Butchart Gardens and Victoria Sightseeing Tour from Vancouver
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Vancouver, Canada
- 13 to 14 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Victoria is a must-visit for travelers to the British Columbian coast. After a ferry ride to Victoria, take a city tour which includes stops at the Inner Harbour, the Fairmont Empress Hotel, Mile 0, and Chinatown. Then enjoy free time to explore Victoria on your own before ending the day with a stroll through Butchart Gardens.
- Hassle-free day trip to Victoria: No need to worry about ferry timetables and driving
- Includes roundtrip BC Ferries tickets and admission to Butchart Gardens
- Get insights into local Victoria history and culture from your guide
- Includes free time to explore Victoria at your own pace
What's Included
- Experienced, friendly, and fun Driver-Guide
- Mini-coach transportation
- Roundtrip Ferry aboard BC Ferries
- Onboard entertainment & commentary throughout
- Admission to the Butchart Gardens
- All Fees and Taxes
- Food and drinks
- Gratuity
- Hotel Pick up and Drop off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 999 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1, Canada
Please meet us at the covered benches, in front of the Vancouver Convention Centre, next to the Flyover Canada Ticket Booth, 15 minutes before departure and meet your Discover Canada Tours guide (wearing bright green). Your guide will be guiding you to the correct bus.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Canada Place
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Tsawwassen
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Inner Harbour
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Empress Hotel National Historic Site of Canada (Pass By)
Fisherman's Wharf (Pass By)
Legislative Assembly Of British Columbia (Pass By)
Government Street (Pass By)
Victoria’s Chinatown National Historic Site (Pass By)
Fan Tan Alley (Pass By)
Royal BC Museum (Pass By)
5
The Butchart Gardens
1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
6
Swartz Bay BC Ferry Terminal
3 hours • Admission Ticket Included
7
Canada Place
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Guests 16-18 years of age may travel on the trip without a parent or guardian but MUST have one present on the departure day to sign the waiver forms held by the tour guide.
- Anyone 15 or younger must have a parent or guardian travel on the trip with them.
- No booster seats available.
- The tour still operates when it rains and no refunds will be given within the 24 cancellation policy.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Ursula_R
What a wonderful tour. Super organized and just the right amount of time allocated for each stop. Kim our tour guide was amazing. She knew everything, I learned a lot. Definitely recommend this tour.
Reviews
4.8
based on 564 reviews
susan_h, Oct 2025
Excellent, but too much time spent getting to and from. I would suggest hiring a puddle jumper or spending the night to get the most out of you visit.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
We're happy to hear you had an excellent time while visiting Victoria.
Thank you for traveling with us, we hope to welcome you back soon!
Cynthia_M, Oct 2025
Our tour guide, Bernie, was very informative and funny. The only bad thing about the trip was the van, I think it needed new shocks. The ride was very bumpy and the van rattled a lot.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
We appreciate your feedback, we're happy to see you had a great tour.
Thank you for your review!
Shari_B, Sep 2025
Butchart Gardens is spectacular and the town of Victoria is quaint. Do not miss checking out The Empress hotel.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for your 5-star review!
Cynthia_D, Sep 2025
What a joke! I’m sure the trip was great but we never got to go. I was told by Viator we could be dropped off at our hotel. The company running the trip said they never pick up or drop off anywhere but the port. After several hours both thru email and on the phone, we were never able to reach a resolution so we weren’t able to go. No big deal $200 down the drain!
Kathleen_P, Sep 2025
Kim the guide was exceptional. She was the driver and tour guide. Raised in the area she was very knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
We're happy to hear you had a great time exploring Victoria in company of our lovely guide Kim.
Thank you for your review!
Lisa_N, Sep 2025
The excursion was well worth the money and our tour guide was very knowledgeable.
Just be ready for a long day
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your review, we're happy to see you enjoyed your day tour to Victoria!
