Best Things To Do VISITING VICTORIA, BC in 1 DAY! 🌸 Butchart Gardens + Afternoon Tea + Downtown Tour

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Greetings from Victoria! In today’s video, we bring you the final episode of our Vancouver Island road trip. After experiencing several days of torrential rains in the last few episodes, we’re happy to say that the sun came out to bid us farewell, which meant we had a really nice day visiting Butchart Gardens and exploring downtown Victoria. Butchart Gardens are hardly a well-kept secret, but we can assure you that they are worth the hype! These are some of the most beautiful gardens we have ever visited and I, for one, spent the whole morning ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the beautiful displays.

I added the Sunken Garden to our Trover list, because who knew a former quarry could be transformed into something so beautiful?! You seriously can’t miss this place if you come to Victoria.
And now we’re going to take you to the Butchart Gardens’ Dining Room Restaurant, where we ordered afternoon tea for lunch! Oh, yes, that’s how we roll.

The menu featured scones with cream and jam, Cornish pasties, leek and cheese quiche, and savoury sandwiches with salmon, cucumber and egg salad. We also got a plate of delicious house-made sweets. It was all delectable and we tried to savour each bite to the max!

Arriving in Victoria was quite the contrast after spending the majority of our trip in the north part of Vancouver Island. It’s surprising how quickly we got used to being in small towns surrounded by forest, and all of a sudden we were in a city with traffic, and streetlights, and lots of people! Our senses were slightly overwhelmed, but we still had a nice time visiting the inner harbour and hitting up a few of the main attractions.

The British Columbia Parliament buildings are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The buildings were constructed in the 1890s in a mix of renaissance, Romanesque and classical styles, and they are stunning. Once we set foot inside, we were wowed by the mosaic floors, the elegant dome and the beautiful stained glass windows. In short, it was a feast for the eyes! I also added this place to Trover because I didn’t even know the parliament buildings were open to the public, but it turns out they are, plus it’s free to visit, AND you can do a self-guided tour and go at your own pace.

After wandering along the harbour a bit longer, we decided to head back to the apartment because we had some leftover afternoon tea treats calling our name. We had a quick stop at Clover Point Park to snap some pictures and befriend the dogs out on their afternoon walk and that was the end of our day. But now some final thoughts on our two weeks on the island!

And that’s a wrap for our Vancouver Island road trip! Once again, we want to give a huge thank you to our partner Trover for making this trip possible. For those of you who are curious about all the places we visited on the island, I’ll link our Trover profile in the description below, with a list of all the places we went to. And if you missed an episode, we’ve also got a whole Vancouver Island playlist waiting for you on the end screen. Thanks again for watching and we’ll see you soon with more adventures!

Victoria & Butchart Gardens Day Trip 🌸 | Best Things to Do in Victoria, BC + Final Vancouver Island Road Trip Vlog

🌷 Strolling Through Butchart Gardens: Colorful History & Afternoon Tea 🍰🍵

Our first stop was the world-famous Butchart Gardens, a must-visit for any nature or flower lover. With over a hundred years of history and 55 acres of gardens to explore, we were truly in awe. We wandered through themed areas like the Sunken Garden (a former quarry transformed into a floral paradise!), the fragrant Rose Garden, the Italian Garden, and the serene Japanese Garden. The sheer volume and diversity of flowers had us snapping photos at every turn.

For lunch, we splurged on afternoon tea in the gardens’ historic Dining Room. Our meal featured a selection of specialty teas, a sweet vanilla trifle, scones with clotted cream and jam, Cornish pasties, quiche, savory sandwiches, and house-made sweets. We couldn’t even finish it all—leftovers became our real “afternoon tea” later! At $35.49 per person, it’s a pricier experience, but well worth it for the beauty and flavors. The fact that you can come and go all day is a bonus.

🌇 Downtown Victoria: Waterfront Walks, Landmarks & Architecture 🏛️🚤

After soaking up the gardens, we headed into downtown Victoria—a big change from the quiet forests up north. Suddenly, we were surrounded by city sights, bustling harbors, and stunning architecture. We walked the waterfront, checked out the iconic little water taxis, and admired the vibrant harbor scene. The weather was perfect - sunny and breezy.

The most famous landmark? The Empress Hotel, known for its high-end afternoon tea (twice the price of Butchart Gardens!). We also visited the British Columbia Parliament Buildings.

VISITING VICTORIA, BC in 1 DAY! | Butchart Gardens + Afternoon Tea + Downtown Victoria Tour: