The Butchart Gardens Reviews

Amazing garden, looking magnificent in the summer sun. Staff are lovely and the entire venue is so well managed. The merry-go-round (carousel) is a work of art. Definitely worth the trip

Fantastic view and even better in spring and summer

Amazing visit! I wish we spent all day here it was so beautiful!

Definitely the most beautiful garden I've been to. Tons of photo opportunities. Would 10/10 recommend.

A beautiful place to wander and breathe in glorious nature

Simply amazing place, I must see if you're in Victoria for any amount of time. Recommend getting there early because you'll definitely want to stay as long as possible to see the entire Garden.

Beautiful place.was raining all time but well worth it.

The gardens are absolutely beautiful and very well maintained. Went in early spring, so everything was not in bloom yet but it was still magnificent (there's something to see in every season). The sunken garden is a real gem. Staff very friendly.

Gorgeous. extensive gardens that I wish we had visited much earlier in the day. As it was, our cruise did not dock until 7:00 p.m., & despite the late sunset due to northern latitude, it was already twilight when we began our tour. We saw just enough of the exquisite beauty (i.e. "sunken gardens" & "Japanese gardens") to make us want to return again someday soon. Alas, their location in Victoria, BC, Canada, & ours in Florida, USA, makes that a distant possibility.

A must see on Vancouver Island. They open year round and boast 5 growing seasons. The Japanese gardens are my favorite, make sure to check them out during the winter holiday, they start setting up the lights in October!

Christmas themed lights are super pretty! Went on the bus tour to get there, and the drivers had tons of experience and awesome knowledge to share. Massive gift shop, overall just a really beautiful and magnificent place. Biggest garden with the biggest story I've ever been to

We went in winter so the gardens were not in full bloom but it made for a pleasant walk and my teens had fun ticking off the scavenger hunt list.

Very beautiful, wish I could keep atleast 3 flowers alive to pretend to have a garden so beautiful

Wonderful wonderful garden. Lots of beautiful flowers. Definitely worth visiting.

Stunning place, expensive ticket but very worthy. There's places to eat and 2 stores.

I m torn between really liking this place and wanting to never go back. Everyone must visit here if they are on Vancouver Island, no question. But please take note that it is heavily trafficked and everyone is taking pictures of everything. I beg visitors to please put their phones away and look at the marvels in front of them. Really feel the path beneath their feet and smell the complex variety of scents that waft the atmosphere. There are professional images online that people may purchase and this saves anyone from having pressure to capture their own.

I think the park should implement a device free visiting hour or afternoon. This would greatly enhance a visitor s experience who only wants to be witnessing the space that is not obstructed by electronics.

It's beautiful here. I came here in the rain and still really enjoyed myself. I hope to come back in the summer sometime to see other flowers.

Fantastic place to visit in Victoria. Was there on right time of the year

Great idea for anyone from out of the country. And the summer fireworks are a must.

Wonderful tea and gift shop. Beautiful place even in the off season!

Very pretty go vist. This place is amazing. Worth every bit, so relaxing.

Wow! One of the best gardens I have visited. Must visit

Amazing place! If you are going in fall season make sure you go late evening so that you can enjoy the lighting. Because in fall theirs not much floral views to enjoy. None the less it is a beautiful place. I loved the gift shop and the restaurant.parking lot is huge. I traveled there with my 2.5 years old kid without any issues.

Gorgeous gardens with many little nooks to sit rest Nd enjoy the beauty.

It's a pretty place to visit, smaller than I thought

Everyone should see the gardens at least once in their life. It is beautiful.

Worth every penny. The crowds can be a bit burdensome, so make sure to get to the gardens earlier in the day, preferably the morning. There are several different gardens to choose from as well, and the gift shop is great and even sells seeds for some of the plants found in the gardens, along with guides of when and where to plant them. Definitely will be going here again the next time I m in Victoria.

Very rarely do I get excited over gardens and flowers. The beauty and effort made by the gardeners is unprecedented. It is truly tranquil and amazing. Every section of the garden was unique and well laid out. Please add to your bucket list if you ever get to Victoria.

A few tips for first time visitors to the gardens. First, you can take the safe and reasonably fast public transportation to the gardens from the Harbor and save significant money. For $5CAD you can get an all day bus pass. Furthermore there is no need to change buses as a line leaves just a short walk from the port and goes to the gardens. The second tip is plan to spend all day there. It is about a 50 minute bus ride and if you took a ferry from Port Angeles you won't get to the gardens till around noon. You'll easily spend 5 hours here seeing everything. Third, do afternoon tea in the Tea House! My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in a no rush atmosphere. She is gluten-free and they had lots of alternatives but we ordered a regular lunch meal and a pot of tea separate and it was excellent. Fourth and finally, if you are staying overnight in Victoria you may have a chance to see the firework show, check the listings. All in all these gardens are amazing.

Loved it. A great walk around the various gardens.

We go every year for the Christmas decorations. Dog friendly is one of our favourite parts. 12 days of Christmas themed stroll through the gardens.

So many varieties of plants and flowers! It was much larger than I was expecting and very impressive. I loved the Japanese Garden the most. We had afternoon tea in the restaurant and it was delicious. I'd mentioned when booking that we were about to get married and they made us this cute little chocolate sign.

Any time of the year the Gardens are spectacular. Exceptional Christmas light decorating.

Spectacular gardens and friendly staff. A must-see for any trip to Victoria.

Go during the summer, I went after Christmas and there were no roses just alot of Xmas lights

So first off was surprised at the cost to get in which was I believe was 35 dollars a person. Ouch expensive. Especially for just walking around seeing some flowers. Their own brochure said it would take about 2 hours to walk through. Not the best value for money. But it was really beautiful. The day was perfect, sunny and warm, but not to warm. I am not really into flowers as much but the gardens were well laid out with plenty of places to stop and rest and look around. And other than the walking by the time I was done I was quite relaxed and had really enjoyed the entire experience. Which normally would have probably earned this a 4 star rating at most. But... There was one spot in the gardens where I sat down and if I lived in a perfect world would have just lived there the rest of my life. It was so beautiful, so peaceful. Made the entire day worth it and goes on my list of favorite places in the world. So an extra star for that. Oh and if it's sunny remember to take sunscreen.

Really expensive but wow this place is nice! Unfortunately it's incredibly crowded but that's what happens with nice places lol. Definitely worth a visit.

Had a fantastic High Tea in the dining I g room overlooking one of the gardens. A must do if you go to Butchart Gardens.

Maintained impeccably. Well staffed and informative plaques posted along the way. Maps guide you and lots of places to sit. It was not terribly busy so we got many good pictures

SACRED TREASURE! If I could, I would give the Butchart Gardens infinity ratings of excellence. :)

A full disclosure: I could be bias because my husband and I came here on our honeymoon. However, we would have completely been smitten either way. The Gardens are each fabulous, and everyone should go if they can.

Stunning Gardens....great family outing...not to be missed. Staff was very helpful and friendly

Absolutely beautiful. Did get a bit crowded at times, but it's to be expected and never felt crowded. The high tea is worth the money.

Incredibly expensive. Grounds are beautiful but I'm more interested in food gardens.

The Butchart Gardens but I will call it The Eden Garden. This place is truly stunning and we spent over two hours walking through every garden. The garden is split up into multiple sections with a specific theme for the plants. A true masterpiece of nature. Breathtaking views of spring blossom. The best garden on the planet. It is magnificent in spring. The abundance of colors makes this place so unique.

Can't beat the meticulous gardens, summer concerts and my favorite Prelude to Spring. Oh and dog friendly is such a bonus.

Great! It is indeed one of the best botanical gardens I have seen so far. Showcases a high maintenance & hard work of the employees working inside who aims to preserve the nature s beauty.
Hope to see this in the same on the next 25 years.

It's so beautiful in December with the Christmas lights.

Very pretty but definitely overpriced and overhyped

Fantastic, well worth the trip. Amazing how the place was a quarry.

Not ideal if you want to be alone as it is normally pretty full.
But other then that beautiful 365 days of the year.
Also restaurants are good don't expect much or any gluten free or vegan options.

Breathtakingly beautiful. So many beautiful sections to visit, and everywhere was maintained so well. Such a photogenic place The food was amazing, too.

Went to see the Christmas lights and it was really cool. They put on such a nice display. We live in Victoria and decided to go check it out. They are pet friendly too, our leashed dog loves to come with us. Interesting that you learn about the history of the place as you go. Would recommend to anyone visiting Victoria. maybe it would be smart to go in the afternoon in order to see the beauty of the grounds in the daylight and also enjoy the lights when the sun goes down. They have a restaurant you can go to for dinner.

Beautiful in any season. I love walking around all of the flowers in the summer, and the lights and festivities in the winter months are also amazing. If I lived in Victoria I would definitely have an annual pass. Worth the trip if you are in the area!

Absolutely FANTASTIC experience with all the Christmas lights at night! Dining at The Dining Room Restaurant was exquisite! The food AND the service was exceptional!

Always very nice but lots of people. Get a one year pass if you might come more than once, it's cheaper.

The best large manicured garden like this I've ever visited

Love this place, it has so much beautiful flowers and it is very clean

Very lovely oasis of nature's best flowers, trees, and exotic shrubs collected from all around the world and uniquely situated across 55 acres.

You'll first start your path to the Sunken Garden which has stunning views from high and low points of unique annuals, trees and shrubs. At the end of this Garden is unique water show by the Ross Fountain.

You ll find all the beautiful roses from around the world in the Rose Garden. Smells sooo good here. Now here is where you need to Stop!...And Smell the Roses!

One of my favorite and most peaceful gardens is the Japanese Garden. Cute little paths passing many unique flowers and trees. The 4 other areas are beautiful too: Star Pond, Italian Garden, Piazza, and the Mediterranean Garden.

