Hatley Castle

A truly magical place It is like stepping into a fairytale. The architecture is stunning, and the gardens are beautifully maintained—perfect for a peaceful walk or photos. I loved learning about its history and exploring the surrounding grounds. Great spot for visitors, history lovers, or anyone who appreciates nature and beauty. A little further down, there’s also a small forest trail that leads to a beach-like spot—peaceful and scenic, perfect for relaxing. A must-visit if you’re in the area!

Absolutely stunning. The gardens are cozy, the mix of architectures really lend to the vibe of a man with too much money just wanting a cool castle. The tour of the interior is worth every cent.

You'll need to buy the tickets on site by the booth. And check the schedule on their website as they provided a guided tour only for the inside of the castle. If you're just there to view the gardens, it's free. The view is spectacular. I love how the history of Hatley Castle is connected to Craigdarroch castle, so make sure you visit there first!

Around the massive stone structure, there’s a beautiful garden that, despite its simplicity, draws you in with its pure and natural beauty. Walking along the narrow paths while enjoying the amazing smell of flowers is a really nice experience. If you’re lucky, you might see a few beautiful peacocks and enjoy the sounds of different birds singing.

A beautiful castle in a beautiful place. If you visit Victoria, you should add this area for your visit. It takes only about half hour to get there. You will find Hetley Castle and Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse in the same area. Both are good places for a visit. The castle has a huge pay parking. Please make sure you pay then browsing around. The garden is so pretty too!

Gorgeous place with many beautiful gardens. Well worth the trip! I recommend coming here after touring Craigdarroch Castle for a fuller experience. Small note, the ticket booth for the tour was hidden by the Italian garden, not in front of Hatley Castle like I assumed. Check the map or arrive early so you don't miss out.

The first thing to be aware of amongst all the beauty to be had on these grounds is that ALL parking is pay parking for $2.25 per hour. Tickets available at the kiosks in the central parking lot or the lower lot, that I am aware of. You need your licence plate number so snap a pic first, if your memory isn’t the greatest! The Robins parking attendant seems to hover around so please pay for parking..accepts credit cards. The kiosk wasn’t able to print a receipt but it did come up on my phone and I did not receive a ticket. It took us just over two hours to walk Charlie’s trail( start on the lower entrance) and all the gardens of the castle plus a little walk up top of the walled garden and back down the far side back towards the beach.we parked under the trees along the concrete abutments and close to one entrance to Charlie’s trail. My friend had a phone app that recorded 12 different bird species within about 15 minutes of walking on the trail. Much to our surprise we came across a barred owl just sitting on the limb of a tree not far from the trail. This trail is truly a photographers paradise, not to mention a good option for birders. It is June and the waterfalls didn’t disappoint and made for some good photos. The castle itself has an accessible washroom on the lower level open to the public. Most pathways are accessible and there are plenty of gardens including a rose garden,to take in, and photograph. The Japanese gardens are beautiful with their ponds and authentic bridges and gazebos and statuary. Also to note there is indeed, a gateway in the high fence, bordering the Japanese gardens, that lets you back in to the Central parking lot. Near the gate is a memorial bench that you can rest on or meet your friends at. All in all there is a lot of history here and a good number of peacocks. The movie industry likes this castle for a backdrop so don’t be surprised if it’s your favourite show being filmed! While filming, your access to some areas may be restricted.

We had our wedding at Hatley Castle in May 2025, and we were so impressed with the entire experience. The castle and gardens are stunning and always well maintained. The events team is organized and easy to work with. Tess, the event coordinator was amazing to deal with and very responsive to our many questions. We had the most beautiful and unforgettable experience at Hatley Castle. Thank you so much!

Updating this review with a "Cool parent alert" since our kids have discovered that this is one of the main film sets for the Descendants movies on Disney. It's free to explore the grounds. This proved to be worth every penny we didn't spend given the amount of joy the kids had recognizing how different scenes from the film were filmed. Magical for all involved.

If you are traveling in the area vacation; be sure to check out when the garden tours are because that is the only way to access the interior of the castle.

