Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is located just a short distance off the coast of Vancouver. It is reachable by regular ferry service or by a short plane ride from the mainland (both from Vancouver and from Washington state, US).

Victoria is the biggest city on the island and is the capital of British Columbia.

Unfortunately, other than Victoria I was only really able to visit the Butchart Gardens (below). There is a lot of the island that I did not see with it's beautiful, rugged landscape. Well worth a visit.

Probably the biggest attraction on the island, The Butchart Gardens were created by the Butchart family about 100 years ago.

Though I visited in the winter (February) there was surprisingly a lot to see with the weather pretty moderate year around.

One thing to not miss the small museum in the original home of the Butchart family that now houses the restaurants, and indoor exhibits (in the cooler months).

The Sunken Garden is quite often the first place that visitors visit as it is to the left as you first enter the gardens. You can spend a lot of time here with the interesting landscape and plants.

Located next to the house, the italian garden is the most formal of all of the gardens.

In the cooler months, there is a small indoor exhibit of some of the more weather-sensitive plants that is well worth a visit.

For further information, please see:

• Vancouver Island and Victoria BC Tourism Travel Guide - Official Site
• BC Ferries - Offers ferry service from mainland BC to the island