Make sure to stop by the Seed and Gift Shop. They offer a huge selection of many seeds to their lovely flowers. Their staff is very friendly and well prepared to answer additional questions.

Beautiful, well maintained and clean. Worth the entrance fee.

The most colorful place on earth. High price- but they put a lot of work in this place

A must see attraction. Have loved coming here for years.

The flowers and trails are dreamy! It s beautiful anytime of the year

Always a treat. Plan to spend more time. Bring a lunch. The plants are awesome.

Cn do it any number of times..flowers gardens tea house restt .. all amazing

Waaaaay too expensive for a botanical garden. For the amount of people that show up here by tour bus alone should be able to show you how popular this place is. Fireworks were kinda cool but the music could be better. Charging $5 for ice cream was almost my breaking point. The gate entrance and ice cream put me back almost $200. There are beautiful flowers but there are also other botanical gardens as well.. This is once in a lifetime, for them, that they will get my money.

Amazing. Awesome. Beautiful. Simply a must see for Christmas time. I imagine its grest year round, but if you like lights. They kill it.

One of the most beautiful gardens we have ever visited. Such a good time snapping pictures of all the foliage and flowers.

You can spend a great day at Buchart, the gardens are beautiful, they have live music, lots to do for kids, restaurants and gift shops, and on Saturdays they have a one of a kind fireworks show which is pretty spectacular. It's a 30 min fireworks theatre like show, it's worth the entry fee if you can make a day if it with the fireworks. Bring blankets for this, there is a grassy hill for watching but gets damp in the evenings.

Great variety of flowers. My favourite was the sunken gardens. Great photo ops everywhere you walk.

Beautiful place with very colorful flowers. One of the other patrons said it was as beautiful as the sea and very calming. I agree with that sentiment. A sea of flowers and very calming and beautiful nature walk.

Butchart gardens is worth a visit, but maybe wait till COVID is over. One way paths and crabby gardeners running around did not enhance the visit at all. Not worth admission this time around.

Visiting the Butchart Gardens was well worth the money. It was such a pleasant family experience. The gardens were beautiful, and we definitely didn't see everything in just one day. We anticipated spending a few hours in the morning, but ended up staying until the fireworks (which take place every Saturday night in the summer).

There were so many places to stop and enjoy the scenery and the moment. We particularly enjoyed the boat tour - - it cost an extra $19/person and honestly wasn't much of a tour (it just circles around the inlet near the park), but it was very peaceful being out on the water and away from the crowds for a bit. The boat driver even had toys for our toddler to play with.

One criticism was that they do not sell bottled water in order to be more environmentally friendly. Instead, they sell reusable bottles in case you didn't bring one and suggest using bottles filling stations. This policy is fine, but there need to be more bottle filling stations. We spent 12 hours in the park and only found two; it's not a small place.

We have two young children, both of whom had a wonderful time. There is no entry fee for children under two, and we found the facilities to be more than adequate for our family's needs.

There was also a concert in the early evening, and we were able to have a picnic lunch on the lawn and listen to the music. All in all, the Butchart Gardens were a world-class experience and a must-do while visiting Victoria.

What an amazing place. Acres if well maintain greenery. The gardens were amazing. Carousal was the winner for us, my little one loved the ride.

Gelato ice cream near Italian Garden is must try. Its long walk and you can easily spend 2 hours inside.

Great gardens, highly recommended. Consider al least 2 hrs in the gardens.

Great garden and had a great time. A little bit disappointed that there were almost no flowers when we went. I'd recommend coming here during spring/summer when the flowers are in full bloom. Will have to find a time to come back. Love that they are dog-friendly also.

It's a beautiful place to spend a few hours walking through. These photos are during late August.

One of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen.
Located on Victoria island. Well worth the time and travel to get there. We did an excursion and were picked up from our hotel via smaller motor coach and transported through the city, sightseeing on the way, and then ferried to Victoria.

5 Stars!

This was beautiful, very wheel chair accessible.

Good food! (get the soft serve ice cream) :O So good.

Love the gardens. Nice to walk through any time of year. Lovely staff and a great gift shop with lots of neat things. I try to go every time I'm home!

Nice place. You have to go even if your mother a gardener

Amazing botanical garden, very unique but we have seen nicer in U.S.A (Longwood gardens in Pennsylvania).
A great stop for a few hours

There is always a lot of people who enjoy the Butchart Gardens. But the landscaping is worth a bit of people congestion because it is so beautiful. Love visiting the garden in all the seasons.

Went in October, absolutely amazing. The sunken garden was so pretty with fall colours. The rose garden was done for the year but plenty of other flowers to see in other gardens. Japanese garden was also beautiful. Highly recommend

Such an amazing and beautiful place. I love walking the paths and being surrounded by all the incredible greenery and flowers. I can happily spend the entire day at the gardens.

This place is wonderful and beautiful. The only bad thing is that always is full. I love this place.