VanDusen Botanical Garden

On the one sunny day of my week long vacation in Vancouver, I dedicated an afternoon to visit VanDusen Botanical Garden. Timing was just right during my visit because a lot of the cherry blossoms were blooming -- and what a beautiful sight it was! A lot of other park visitors were surrounding the cherry blossoms capturing photos.

VanDusen has thousands of plants species displayed, separated into different sections of the park. There's also waterfalls, ponds, and fountains scattered throughout. Be sure to wander through the hedge maze and check out the bowl of cut hellebore! Bring a hat, water, some snacks, and maybe even a blanket to sit on while enjoying the beautiful sights and sounds VanDusen has to offer. Just watch out for all the geese poop.

Depending on the season (fall/winter or spring/summer), admission prices and hours of operation vary so double check their website before you visit. Tickets can be pre-purchased online for a small discount or onsite at the visitor center. Plan for a 3-4 hour visit to really enjoy the entire park.

Beautiful garden grounds that you can easily spend hours in. Loved the little maze and my favorite part was the large pond with lily pads, turtles, and koi fish. Reasonably priced as well.

Christmas lights tour 2023.

For this review I'll compare & contrast between the Capilano Suspension Bridge Canyon Lights & Vandusen Botanical Garden Festival of Lights 2023.

For the thrill seekers go to CSB.

However, being that the lights festival is at night, one cannot fully grasp in their mind how much of a drop the canyon really is at Capilano canyon.

See my CSB review I wrote this past summer.

For those with families & or mom & pops who want an easier smoother Christmas lights walk about - then Vandusen it is.

Vandusen is pretty much level ground all around the entire area, so those with mobility aids, should find it fine.

CSP budget for a minimum 2 hours - Vandusen just over an hour.

However, if you want to stop along the route & eat or drink wine, then 2 to 3 hours will be needed.

I had not been to Vandusen Gardens since way back in the 90s.

This past Saturday it was a cool 7°C/44F & not raining.

If it had been colder & raining, walking about for an hour would have been challenging.

Highly recommend you check the weather report frequently before heading over but regardless do dress warm.

There are plenty of warming stations along the route - bravo.

Wine lovers will enjoy the selection available at the wine bar along the route.

Personally, I experienced more giddiness at CSB.

However, the Vandusen Festival of Lights is more fun for groups seeking an easy light stroll that won't involve too much climbing up or down.

Please note that tickets for both venues must be pre-purchased online via their respective websites.

Merry Christmas.

A beautiful place to spend a couple hours on a sunny day. Grabbed a matcha latte at Truffles then spent the morning looking at the current areas of bloom. I love how vast the gardens seem where you can choose your own route to explore and almost get lost instead of following a marked one-way path. I also like how you are allowed to bring your own food and set up your own picnic on a picnic bench or on your own mat in the grass. Entrance is very reasonably priced and the gardens offer a large variety of well kept flowers and trees. Will definitely return in the future.

If you ever get to visit Vancouver than VanDusen Botanical Garden should be on your must do list!!

"VanDusen Botanical Garden is a 55-acre oasis in the heart of Vancouver with over 7,500 plant species and varieties from around the world! Spot and photograph local wildlife, find your way through an Elizabethan hedge maze, unwind in a serene setting, dine on the patios of Truffles Cafe or Shaughnessy Restaurant, or browse the garden-themed gift shop. VanDusen has something for everyone to enjoy!

The Garden's multi-award winning LEED Platinum Visitor Centre was named Most Sustainable Building of the Year in 2014. Shaped like an orchid when viewed from above, its organic lines echo the way nature and conservation have been considered at every turn." - Website

This budget family friendly spot can either take an hour or hours depending on how you want to view it. I would suggest bringing lunch, water and a blanket. If not, they have a restaurant on site and they also have daily/weekly food truck/pod, the day we visited Japadog was hosting. If they didn't have one in Los Angeles/Santa Monica then I would've considered eating there. (They are absolutely delicious) Come on a week day to avoid crowds, plan accordingly, so you can set up a nice lunch on the great lawn and remember to stay hydrated. This place is sooo beautiful, you have to give them a visit!

Very spacious, well laid out, diverse plants and fun features (maze, large Adirondack chairs, pond, raised garden beds) to enjoy by many generations.

We went to the Festival of Lights . This is great for a family event.

They had different themed attractions through the park and there were food stalls situated around your stroll.

Parking was horrible as they don't have a very big lot. We had to park by the street.

Overall , a fun experience for the family, especially for the kiddos.

What a great and vast garden to visit in one of Vancouvers nicest neighborhoods, plus free parking in the lot. There were many different styles of gardens and it was larger than expected. April was a month of daffodils and tulips; plus the rhododendrons and magnolias were terrific.E

A lovely and affordable way to spend an afternoon. So many places to explore and each part feels unique. We loved taking our child to the maze (he insisted going through twice). Lots of spots to take a beautiful picture on a sunny day. The parking is a little challenging, but there's lots of street parking nearby, so it doesn't change the rating. We will definitely visit again.

Lovely garden...plenty of space to walk and sit without a lot of people bothering me. Sequoia trees were fun to see.