Victoria

Although I have been to Victoria many times in the past (mostly on business), I have never checked out the famous Butchart Gardens. People around me gave me mixed opinions about the place. My sister Mandy happens to visit me and would like to check out Victoria, giving me an excellent opportunity to re-visit Victoria and check out Butchart Gardens - using public transportation of course.

Jun 23, 2018
Victoria

From Bridgeport SkyTrain Station, Bus 620 takes passengers to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal in about 35 minutes. BC Ferries has roughly hourly services to Swartz Bay in Northern Victoria in the summer. The journey takes a little bit over 90 minutes. At Swartz Bay, there are a few buses going to different parts of Victoria. We took the the most popular 70 express bus directly to downtown Victoria (most tourists buy a $5 day pass which is the cost of two single trips).

An hour later, we go off at the last stop, right next to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. On weekends only guided tours are available to enter the building. As Mandy is not a big fun of the inside and we didn't have enough time, we just walked around the massive building and went to the harbor opposite the legislature. Two other important buildings are also around the harbor, namely The Empress and Royal BC Museum. We spent some good time in the area then walked to Chinatown.

The most famous site in Victoria's Chinatown is no doubt Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest street in Canada. There are several shops and eateries along the alley. Not too far from the north end of Fan Tan Alley is Gate of Harmonious Interest (it seems every Chinatown in the world has a "gate"). We walked to the nearby Victoria Public Market to use the washrooms there and took Bus 75 in front of the market to Butchart Gardens (45 minutes).

Entry to Butchart Gardens is very quick. Although there are maps and signs inside the park, it's not super easy to navigate, though you're less likely to get lost either. There are several "gardens" inside the park. Compared with some free parks I've seen around Vancouver, this one is nothing special except for the size - there are just so many flowers. To me, the most interesting "site" inside the park is a fountain with forest behind. In my opinion, the park is nice but a little pricey.

Leaving Butchart Gardens, Mandy bought two boxes of teabags at the shop - the tea is said to be the same as the one Ms. Butchart used to entertain her guests back then. Exiting the park, we were lucky enough to catch Bus 81 directly to Swartz Bay (50 minutes) - this bus runs every 2 hours in late afternoon.

Overview

Victoria is a popular side-trip destination for visitors to Vancouver. Though it's nice to have a couple of days here, it's possible to have a day trip to Victoria from Vancouver, even by public transportation. If going on a weekend, it's better to do it on a Saturday as buses are more frequent than Sundays. All major sites in Victoria are downtown around the harbor. Butchart Gardens is kind of remote but there are also buses available from both downtown and Swartz Bay (services may be infrequent in certain hours). As a non-professional, I found Butchart Gardens not worth the price. Considering the remote location, it may be ignored by independent travelers.

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia