If you travel to Duncan via the Trans Canada Highway, be sure to turn off the highway to visit the city’s charming downtown core. Here you’ll discover bustling streets that are speckled with Victorian-era buildings and over 300 unique businesses, such as art galleries, bistros, cafes, chocolatiers, clothing boutiques, and quaint shops.

Warm welcomes await in historical brick shopfronts, quirky boutiques, and vibrant stores stocking a variety of our local goods all in one place. Many of our visitors come to the region specifically for our artisans and the connection found in this distinctively Cowichan experience. There is more to do and see per square foot than any other city. Duncan really is ‘small, in a big way’.

This eclectic city nestled in the heart of the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island is known as the “City of Totems.” Downtown Duncan features over 40 beautifully carved totems by Indigenous artists from across Vancouver Island, Canada and as far away as New Zealand. Take a self-guided walking tour of the collection and learn about the unique stories and rich history behind each one. Pick-up a totem tour map at the Cowichan Valley Museum or take a virtual tour with this interactive map.

‘Uy’ skweyul – good day in Hul’q’umi’num. The legacy of the Quw’utsun’ (Cowichan) First Nations makes up a significant amount of the cultural tapestry in the Cowichan region.