Butchart Gardens in spring

[scdreamer]

We will be in Victoria in late April (the 30th to be exact), and are wondering if this would be a good time to visit the gardens. We've been before in mid-summer, and thought the gardens were lovely.

 

Will there be bulbs still blooming in late April? Other spring flowers? Cold? Rainy?

[c-to-sea]

Butchart Gardens is year-round. Our climate is mild and, while there are

not many flowers in the winter, there are some and there are so many

other plants that it is always 'in bloom' April will be just fine. Might even be a bit late

for daffodils but tulips, blossoms, etc should be in view. Might be a bit of rain - that's

what makes everything grow so well here. It shouldn't be cold, though it

might feel cool, depending on where you are coming from.

Plan to go - you won't regret it.

BTW, the coffe shop serves awesome hot chocolate to warm you up.

[dam1050]

Butchart Gardens is beautiful at any time of the year! Late April is especially nice, as you will see many spring flowers and plants in bloom and you'll be beating the onslaught of summer tourists. Enjoy ...

 

Dave

[lwlwl]

Hi - I'll be on a cruise that stops in Victoria in May. I've been to Butchart Gardens once before, and I'd love to go again. However, the shore excursion the the gardens offered on the cruise seems really expensive. Would it be easy to take a taxi or local bus from downtown Victoria to the gardens? It seems like that would save me a lot of money. What do you think?

 

 

EDIT - Never mind! I found this information in another thread!

[c-to-sea]

It all depends on how long the ship is in port. Many are only in for 4-6 hours.

If that's the case, take the ship's excursion. Returning from the gardens

could be delayed and they ship will only wait for it's own tours. If you are in

for a full day, then taxi,bus, private tour are all OK as long as you leave

plenty of time to get back. Best bet is probably Gray Line from downtown

and back again to be sure that someone will be waiting to bring you back.

Get back early if you do this and enjoy downtown Victoria. There's lots

to see and do.

[lwlwl]

c-to-sea,

 

Thanks for the information. Our ship is scheduled to be in Victoria for 9 hours, so I think we will have time to get to the gardens and back on our own. The Grey Line option looks good. I'm also going to look into taxi fares to see if that might be a little cheaper. Do you know how easy it is to get a taxi for the return trip from the gardens to downtown Victoria?

 

Thanks!

[c-to-sea]

Return taxies might be a bit of a problem. Most don't like hanging around there

waiting for a fare as most people have already made arrangements. Best bet would be

to make a return booking before leaving. There are also private cars waiting

on the pier when you arrive and you could negotiate a round trip with one of

them. Gray Line busses do the round trip and wait in the bus parking lot

until the specified return time. Just make sure you don't miss it. Whatever you

do, plan to get back early, enjoy some of downtown and get back to the

ship without any worries. Enjoy Butchart Gardens!