The Butchart Gardens

The Butchart Gardens Review

This stunning 55-acre garden and National Historic Site has been drawing visitors since it was planted in a limestone quarry in 1904. Seven hundred varieties of flowers grow in the site's Japanese, Italian, rose, and sunken gardens. Highlights include the view over the ivy-draped and flower-filled former quarry, the dramatic 21-meter-high (70-foot-high) Ross Fountain, and the formal and intricate Italian garden, complete with a gelato stand. From mid-June to mid-September the gardens are illuminated at night with hundreds of hidden lights. In July and August, kids' entertainers perform Sunday through Friday afternoons; jazz, blues, and classical musicians play at an outdoor stage each evening; and fireworks draw crowds every Saturday night. The wheelchair- and stroller-accessible site is also home to a seed-and-gift shop, a plant identification center, two restaurants (one offering traditional afternoon tea), and a coffee shop; you can even call ahead for a picnic basket on fireworks nights. To avoid crowds, try to come at opening time, in the late afternoon or evening (except Saturday evenings, which also draw many visitors), or between September and June, when the gardens are still stunning. The grounds are especially magical at Christmas, with themed lighting and an ice rink. The gardens are about 20 minutes' drive north of downtown; parking is free and plentiful but fills up on fireworks Saturdays. You can get here by city bus 75 from Douglas Street downtown, but service is slow and infrequent. The Butchart Gardens Express Shuttle, run by Gray Line West, runs half-hourly service between downtown Victoria and the Butchart Gardens during peak season. Buses leave from the bus depot at 700 Douglas Street, behind the Fairmont Empress Hotel. The C$47 round-trip fare includes admission to the gardens.