am
Good to know: Commonly reported by taxi drivers and night workers
Why this stop belongs on your route: This is one of the city’s most famous urban legends — a “time warp” road experienced by dozens of locals.

The Story:
Every night, thousands of drivers take Shelbourne Street, a busy four-lane road linking several neighbourhoods. But in the early morning hours, some have reported a startling shift. Around 2 or 3 am, the modern road fades into what looks like an overgrown gravel track, exactly as it appeared in old photographs from Victoria’s early days. Drivers describe the experience as a sudden time slip, lasting only a few moments before the pavement reappears beneath their wheels. The consistency of these accounts, especially from taxi drivers who drove the route nightly, makes Shelbourne one of Victoria’s most famous and puzzling paranormal stories!