Easy Way to Visit Victoria and Butchart Gardens

Easy Way to Visit Victoria and Butchart Gardens

excerpts from  www.triptalkusa.com
Recently while talking with an acquaintance about visiting Victoria, I said what's your e-mail I'll send you some ideas to help you plan a visit.  I thought I would try to put together something useful for everyone and post it on Trip Talk
As everyone knows Victoria BC is on Vancouver Island and a little tough to get to. Using the Ferry system is the only practical method but bringing your car is costly, time consuming, and not needed for a simple Victoria Butchart Garden visit. During the tourist season (flowers are best late in June, early July) the only Ferry is the MV Coho and you may have to wait in long lines and possibly miss a sailing time putting your entire trip off schedule. (there is also a ferry and bus ride via Sidney, but the MV Coho is more direct from the states) Once in Victoria your car is not needed and a pain to park, coming back to the mainland you will repeat the lines all over again. I must mention if your trip is a circle you will have no choice but to drag the vehicle with you. A circle would be to depart Port Angeles, visit Victoria, drive to Sydney and take Ferry to Vancouver or the San Juans and back to the mainland to continue your travels.  Here's what we have done several times.  Arrive in Port Angeles Friday afternoon or night, and go straight to the ferry terminal.  Find out when the first Ferry leaves in the morning, now figure out where the free parking is so you wont waste anytime in the morning looking.  Next go to a campground nearby  (or get a motel)  get comfy have dinner and a glass of your favorite beverage. First thing Saturday morning leave your campsite (don't pack up) and drive into PA, find a free parking spot and walk the 4-8 blocks to the MV Coho Ferry terminal.  Plan to arrive just a few minutes before boarding or sailing time (these are different times) depending on if you want to sleep in and stress out or not.. Yes your going as a foot passenger so bring your day packs.  With the money you have saved by leaving the car behind buy yourself breakfast as soon as you board, and take the best seats on the boat.  By now you are way ahead of all the car people still loading onto the car deck below. Some of the car people still in line on shore are likely to miss this sailing if the ship if full. When you arrive in Victoria you will disembark in the inner harbor in front of the Empress Hotel.  Everything is an easy walk, and you will be off the boat before the first car unloads.  You should plan to take the last sailing back to PA in the evening, where your campsite (or motel room) is waiting. While in Victoria there is plenty to see and do, in my opinion you must plan a visit to Butchart Gardens and plan all your other sightseeing around the garden visit.
  



 

We like to go to the garden late in the day and walk the tour just before dark, then wait for dark and walk again after the lights come up.  One of the scheduled double decker  bus tours is timed to arrive back in Victoria in time to make the last sailing of the MV Coho.  BTW I highly recommend taking a double decker bus out to the garden, you will get a mini tour of Victoria and the driver will act as your guide the entire time or you can walk alone and even catch a later bus back to town, if you want to spend more time at Butchart Gardens. Back in Victoria here's a short list of my  "must dos" you should walk through the Empress Hotel including the garden out back, by all means, don't miss the Provincial Museum (plan a couple hours), visit the Government Building in front of the Ferry terminal, walk through Totem Park, tour the waterfront, (our last visit was by boat) watch the mimes and street musicians.  The Undersea Gardens and Wax Museum barely make my list.  Lastly walk the streets and malls, you will find more than enough to fill your day and your stomach.  When you get back to camp in PA you will be dead tired, sleep in Sunday morning then head for home.  I outlined this trip for a weekend so as to not miss work, but you could do it any day of the week and miss some of the crowds, or make it part of a larger visit to the great northwest. The main point I would like you to remember is not to bring your car to Victoria unless you must.   TJ

Both buildings pictured below are directly across from the ferry terminal

GOVERNMENT BUILDING  VICTORIA BC CANADA

EMPRESS HOTEL VICTORIA