Craigdarroch Castle | A hidden gem in time

🌟Highlights: Craigdarroch Castle is also known as the Oak Castle. In Gaelic, Craigdarroch means "rock and oak," symbolizing the castle and its surrounding landscape. This castle is located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and is an ancient Victorian-era Scottish baronial-style mansion. It is a landmark building in Victoria and has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada. ❤Recommended reason: Craigdarroch Castle was built by Robert Dunsmuir, a wealthy businessman who made his fortune in coal mining, and his wife. The castle originally covered 28 acres and had 39 rooms. The first floor is the living room, dining room, library, and living room. The second and third floors are bedrooms, living rooms, and storage rooms. The fourth floor is the ballroom. The interior of the castle is lavishly decorated, with elegant stained glass windows, exquisite woodwork, luxurious Victorian furniture, and complete water and electricity facilities, all of which reflect the wealth and status of the owner. Climb the 87 steps of the spiral staircase to reach the luxurious hall on the fourth floor. From the castle, you can overlook the city of Victoria, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Juan de Fuca Strait, and see the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains in the distance. 📍Address: 1050 Joan Crescent, Victoria, BC V8S 3L5, Canada 🕙Opening hours: Monday–Sunday, 10:00–16:30. ⏳Duration: 1–2 hours. 💰Average cost: Free 📝Tips: Due to the decline of the Dunsmuir family, Craigdarroch Castle was later sold. In the following 60 years, the castle became a military hospital, Victoria College, and Victoria Conservatory of Music, until it became a museum in 1979. Craigdarroch Castle has preserved the residential style of 19th-century Victorian-era business and political figures, becoming a microcosm of the upper class of that era. Every year, many tourists from all over the world visit the castle.