Joseph_G, Sep 2025
As a tourist visiting Vancouver, I wouldn't know any other way to see Victoria and see The Butchart Gardens other than taking a tour. However, I don't think I would recommend it. It would be better to spend a couple of days in Victoria to enjoy it's charm. If you only have the day from Vancouver, than this might be the only option. The sights in Victoria, the walking tour, and the Gardens were very nice, but as I mentioned there is too much driving and wait time. We left Vancouver at 8am and got to the ferry pier by 8:50, but we were scheduled on the 10am ferry so we killed an hour at the ferry terminal. On the way back, in Victoria, we arrived at the ferry terminal before 6pm, but had to wait for the 7pm ferry. When you add up the travel and wait time, you wind up with 7+ hours of wait, ferry, and drive time, about an hour+ of driving around Victoria, and a few hours to walk Victoria and see the gardens. It was an exhausting day and I wouldn't do it again, but not because of the tour or the guide, but because now that I know, I would spend a couple of days in Victoria instead of the tour.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
While traveling to Victoria is a journey, we're happy to see you got to enjoy the sights in the city, as well as our walking tour and the Butchart Gardens.
A couple of days in this city would give you a more relaxed experience in the Island.
Thank you for your review and sharing your experience, we hope to welcome you back in another adventure.
WaiLong_Y, Sep 2025
Knowledgeable (local) guide, entertaining and very detailed commentary. Learned a lot about the history of the places visited.
Thanks Kim.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your kind words! We're glad Kim's local knowledge and commentary made your experience even more enjoyable. We'll be sure to pass along your thanks to her, and we hope to welcome you again soon!
Kevin_G, Sep 2025
Great driver/guide. He was knowledgeable and professional. My only complaint was that I felt the amount of time allowed in Victoria was excessive. Others though, may have desired more time. Over all, it was a very nice day.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you so much for you feedback. We're happy to know that you had a great time. We appreciate your input on the time spent in Victoria, that will help us improve greatly. Thank you again for travelling with us, and hope to welcome you on another tour soon!
Jan_C, Sep 2025
Excellent service and value. Our tour guide Rene is funny, informative and helpful. Will recommend it.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your review and your kind words, we hope to welcome you back in Vancouver soon.
Jumana_M, Aug 2025
Our driver/guide Rene was very good and kept us all totally entertained during the long drives. It was a long day
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your 5-star review!
We're happy to hear you had a great time with our lovely driver guide Rene.
Linda_S, Aug 2025
Rene was excellent! Funny, entertaining and very knowledgeable!! The ferry ride was beautiful. Everything was timed and organized brilliantly!,
Response from Host, Sep 2025
In my opinion, the ferry ride is one of the highlights of the tour, especially when you have a nice sunset on the way back.
Thank you for your review, we're happy to hear you had an excellent day with Rene.
Dennis_A, Aug 2025
My wife and I took the tour and we both loved it. Going out on the ferry and back makes for a long day and it’s better to go on a shuttle so 1 can save up some energy. We came back at sunset and got some great pictures of ourselves.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your review Dennis!
We're happy to hear you and your wife loved our tour and had a lovely day in Victoria.
Susan_R, Aug 2025
Wonderful way to see Vancouver Island, Victoria and Butchart Gardens. Simple beautiful trip without the hassle of doing it all yourself. Meghan was a wonderful tour host. Very knowledgeable and fun. We had a great time!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad you enjoyed exploring Vancouver Island, Victoria, and Butchart Gardens with Meghan. She’ll be delighted to hear your feedback. We hope to welcome you on another tour soon!
Stuart_W, Aug 2025
We were picked up at our hotel, which was great. We started at 8 AM and did not get back to the hotel until approximately 10 PM.
We anticipated a long day, however, we did not anticipate the mode of transportation and how it would affect that day. We were 24 adults crammed into a van that had bad ventilation. It was difficult to feel any air flowing, particularly in the back of the shuttle. If there was air conditioning, it certainly was not working. All participants were complaining, and yet the driver could not do anything about it though he tried. The AC was not functioning. In addition, the vehicle had bad shocks. So there was a lot of loud clunking and banging whenever we drove over anything but level ground. It left the entire group in a very poor mood as the day progressed.
