Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC
Jun 8th, 2009, 04:58 PM
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Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC
We are going to Seattle and Vancouver, BC in July...is it better to go to Butchart Gardens for a day trip from Seattle or Vancouver...which city would be closer travelwise and/or more scenic? Suggestions, please and thank you in advance....
Jun 8th, 2009, 05:23 PM
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Vancouver is much closer to Victoria than is Seattle.
Both trips require ferry travel, and both are scenic.
If you are driving, it would be more practical to go from Vancouver, but if you aren't driving, you might want to take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle and then go to Vancouver from Victoria.
Both trips require ferry travel, and both are scenic.
If you are driving, it would be more practical to go from Vancouver, but if you aren't driving, you might want to take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle and then go to Vancouver from Victoria.
Jun 8th, 2009, 05:32 PM
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I'd agree with happytrailstoyou. The ferry from Seattle to Victoria is great in nice weather (which is likely in July), but it's still longer than the trip from Vancouver.
Butchart Gardens are very nice. The sunken garden's my favorite but I also love the Japanese garden there.
Butchart Gardens are very nice. The sunken garden's my favorite but I also love the Japanese garden there.
Jun 8th, 2009, 05:40 PM
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I'm currently doing all that and more. I'm confused -- are you flying into and out of one city or into one and out the other?
In either case it makes sense to do Buchart Gardens between the two -- not going from either Seattle OR Vancouver as a day trip and then returning to the same. I agree that it would be great to spend at least a night in Victoria.
In either case it makes sense to do Buchart Gardens between the two -- not going from either Seattle OR Vancouver as a day trip and then returning to the same. I agree that it would be great to spend at least a night in Victoria.
Jun 8th, 2009, 05:48 PM
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We are spending three nights in Seattle and then three nights in Vancouver...We plan to take the Amtrak Cascade from Seattle to Vancouver so we are flexible as to when to go to Butchart Gardens...after reading many sights, Vancouver seems closer but also longer because of taking transportation to the ferry and returning; whereas, I now think Seattle would be easier using the Clipper..comments, please..and thanks again!!
Jun 8th, 2009, 05:56 PM
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Sorry, but I'm still confused.
You say you will take Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver, and the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria.
It would be more logical to do Victoria as a day trip from Vancouver OR to do a loop, such as Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle OR Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver, Vancouver--unless, of course, you are flying into Seattle and out of Vancouver.
You say you will take Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver, and the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria.
It would be more logical to do Victoria as a day trip from Vancouver OR to do a loop, such as Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle OR Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver, Vancouver--unless, of course, you are flying into Seattle and out of Vancouver.
Jun 8th, 2009, 06:03 PM
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We took the trip from Vancouver via ferry and really enjoyed the voyage. You'll most likely have beautiful weather and you'll enjoy the scenery tremendously. I too would try to overnight as Victoria is a picturesque town worth a trip on its own merit. Have fun!
Jun 8th, 2009, 06:14 PM
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Sorry, yes, we are flying into Seattle and out of Vancouver and only want to make Butchart Gardens a day trip. We know there are many wonderful things to do and see in both cities and are leaning towards the Clipper from Seattle if this is possible timewise. Thanks
Jun 8th, 2009, 06:25 PM
#11
I like Victoria better than Vancouver or Seattle. I'd steal a night from one of them and stay overnight in Victoria.
It's like stepping into a bit of England. Charming. Lovely. I promise you'd not regret it
It's like stepping into a bit of England. Charming. Lovely. I promise you'd not regret it
Jun 8th, 2009, 06:39 PM
#12
Butchart Gardens is very attractive if expensive and over-hyped. For those who might not have the time or inclination to visit Victoria, however, I'd like to point out that there are three wonderful gardens right in central Vancouver, which IMO rival Butchart Gardens in terms of attractiveness and interest, and beat the bejeezus out of Butchart in terms of convenience and cost.
Queen Elizabeth Park - http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com - which includes the Bloedel Conservatory and the Quarry Gardens (similar to the ones at Butchart), is quite fabulous.
The VanDusen Gardens - http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/vandusen/index.htm - are very near to QE Park, and offer their own variety of themes and specialties.
Finally, near Vancouver's enormous Chinatown is the Sun-Yat-Sen Memorial Garden - http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com - a formal Chinese garden (different from formal Japanese but very distinctive) that is also worth a couple of hours' visit.
Together (and with Stanley Park, the crown jewel of the city's parks) no self-respecting botany lover could possibly leave Vancouver wanting for world-class garden experiences.
Queen Elizabeth Park - http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com - which includes the Bloedel Conservatory and the Quarry Gardens (similar to the ones at Butchart), is quite fabulous.
The VanDusen Gardens - http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/vandusen/index.htm - are very near to QE Park, and offer their own variety of themes and specialties.
Finally, near Vancouver's enormous Chinatown is the Sun-Yat-Sen Memorial Garden - http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com - a formal Chinese garden (different from formal Japanese but very distinctive) that is also worth a couple of hours' visit.
Together (and with Stanley Park, the crown jewel of the city's parks) no self-respecting botany lover could possibly leave Vancouver wanting for world-class garden experiences.
