Victoria and Butchart Gardens

This full-day Butchart Gardens tour from Victoria is one of the most popular excursions, as it visits the provincial capital and the world-renowned gardens in just one day. With plenty of free time in downtown Victoria and at Butchart Gardens, this will be a day you will never forget. Setting out from the city, your award-winning guide will give you a rundown on what your day holds in store. Your mini coach will be driven to the ferry landing (approximately 50 minutes from downtown Vancouver), where it will drive right onto the ferry for the 90-minute cruise over to Vancouver Island. During your time onboard, enjoy amenities such as full restaurant service, gift shops, or video games for the kids. Mostly, you'll be walking around the deck, eyes on the water searching for orcas, eagles, or seals, and glancing up at the beautiful scenery as the ship winds its way through the Southern Gulf Islands to dock at Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. Victoria, once a small fort, grew from the Gold Rush and then as the seat of provincial governmental power. The Inner Harbour is a legacy to one of Canada's most notable architects, Francis Rattenbury, as the skyline is dominated by two of his most famous works: the Parliament Buildings and The Empress Hotel. After your guide gives you an orientation tour of the downtown, enjoy 3 hours of free time to explore this quaint city by the sea, have some lunch on your own, and take in one of the varied local attractions. After meeting back at a designated time and place in downtown Victoria, you will enjoy a 30-minute pastoral drive through the countryside. Arrive at a garden that leaves even the most avid horticulturalists in awe. Spread across 55 acres, the Butchart Gardens are truly a sight to be seen. You will find spectacular views as you stroll along meandering paths and expansive lawns. From the exquisite Sunken Garden to the charming Rose Garden, this show garden still maintains the gracious traditions of earlier times and boasts all the modern amenities to make your time there comfortable and enjoyable. Don't forget your camera. The time at the gardens is approximately 2 hours. From the gardens, it is a short, twenty-minute, ride back to the BC Ferries terminal and a 1 hour 30 minute ferry ride back to the mainland. On the return crossing you can enjoy the restaurant facilities onboard the ferry or grab a nap in the lounge before being driven from the ferry terminal back to Vancouver and your hotel. Please Note: This Tour is not available for Pre, or Post-Cruise guests. Luggage cannot be accommodated under any circumstances.