Victoria Travel Guide

Butchart Gardens, in Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island some 20 minutes from Victoria, is among the world's most celebrated family gardens. In 1904 Jennie Butchart planted her first sweet peas in the exhausted limestone quarry of her husband's cement works; a century on, the gardens cover 55 acres with a thousand species across four seasons. The Sunken Garden terraces the quarry pit with spring cherry and azalea waves; Italian and Rose Gardens peak in summer, maples blaze in autumn, and Christmas lights turn it fairy-tale. Summer Saturday fireworks and concerts add spectacle, while the Blue Poppy restaurant and afternoon tea reward garden strolls. Wheelchair-friendly throughout and served by direct buses from Victoria — the island's unmissable horticultural shrine.