I decided to take the easy way out (just once) during our trans-Canada trip. I booked our trip from Vancouver to Victoria on a tour via Viator. Mind you, it was really just a bus from the hotel in Vancouver, on to the ferry to Vancouver Island, then to the bus station in Victoria. But I was not interested in getting all five of us there, not to mention our luggage, myself.
And it ended up being pretty handy. The bus picked us up right outside our hotel, loaded up our luggage for us, and took us to the ferry.
Some of our luggage…
The ferry was pretty nice. They had a large food menu and lots of comfortable seats.
The ferry dining area.
When we arrived on Vancouver Island we got back on the bus and headed to Victoria. We stayed at the Bedford Regency. A great location on the main street in Victoria but not the fanciest hotel I’ve stayed at. Everything was kinda old and the WiFi was terrible. I should really say the lack of WiFi drove me crazy. But the location was central to everything.
Could use a bit of updating…
But Victoria is so lovely! There are pubs. Lots of pubs. So many different craft beers. Such good food. The streets are so quaint and the view is so beautiful.
Victoria!
And the BC Museum has a woolly mammoth!
The sidewalks have the best street chalk art I have ever seen. Really amazing.
I wish we would have seen it when the artist was there.
The next day we took the city bus 45 minutes to the Butchart Gardens. We thought about taking a tour bus or a group trip or something but I love public transportation. So we spent $$5 CAD round trip each to the Gardens and back.
If you’ve never been to Victoria you simply must go. The town is adorable, the area gorgeous, but the Butchart Gardens! Oh. My. God. So breathtakingly gorgeous and impressive. It used to be a rock quarry and now its one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever been to.
A little rain never holds us back!
The Husband and I by the fountain.
Oh, so pretty.
Monet painting? Nope, just the Butchart Gardens.
Then we found the gelato. I had rose flavored gelato with chocolate chips. No, I’m not kidding and yes, it was amazing. It seriously tasted like roses.
I’ve been craving flower flavored food ever since.
They finally kicked us out and we headed back on the public bus to Victoria in time to catch the fast ferry to Seattle!
Really enjoyed reading about your experiences in Victoria, BC and your trip to The Butchart Gardens. Great photos! Thank you!
Thanks for reading! I loved your gardens so much! Such a lovely place!