In 1906 BC Lieutenant Governor, James Dunsmuir, purchased the property. He and his wife Laura commissioned a well known Canadian architect Samuel Maclure to design and build a Tudor mansion with 40 rooms. The Dunsmuirs designed and planted beautiful gardens - still a key attraction, in my opinion. Intricate details of the masonry stone work outside and wood features on walls and floors, using Beech, Oak, Eucalyptus and other woods, is mind boggling to see. I recommend taking the 1 hour tour with a guide and learn all you need to know about the history, family and construction - and more Royal Roads University owns and uses the castle today,

For you nerds like me, this is a must visit in Victoria! It's Professor X's "School for Gifted Youngsters" featured in all the Marvel X-Men movies! Unfortunately I was short of time, so I couldn't do the $24 1 hour interior tour. But it was free and fun to walk around the outside of the mini castle, its so well kept that it seems new? The surrounding grounds and gardens are well maintained and lovely. If you have a car its an easy fun way to spend 20-30 minutes, and I think parking was only $2. If you're not a nerdy fan of X-Men, then maybe this is more of a 4 Star experience.

Meh, castle is a strong word for this. You can't even go in the "castle" unless you're with the university. It was pretty to look at and I'm sure the gardens are nice in the spring/summer. I'm not entirely sure it's worth a drive out from Victoria.

COVID #44 Watch out for the peacocks and rabbits. What's a castle wthout wildlife. That said, there is no moat, no drawbridge and no knights in shining armour - sorry ladies, your dream didn't come true. Growing your hair long won't result in a Rapunzel ending. Hatley Castle is now part of the Royal Roads University campus. Unbeknownst to me, I didn't know this university existed. It was established in 1995 after the dissolution of the Royal Road Military College. Not terribly busy when I came. Paid parking for visitors. You can see the Esquimalt Lagoon nearby

We took a nice walk to here from the beach front to here. It was a beautiful walk to the castle. Bummer we couldn't go in the castle, but the castle was beautiful nonetheless! Worth a walk and a look!

Can't go inside so that's kind of a bummer. The grounds are pretty but other than walk around there's not much to do. Lots of goose poop. There is a bathroom around the side of castle. Side door to basement area. Bad signage. If you want to say you've been to a castle and take some pictures this is a good spot. But Craigdarroch castle is soooo much better. Go there. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.

Beautiful garden and grounds! Free to walk the garden during posted hours and as advertised on the historic site's website (during my visit hours were daily 10am - dusk). I visited in October 2022 and the castle interior was closed to the public (while open to RRU university staff and students). Those visiting May-September may tour the castle when guided tours are offered.

The castle itself and the gardens around it is beautiful. I highly recommend coming here to walk around the campus (this castle is part of the Royal Roads University Campus). The gardens and the grounds are free. The reason I give this place one-star is because the castle tour itself is a complete waste of time and money. You only get to see four rooms on the first floor, and nowhere else inside the castle. The tour guide rambles on and on with historical facts just to fill in the time. DO NOT choose the tour as you will regret it.

Oh, what a beautiful place to walk around. We made it one of our must see destinations while visiting Victoria. Easy enough to find and plenty of parking if you show up early. The walk from the parking lot up to the grounds is so peaceful and relaxing and makes for great photo ops, too. Unfortunately no inside tours the day we visited. It was interesting to see how vast the grounds are when standing from the house looking down. This place is beautiful and so rich in history.

Nerdgasm level 29! This is a must visit place for geeks like me! Hatley Castle is Lex Luthor's mansion in Smallville / Xavier's School in Deadpool and X-Men: The Last Stand / Queen Family Mansion in Arrow. We took bus #75 from Butchart Gardens then transferred to bus #39 to get there. More than an hour trip because of the gajillion bus stops but is sooo worth it. (If you rent a car, should only take 25 minutes from downtown Victoria). Place is beautiful! I can now understand why so many couples like to get married here. Wedding photos would look so good. No photoshop skills required! Guided estate tours are offered from Monday - Friday for a fee. Check their website for rates. There is a complimentary garden access during shoulder season (through April 1).

