Overview
- Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards, published October 7, ranked Victoria No. 1 among small cities for the third consecutive year ahead of Puerto Vallarta, Florence, Lucerne and San Miguel de Allende.
- The rankings drew on more than 750,000 reader votes and aggregated category scores for food, sights, friendliness, shopping and overall vibe with minimum-response thresholds.
- Editors highlighted the Fairmont Empress, the scenic ferry approach via Swartz Bay, and Victoria’s compact, waterfront setting.
- Destination Greater Victoria CEO Paul Nursey called the recognition an honor and pointed to community quality and sustainability, noting the city’s maintained 2023 Biosphere Certification.
- Canadian context in the broader lists included Vancouver at No. 7 and Montreal at No. 9 among large cities, while Victoria is the only Canadian destination to appear on the small-city list over the past five years.