Convenience with a garden: arrive, stay near the ferry and airport, and be at Butchart in ten minutes
The Saanich Peninsula is the finger of farmland and suburb north of Victoria that ends at the Swartz Bay ferry terminal and holds the airport, the Butchart Gardens and the seaside town of Sidney. Most visitors pass through it twice; some of them would be better off staying on it, especially with an early ferry, a late flight or a car full of children who want a beach and a pool rather than a downtown hotel.
Butchart is the peninsula's reason for being on this site — a former limestone quarry turned into one of the world's great display gardens, in Brentwood Bay on the west side, and reachable by shuttle, tour or private car from Victoria. Brentwood Bay itself is a pretty inlet with a marina, the little Mill Bay ferry across to the Cowichan Valley, and kayak and paddleboard outings on flat water. Sidney, on the east side, has a bookshop-lined main street, a small aquarium, a waterfront walk and the Van Isle Marina where Gulf Islands charters begin.
Whale-watching from Sidney is a smaller-scale alternative to Victoria's harbour and gets into the Gulf Islands' channels quickly; it is not currently listed on Viator, and Victoria's departures are the ones on this site.
Getting there
Highway 17 runs the length of the peninsula from Victoria to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, with Victoria International Airport (YYJ) beside it at the Sidney end. BC Transit buses run downtown–Swartz Bay frequently; the Butchart Gardens has its own shuttle from downtown.
What departs from here
Butchart Gardens tours mostly pick up in downtown Victoria; the peninsula's own departures are boat charters from Van Isle Marina in Sidney, kayak tours from Canoe Cove and Brentwood Bay, and airport transfers at YYJ.
Staying
One night for a ferry or flight connection; a whole stay if you prefer small-town waterfront to city. Hotels on Sidney's waterfront, inns in Brentwood Bay and B&Bs among the farms.
Season
Butchart is open all year: spring blossom, summer fireworks on Saturdays, autumn colour, December lights. Ferry queues at Swartz Bay peak on summer Fridays and Sundays.
Know before you go
Sidney is quiet after dinner. Transit reaches the ferry but not the gardens or the marina. Sunday-evening ferry traffic from Swartz Bay backs up down Highway 17.