The castle has a lot of history and has been used in a number of movies including the X-Men movies, Deadpool, Disney's Descendants and more. I can see why it would make an interesting setting. It has an interesting history and is currently also being used for classrooms for the Royal Roads University-it is part of the university campus. There was a sign outside saying there was a private event and it was closed but we found out that they do offer tours at select times and we were able to get tickets in the gift shop. There is a tour of the garden first and then you are taken into the castle but only allowed to see the first floor. It's not a large castle but the rooms are quite nice-many different kinds of wood were used which were quite pretty. One room has a large pool table. The guided tour takes about an hour and price is $18.50 for adults, $16.00 for seniors, $10.90 for students 6-17 with kids under 5 free. Their site lists a self-guided tour but not sure how that works. The only parking we found was a pay lot and you have to walk up a small hill to get to the castle. Then entrance to the castle is opposite the parking lot.

I live 400 meters away, and enjoy weekly walks through the estate, university and gardens. Every thing me is stunning and different, and one is never disappointed regardless of the weather. The gardens are superb, the Italian and Japanese being over 100 years old. And, a few weeks ago, the president of Royal Roads decreed that garden admissions be forever removed, the gardens open and free to all Colwood residents and visitors alike! Want to immeasurably improve your day and sense of well-being? Head over to the gardens at Hatley Castle!

Beautiful castle and grounds! Located towards the back of the University grounds, Hatley Castle is a lovely day excursion not far from downtown Victoria. They offer several gardens that you can walk through (Italian, Japanese, English, ferns, etc) and feature beautiful dahlias at the end of summer all over the grounds. Each garden is gated in so local deer can't get in and eat the blooms, and each has a distinct style. Everything is well maintained and you can't help but smile as you take in the views of the water and flowers with the backdrop of the castle. There's a visitor parking lot (P3) below the castle grounds and currently the meter is broken so apparently parking is free. Enjoy an afternoon here - next time I'll do a guided tour.

Very disappointing. You can't go inside unless you are part of a pre-booked tour. You also can't get on a pre-booked tour unless you have a minimum of 10 people who want to go with you. I searched and searched for a tour company we could hop onto that included Hatley in those itinerary but found none. The website is so outdated the hours of operation sheet shows spring of 2018 so you don't know you can't get a tour until you drive out there. The gardens are pretty and if you brought a picnic lunch you might think it was worth it just to sit out there and enjoy it but if you want to see a castle you will be disappointed. Apparently it's only the lower floor that is the "museum" so even if you can get on a tour and see it, the experience is limited. Seems like a waste of national history to me to have it be admin offices for a college. I do t recommend driving out to see it unless you are good with seeing the exterior only.

When I visited the site during the weekend, the castle was closed to public due to a private event. I was a ninja, snuck in and snapped up photos of the interior. According to their website: Hatley Castle Museum The museum houses artifacts and exhibits that tell the story of the site from the days when the property was a Coastal Salish Indian burial site to the present time when it is home to the campus of Royal Roads University. The museum has many original artifacts from the days when Laura and James Dunsmuir lived an elegant life here on this estate. For 55 years the site was also an military officer's training school and the museum highlights that era in a room named for one of the college's most supportive commandants, Rear-Admiral John Charles. The displays also relate the development and history of one of Canada's most innovative universities as Royal Road University evolves to meet the needs of learners in the global economy. The muesum is dedicated to the preservation, restoration and heritage maintenance of Hatley Castle, together with the outbuildings and grounds and gardens, which were a part of the James and Laura Dunsmuir's Hatley Park Estate, Royal Roads Military College and Royal Roads University. The museum aims to help visitors understand the significance of the site and the role of Hatley Park in the development of Vancouver Island and in the education of effective leaders for Canada, both through Royal Roads Military College and Royal Roads University. Hatley Park Museum is open every afternoon from 10:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. It is located in the basement of Hatley Park Castle, the administrative centre for Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Road, in Colwood on Vancouver Island. Hatley Castle overlooks the Esquimalt Lagoon, the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains in Washington State. There is a parking lot at the base where it is $1 per hour.

