Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC

A recent visit to this garden was a delight. It was not an easy place to get to especially for a day trip. Never the less, we did it in one day. We started in Kirkland WA and returned the same evening.

- June 2018

Getting there is half the fun. We started 4:15 am and drove from Kirkland WA to Port Angeles. It was a 2.5 hour drive. The ferry to Vancouver Island was scheduled for 8:15 am. I made a reservation online ahead of time. You have to arrive one hour before launch to line up. The ferry can accommodate approx. 60 vehicles including tractor trailer and RV... Be sure to bring your passport since it is going to Canada.

The ferry ride was about 1 hour 40 minutes. A bit rough and bumpy at times but they have tables and snack bar and coffee on board. The view is fantastic.

Once we disembarked at Victoria, the garden is a 30 minute ride on local roads. We arrived at the garden about 11 am. The entrance fee is $32 Canadian dollars which is about $25 USD. There is no senior discount.

The garden grounds is not very big. We could easily walk it. We spent about 1 hour and a half but could have easily spent twice amount of time if we had it. Unfortunately, we had to catch a 3pm ferry back to the US.

The garden has many parts but the highlight for me was the dancing water fountain and the sunken garden.

We ended our trip by walking around Victoria Harbor for about 45 minutes before returning to the ferry dock. We needed to check in 1 hour and 15 minutes for the return trip. This time, we needed to go through customs. The ferry was only 5 minutes walk from downtown. We ordered a sandwich to bring onto the boat.

After the ferry ride and drive back to Kirkland, we arrived home by 9 pm to catch the sunset overlooking Lake Washington.

It was a great day trip.