Location:  800 Benvenuto Ave, Brentwood Bay, BC V8M 1J8, Canada
Website: https://www.butchartgardens.com/
Hours of operation: Click here for schedule
Entrance Fee: Yes. CAD Click here for rate
Parking Space Availability: Yes

If you are a tourist, visiting Victoria when you are in BC should be a MUST in your to do list. It’s a place worth visiting, from the famous Butchart Garden, to the lively and walkable downtown, to scenic bike routes, floating restaurant that serves the best seafood, Victoria is a trip that you won’t regret.

I’ve been to Victoria countless time already and I thought I’d show you around maybe to give you inspiration to visit us here in British Columbia, at the same time to show case what Victoria has to offer. In my next few post, I’ll be sharing with you things to do in Victoria, places to visit and most especially foods to try. We shall go on a nature walk visiting garden and parks, we shall walk the downtown Victoria, go inside the Parliament Building, visit the famous Fisherman’s Wharf, walk the Ogden Break point, we shall try fish and chips, and visit my favorite ice cream place where you can have the best thickest creamiest ice cream dip ever. To start our Victoria trip, our first stop, Butchart Garden.

Tips Before You Go

• To reach Victoria, you need to take BC Ferry, and the first tip is to check the website bc ferries.com for the schedule and fare rate. If you are travelling with a car, you can reserve online and get the ticket, this is advisable especially during Summer which is the busy season, or during long weekends. If you have no car, you have to by the ticket in the terminal, so be there at least 30 minutes before the sailing time.
• Check the hours of Butchart Garden, as it changes depending on the Season
• If you are taking the public transit, bus driver do not vary change. So be prepared to pay exact amount. As of today (April 23, 2019), the price is 2.50 CAD per ride and 5.00 CAD for daily pass.

How to Get to Butchart Garden By Bus

Once you embarked the ferry, just right outside the station there are two bus stops. The first one that you will see is the stop for buses gang goes to downtown (Bus 75, 70,72). Walk past that bus stop, few steps ahead is a second bus stop that will take you to Butchart Garden, it will stop right inside the garden close to the gate ticket area. Bus 81 is the one you want, because that does not require any bus transfer. If you are not using the public transportation, here is the instruction on how to get there. Click HERE

Is there a place to eat inside?

Yes, there are dining options inside, from casual food court style dining, to seat down dining (more formal and pricey), to cafe and ice cream stand. Since this is a tourist destination, the food is quite pricey so another alternative especially if you are travelling with kids is to bring snacks with you.

Ok, now that we know out way yo get there, let’s watch the video and explore the Butchart Garden together. Let’s go!

I’ve been to Butchart Garden few times already, twice during Summer but never during Spring . Spring, the season of flowers and Tulips and supposedly the best time to visit Butchart Garden. So this year I decided to visit it during Spring and see how beautiful it is. Plus, I also want to compare it with my Summer visit and tell you which is really the best time to visit Butchart.

• Ferry Ride Duration: 1 1/2 hour
• Bus 81 to Butchart: 1 hour
• One way Fare: 2.50 (cash & exact amount only) Day Pass 5:00
• Butchard Garden Duration Visit – minimum 1 1/2 hour dining not included

Let’s walk the garden highlights in the video

• • Sunken Garden
  • Mediterranean Garden
  • Show Green House
  • Ross Fountain
  • Rose Carousel
  • Seed and Fireworks Field
  • Dragon Fountain
  • Sturgeon Fountain
  • Rose Garden
  • Japanese Garden
  • Star Pond
  • Italian Garden

I finished the entire visit in about 2 hours which I find quite fast. I was so much focused on taking the videos that it was only when I started writing this post that I realized I haven’t taken as much photo as a normally do. Doing the video and taking photo at the same time has been my challenge since I started doing my VLOG, it’s just difficult to do both video and photography at the same time. But, I did enjoy my visit, it was relaxed and not rushed. I finished earlier than expected and so I even had the time to eat Gelato.

The Best Themed Garden – Sunken Garden

There are 5 themed gardens inside. The Sunken Garden, Mediterranean Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and Italian Garden. Each of these gardens have their own charm, but the main garden of all and the one Butchart is famous for is the Sunken Garden which is also what I considered that best among the five in terms of landscaping and flower variations. The garden area is more confined, so the flowers looks more organized. The protruding rock on the other side of the Sunken Garden offers a lookput point of the Sunken Garden. This only requires few step to go up, but it is not wheel chair accesible. Here are few facts about Sunken garden according the Butchart Garden website (as of April 23,2019)

• Years to Create: 9
• Acres of Garden: 5
• Flower Beds: 151
• Bulbs Planted for Spring: 65,000

The Best Seasonal Garden – Rose Garden

During Summer, the Rose Garden is among the best garden inside Butchart. They have different variations of Roses, different colors and different sizes. The roses are scattered almost every where, on the ground, on the pots, and my favorite spot was the walkway with roses climbing in the arches, along the rails and poles. They look so beautiful, almost magical, it was like being in a different world. Sadly, since it was Spring when I visited (April 2019), there is nothing much to see in the Rose Garden and not even in any parts of the Butchart Garden. So if you are a Rose kind of person, then Summer is the perfect time for joy to visit Butchart. Even the Mediterranean garden and the area close to the Dining Restaurant stands out even more during Summer.

Here are few facts about Sunken garden according the Butchart Garden website (as of April 23,2019)

• Types of Rose: 7
• Varieties of Roses: 280
• Rose Plants: 2,500
• Rose Arches: 30

Japanese Garden is more laid back and quiet, there are more plants and trees rather the flowers. The garden is very relaxing especially with the natural sound of running water. This garden has more like a zen feeling like being in a forest.

Here are few facts about Sunken garden according the Butchart Garden website (as of April 23,2019)

• Acres of lush landscape: 1
• Rhododendrons & Azaleas – 500
• Japanese Maples – 274
• Metres of Stream – 200

Italian Garden – this Garden is more open although the space is not as big but it gave a different vibe, more of a cozy feeling. This area used to be a tennis court and now converted into a garden space. The garden is decorated with statue, ponds  and beds of flowers.

Here are few facts about Sunken garden according the Butchart Garden website (as of April 23,2019)

• Square Feet of Gardens: 21,780
• Flower Beds – 18
• Varieties of Plants – 85
• Spring Bulbs & Biennials– 22,000

Mediterranean Garden on the other hand show cases exotic plants, its lush and green. This area of the garden is more peaceful, and is not as visible like the other garden.

Here are few facts about Sunken garden according the Butchart Garden website (as of April 23,2019)

• Square Feet of Gardens: 21, 780
• Plant Varieties: 110
• Plant Varieties: 1

What is the best season to visit Butchart Garden?

I’ve visited this place both during Summer and Spring. Initially, I thought Spring would be the best time to see this garden because of the Tulips. I was very surprised that I felt I appreciated the garden more during the Summer than Spring. I absolutely adore Tulips and that was the reason why I wanted to visit this place during the Spring. Although there were plenty of Tulips and they were all beautiful, it just doesn’t feel that it was not enough. Also, the mood during the Summer is more alive as they have musicians on the open ground. They also have the Summer Fireworks display during Saturday’s without additional cost. So you get more, plus the garden is open until 10:00 pm. During Spring, it’s only up to 5:00pm. I find that it’s more relaxing to stroll the garden after 5:00 pm, the temperate is cooler and the sun is not as bright so the photo will come out better.

I’m not saying it’s not worth visiting it during Spring, as you can see in the video, the place was stunning beautiful but wait until you see it during Summer.

My Latest Video

Check the place out if you happen to be in BC.

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