Calling all mutants! Report to mutant training! Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters from X-men is a Canadian National monument that you can tour for $18 on your visit to Vancouver Island. You can either buy a tour pass in the basement gift shop for $18, and go into this Edwardian-styled mansion, or pay $9 and stay out the exterior of the house and tour Hatley Castle's extensive gardens. Hatley Castle has changed hands several times. It started out as a coal baron's home and castle owned by the Dunsmuir Family, morphed into a Canadian naval academy when the family lost its figurehead and fortune, and most recently it has emerged as the private, progressive Royal Roads University, with the castle used as everything from a university meeting place, to a wedding locale, to the set for movies like X-men. The gardens alongside Hatley Castle are deceptively large and beautiful, stretching alongside the main house on one side out to the water. The house itself is impressive, but the downside is that much of the original furniture has been removed over the years, leaving only untouched and original tilework, woodcarvings,and stained glass, and some modern furniture. The original billiard table and score cupboard from London remains in the room used as Professor Xavier's office in X-men, and that is something to see. If you can hunker down for a one hour tour, ours was pretty informative and with the tragic family stories of the original owners, the house comes alive. Also cool to see the balcony that Wolverine jumped down from, if you are a X-men fan. The setting is pretty, the gardens lovely, and you can get your geek on. If you want to see a castle with original period furniture, and you are not an X-men fan, but a fan of history, the family also owned Craiggdarroch castle nearby. This Victorian home has its period furniture mostly intact, for some surreal time travel.

Hatley Castle is full of history in regards to Victoria and architecture quite amazing. To be honest what drew me to this location was the fact that X-Men the movie had been filmed here. I do appreciate good it architecture as well. Be aware that the castle is part of the University and is not always available for tours and not always accessible. Parking is not the easiest and it is not free. I was hoping that with the tour you would get full access to the castle but unfortunately only get the first floor. The tour last maybe an hour and has a lot of history including about the movies and shows have been filmed there. But I could leave a lot to be desired. Overall it wasn't bad but I can't say I wouldn't do it again.

Got here and saw this sign (posted) that says, 'Access to Hatley Castle is limited to invited guests and staff." The grounds are beautiful but we came specifically to tour this castle instead of the main one that is advertised everywhere. Total bust.

Gorgeous grounds and interesting history. If you're lucky, you'll see a peacock! In Canada we may not have the rich history of Europe and 1000 year old castles BUT this is part of the little history we have to represent here in young Canada. Great place to come and walk around with your family, and see what life is like for Royal Roads University students

I'm just going to be honest here: save your money and go to Craigdarroch instead. What a let down this place is. Dull, impersonal and the tour guide had such a thick accent you could only catch half of what she said. For the cost of getting the tour I expected a LOT more. One floor of the house, an insipid "museum" (mostly photos) in the basement and a tour of the garden which you can do yourself anyway.

This place is gorgeous!!! Why isn't there more reviews about this place? What a gem. It's still used partly as a college, also, so some areas are off limits. But can you imagine being a student here? Of course, this castle was used in X-men movie as the X-men mutant school; as well as in Smallville TV series as Luthor Mansion, so that's another cool fact as well. The grounds are well manicured, and there are lots of benches for visitors. Parking is also plentiful, and also beautiful sight for sunsets! I really like the vines running up the castle, gives it a cool effect, though I hope it doesn't disintegrate the building. Inside of the building was a bit odd for me, I did not expect so much wood and stuffed animal heads. Otherwise there is a small tour section the you can walk around in. I personally loved walking on the outergrounds, taking pictures of the garden and enjoying the beautiful weather outside. You can have a cute picnic here, too, definitely a wonderful idea!! If not, just drop by this place when you're passing by and you will be amazed!

My wife and I watch a few shows that use this castle as a location. We went at about 4pm, so there were no tours going, but we just walked the perimeter ourselves. Other reviewers have noted that the tour doesn't show you much on the inside because it's an active college. We found it to be a great thing to do for free (aside from parking which costs $1/hr at the time we went). It's easy to see why so many shows and movies use this as a location!

This castle is awesome. Gorgeous, picturesque and the garden was quaint. A must visit when you're in Victoria. Besides who doesn't want to visit the X-men house?!?!

A must see while in Victoria. Make sure don't just walk the outside, pay for tour and garden access... if you're a vlogger, photographer or just want to enjoy peace you'll thank me. Inside castle tour is great and tour guide was awesome. I got to be in areas they filmed deadpool and xmen and cool to see it in person. Garden was amazing and beautiful. Want to impress your girl? Bring her here and get 10 get out of jail cards instantly!