Jun 8th, 2009, 08:31 PM
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Gardyloo, with all due respect, I've done all those gardens. In my humble opinion, Queen Elizabeth Gardens is indeed splendid, and VanDusen also, but neither are the colorful floral spectaculars compared to Butchart. Neither can hold a candle to Butchart for the shear dramatic mass of flowers as opposed to lots of trees and green plants. But for the life of me I can't imagine how one could spend more than 10 - 15 minutes at the miniscule Sun-Yat-Sen Memorial Garden unless one was doing some major meditation. To me it's worth a quick "look see". And hopefully it's in far better condition that it was three years ago when I last visited it. It all needed a good cleaning and refurbishment. Perhaps that has now happened.
I'd still call Butchart the "don't miss" gardens of the entire area.
And carrolbarron, also with all due respect, I hope you realize that you only have one day in Seattle or one day in Vancouver as it is. You're talking about one major day trip away from either. I fail to understand how going to Butchart from Seattle, then directly on to Vancouver is less "efficient" than returning all the way to Seattle in the same day and then taking the train to Vancouver another. It just seems to me that doing it enroute would give you much more time in the two cities that you want to focus on instead of that 'triple travel' plan.
I'd still call Butchart the "don't miss" gardens of the entire area.
And carrolbarron, also with all due respect, I hope you realize that you only have one day in Seattle or one day in Vancouver as it is. You're talking about one major day trip away from either. I fail to understand how going to Butchart from Seattle, then directly on to Vancouver is less "efficient" than returning all the way to Seattle in the same day and then taking the train to Vancouver another. It just seems to me that doing it enroute would give you much more time in the two cities that you want to focus on instead of that 'triple travel' plan.
Jun 8th, 2009, 08:52 PM
#14
Well, looking at my post, I'll agree that a couple of hours at the Chinese garden is big time overkill. However I disagree (respectfully) that Butchart is that much nicer than QE and VanDusen (combined) to warrant crossing the Strait if that's the main attraction. I too have visited all these gardens on multiple occasions, as well as the Bloedel Reserve (which I probably like best of all) and honestly find Butchart overly commercialized. YMMV.
However if it's the promise of "quaint" Victoria that serves as the principal draw, and not just the gardens, then fine. (However a day trip unless by air is really inadequate.)
However if it's the promise of "quaint" Victoria that serves as the principal draw, and not just the gardens, then fine. (However a day trip unless by air is really inadequate.)
Jun 9th, 2009, 06:09 AM
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I'm a little confused by the comments that it's easier/quicker to do a day trip to Victoria from Vancouver. It's a 45-60 minute bus ride or drive from Vancouver to Tsawwassen, where you catch the ferry, a 90 minute ferry ride, and another 30 minutes bus or drive from Swartz Bay to Victoria. And that doesn't include any time waiting for the ferry--minimum of 30 minutes with a car if you make a reservation. So that's 3-3.5 hours at a minimum, and the Clipper takes about 3 hours from Seattle to Victoria. So I'd say at best it's a wash and IMO more of a hassle from Vancouver.
In any event, I agree that doing it as an overnight taking the Clipper one way and the bus/ferry on to Vancouver would make more sense for this itinerary rather than a day trip.
In any event, I agree that doing it as an overnight taking the Clipper one way and the bus/ferry on to Vancouver would make more sense for this itinerary rather than a day trip.
Jun 9th, 2009, 07:21 AM
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Gardyloo, my point was not that Butchart Gardens is necessarily a better park or even gardens than the others. It was that Butchart is set up to be more dramatically impressive with some of the largest masses of blooming flowers anywhere, constant through every season. Queen Elizabeth is a massive and beautiful park -- but does not have the "wow, I have to take a picture of THIS" that Butchart has -- literally at every turn.
Jun 9th, 2009, 10:58 AM
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OK, all this garden talk made me change my plans this morning. I was going to drive up the Cypress Bowl, but since it is very hazy today (although beautiful weather-wise), I decided not to do that laborious drive for a less than stellar view. So I headed off to the QE Park and VanDusen Gardens instead.
I had forgoten how big and beautiful that sunken gardens is at QE Park. It is pristine and lovely, but honestly right now is pretty much devoid of color -- unlike the Butchart ones which were ablaze just last week. But they have clearly just planted thousands and thousands of summer annuals. I suspect that by July they will be spectacular. This really is worth a trip, carollbaron, while you are in Vancouver!
I didn't pay to do the conservatory though, as it's much like a stroll though my Florida yard! And once I got to VanDusen, my "old broken ankle" was really bothering me -- been doing too much walking, I guess -- so I didn't pay to go in and walk some more. But the overall view from the visitor center reminded me, it's much more about green gardens, Oriental Gardens, and such than about flowers.
I had forgoten how big and beautiful that sunken gardens is at QE Park. It is pristine and lovely, but honestly right now is pretty much devoid of color -- unlike the Butchart ones which were ablaze just last week. But they have clearly just planted thousands and thousands of summer annuals. I suspect that by July they will be spectacular. This really is worth a trip, carollbaron, while you are in Vancouver!
I didn't pay to do the conservatory though, as it's much like a stroll though my Florida yard! And once I got to VanDusen, my "old broken ankle" was really bothering me -- been doing too much walking, I guess -- so I didn't pay to go in and walk some more. But the overall view from the visitor center reminded me, it's much more about green gardens, Oriental Gardens, and such than about flowers.
