If you’re a Canadian then this past weekend we celebrated Victoria Day aka The May Long Weekend! For my May Long, I decided to ditch the city and head out with some gal pals to Tofino, BC.

Tofino is a little but very well known surf town about 4.5 hours outside of Victoria. If you ever get the chance to go I highly recommend, it is my most favorite gem on the west coast. Here’s a little peek into what my weekend looked like! (I wish I was able to capture more pictures but I was off living life ya know?!)

Surf

Like I previously mentioned, Tofino is a surfing destination so I very much encourage you to surf while you’re there. We were told Tofino is actually one of the best places to learn to surf as it’s very safe and there are mild waves for beginners. I had never gone surfing prior to being in Tofino as I’ve always thought it looks quite difficult (It’s true), but I thought why the hell not. My friends and I decided it would probably be a good idea to actually know what we’re doing before attempting it so we booked a surf lesson with the Pacific Surf School and it was great. The instructors were super friendly and helpful, and everything we needed was included in the price. Definitely check them out if you’re interested.

Wander

The actual downtown of Tofino is quite small and mostly consists of one main road filled with many cool boutiques, restaurants and surf shops. If you’re there on a Saturday there’s a really cool market in one of the parks with tons of stands from local shops and residents.

Eat

Tofino, being quite the touristy destination is also a pricey destination. Most restaurants are not cheap and there are only select options. However, that being said I really enjoyed Wolf in the Fog. I ordered the chicken and it was hands down the best chicken I’ve ever had. Another great place is the restaurant at the Wickaninnish hotel. The restaurant is right on the beach and the walls are all glass so you have the best view of the ocean. It’s crazy expensive though so we just went for drinks so that we could still enjoy the view.

If you’re looking for a great breakfast sandwich and an even better coffee, then definitely hit up Rhino Coffee House. They make their own donuts by the way. Still drooling.

Finally, if you’re looking for the perfect après surf meal or just the perfect meal in general, then you definitely need to hit up the OG Tacofino truck. BEST. TACOS. EVER. My favorite is the fish tacos/burritos.

Drink

Another must in Tofino is the Tofino Brewing Company. Even if you’re not a beer drinker I would still check it out as it’s pretty unique and I love their packaging designs.

Beach

Obviously, the biggest thing you have to do in Tofino is visit all the beaches. There are so many beaches to choose from and every single one of them is stunning! There’s a few of them tucked away so keep your eyes out for any interesting roads off the main highway. The ones I visited were: Long Beach, Mackenzie Beach, Cox Bay (where we went surfing), and Chesterman Beach.

I hope this inspires some of you to check out this wonderful west coast gem. I may or may not already be planing my trip back in June…