Pretty disappointing to show up and see there are no walking tours til April. There was nothing about this on their website. What a disappointment. Please make the information more clear on your website.

Classic and very cool place to see and walk around lots of movies are filmed here from dead pool x men and the Netflix tv show haunted Hill

The castle wasn't as big as I expected but it's still cool to see. Unfortunately there was a private event going on so we didn't see the inside, we paid for the garden tour and it was ok, it wasn't as maintained as well as I would have expected.

Expensive compared to Craigdorrach Castle (at Hatley you only saw one floor while they are having meetings while at Craigdorrach you saw all 4 floors fire less money). Hatley is run by college students and it shows.... You pay premium price (they don't warm you of cheaper option of the family plan) and during your tour, kids rudely walk in front of you and take themselves in their own self guided exploration on all floors for free. They don't mention the movies filmed there like X-Men and Descendants. The gardens are amazing! It was beautiful just not professionally run.

This place is pretty cool to check out if you have time touring the island. It took about 45-60min each way from downtown Victoria via bus. Great scenery. However, the castle itself is not available for you to enter as a tourist except for bathroom. The garden was great and saw a lot of peacocks roaming around. You can also use free WiFi to plan out your trip towards Langford if you have time. Overall, a good place to explore if you are able to but 2-3hours out of your day.

Nice historic site to visit and take pictures of with the family. This place can get crowded at times with other tourist.

Hatley Castle is a great place to stop if you are driving west of Victoria to Sooke or onward. The gardens are spectacular and the outside of Hatley Castle is stunning. The location is now a university but was a military college for decades before that. The Dunsmuirs originally built Hatley Castle, as well as Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria. The only disappointing part is that the tours are offered infrequently so we toured the gardens for an hour before our tour. It's probably worth calling beforehand to see when the tour is .The guide was wonderful and told us a lot about the family and the gardens. We were only able to see the bottom half of Hatley Castle since class was in session. Queen Elizabeth has visited the place twice. Even though there are more historical items at Craigdarroch Castle, I found Hatley to be a better experience due to the grounds and tour guide.

When looking on Trip Advisor, Craigdarroch Castle comes up as a top place to visit. I don't quite understand why Craigdarroch made the list, but Hatley didn't. Hatley is a grander castle with expansive grounds. The gardens are beautiful. The movies that have been filmed here also make it more interesting. Highly recommend paying for the tour to get a little history along with more access to the castle and gardens.

Cool castle and gardens .....would LOVE to be a student here! When on your guided tour in the castle you are only allowed on the 1st floor because the rest is a online type college! It is so historic and beautiful, what an honor I'm sure to attend here! The gardens are gorgeous!! The Japanese garden was under construction when we were there so did not really get to see that part. But that is ok, because the gardens are big! Alot to see and let your eyes take in all the beauty around you! Your tour guide will tell you the history of the castle but don't forget to check out the museum that is in the basement of the castle. We did this before our tour and glad we did so we had some knowledge walking around with our guide. Very interesting history, a must to see while in Victoria!

Beautiful castle, great tour, glorious gardens! A nicer visit than craigdarroch since the grounds and gardens are mostly kept up, not broken up into lots surrounding the castle. A nice little trip if you've been to craigdarroch and want to see something else.

the xmen castle is a great place and awesome place to visit. the grounds are amazing and the spot is a must see.

Hatley Castle is a gem! I'm surprised that nobody has actually taken the time to write a review about this place. The manicured grounds of this historical site are a photographer's dream. The castle itself is spectacular. No words of mine can describe how beautiful this place is. Aside from the castle itself, there is also a botanical garden on the grounds. This castle was also a Dunsmuir family property. We had a guided tour which told of the history of this place. Rather than ramble on about the history of this place, I'm hoping that tourists to Victoria B.C. will take the time to find out about it for themselves. In addition to history, this place was also in the movie X-Men. The interior of this place is Xavior University. My only disappointment was that some of the rooms were converted into offices rather than being restored to their original state. Again, this place is a photographer and history buff's dream. Check it out. You won't be disappointed!

The castle and grounds are absolutely amazing. There is a guided tour (at a certain cost) of the castle and the gardens. Afterwards, you're free to tour the grounds for as long as you want (and its pretty big). It is away from Victoria, but the drive is only 20 minutes.