Welcome to Hatley Castle!
Location: 2005 Sooke Rd, Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2
Website: http://hatleypark.ca/
Hours of operation:
Entrance Fee: Yes. Click here for Rates for more details.
Just 1 hour away from downtown Victoria is the Hatley Castle National Historic Park. I did not have this as part of my Downtown Victoria site attractions because it is not something that is walking distance. This was one of the last places that I visited in Victoria, along with Beacon Park and Ogden Breakwater although the later is even more recent, about 2 years ago. Victoria is my favorite short trip get away for reasons I mentioned in my xxx post.
Every time I go back there, I research for a new place that I haven’t visited yet. The attractions in downtown are not easy to miss, a lot of them don’t even need planning ahead. If you just walk around downtown, you will see attractions left and right. But this place since it is 1 hour away (by bus) needs planning, at least for me because I took public transportation when I was on vacation. If you are driving, then it shouldn’t be much of a hassle just to go there.
If you are taking the public transportation, make sure to check the bus schedule so that you know what time you need to be at the bus stop. There are not quite a lot of bus service in the area, so it is very important if you are going to take public transportation.
The area itself it not too big, but the castle was truly mesmerizing and beautiful. It felt like I was in a different era when I was inside this place. Th place used to serve as dormitory for cadets and staff officers at Royal Roads Military College ( 1941-1943), to date it is being used to house the President, Vice-President, the Managers of Finance and Facilities, and the administrative support staff for Royal Roads University. The place has been used as well for location shooting of some famous movies and TV shows like Dead Pool, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men 2, Smallville, Poltergeist: The Legacy and more.
The Castle have 3 gardens namely, Rose Garden, Italian Garden and Japanese Garden all of which possess its own beauty and charisma. It you would like to see the garden at the flowers blooming at its peak, spring and summer will be your best bet to visit this place. These photos were taken during my summer visit and the garden looks absolutely magical.
You can also join the estate guided tour from 11:00am and 1:00 pm for a minimal fee of 18.50CAD. I did not join the guided tour as I always like exploring the place by myself so that I have ample time to take photos and admire the surroundings.
It was worth the trip visiting this place, and I wouldn’t mind going there again when I get the chance. It’s a nice and relaxing walk around the ground and a relatively peaceful area as compared to those most visited attractions in Victoria.
My Latest Video Check the place out if you happen to be in BC.
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Categories: Travel