The day is spent in large part on the van and the ferry (approximately 5 hrs total). Because of the condition of the van, it truly gave us a very poor, uncomfortable experience and negative overall impression of our day and how we spent our money.
These vans should definitely be checked out before they are to accompany paying customers.
Our tour guide was very nice, but seemed resigned to the discomfort of the group and really was helpless to do anything about it. It was simply not an enjoyable event. Consensus of those we spoke with in our group was the same. We would not do it again. We have it done several other Viator tour in the past, and this one did not meet the higher caliber we are accustomed to with Viator tours.
Bo_R, Aug 2025
We really enjoyed this trip overall. Our driver, Ian, was delightful very informative and had entertaining stories about Canada especially British Columbia in Vancouver. The amount of time in Victoria is too short, especially if you have lunch. We wish we had planned to spend the night in Victoria to be able to see more of the city. We recommend planning your time in the city before you leave the bus. The time at Buchart Gardens was adequate to enjoy seeing all of the beautiful grounds that are absolutely spectacular.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for your review!
We appreciate your feedback regarding the time in Victoria, we'll take it into consideration for future departures.
We're glad to hear you enjoyed the Butchart Gardens, they are really spectacular, specially in the summer months.
We hope to welcome you back for another adventure!
Jane_B, Aug 2025
Our guide was so knowledgeable and friendly! We would highly recommend this tour! Rebecca was top notch!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for your feedback!
Susie_R, Aug 2025
What a wonderful day! Our guide Byron was incredible. From pick up to drop off he was engaged with all of us. Answering questions and offering interesting facts throughout the day. The smaller tour group makes for a much more pleasurable experience. Highly recommend this tour and tour guide!!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much for your review.
We're happy to hear you had a great time on tour, from beginning to the end and that our guide Byron was incredible, we'll be sure to pass your lovely feedback to him.
Thank you for booking with us. We hope to welcome back sometime soon!
Edwin_G, Aug 2025
Our tour guide, Bryon, who worked for Discover Canada, was outstanding. Bryon customized the tour to maximize the experience for us. He was very knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for your review! We're pleased to hear Byron maximized your experience in Victoria.
Pete_H, Aug 2025
It is worth the investment. So much nicer to turn over driving ... all logistics ... over to someone very familiar with finding their way around. Our guide was incredibly knowledgable and professional.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for your review!
We're pleased to hear you had a great time exploring Victoria and hope to welcome you back soon.
David_K, Aug 2025
It’s a long day with no dinner stop so bringing snacks is advisable. Good opportunity for breakfast stuff at Tsawassan ferry dock.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thanks for your feedback.
The journey to the Island is long but the ferry views are definitely worth it. We hope you enjoyed your visit to Victoria and the Butchart Gardens and we hope to welcome you back soon.
Safe travels!
Peter_M, Jul 2025
Excellent visit to Victoria and the gardens in a small coach. Denzo the driver and guide was very knowledgeable about the history of Vancouver and Victoria on our drive to the island, pointing out sights we would not usually have seen. He also showed us the places to eat and shop in Victoria. He got us back to a good drop off point. A long day but worth it.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Victoria is a great city with lots of history and places to visit, and we're pleased to hear you had a wonderful visit to the Island in company of our driver guide Denzo.
Thank you for choosing us, we hope to see you again soon!
David_C, Jul 2025
Our guide was excellent. Very informative and knowledgeable. The bus was clean and the windows spotless (good for taking pictures)
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We're happy to hear that you enjoyed every bit of our tour! Thank you for your lovely feedback, and we hope to welcome you again on the next adventure!
Lorraine_G, Jul 2025
It much time in Victoria should have walked around more instead of eating lunch our tour guide talked a little too much
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your feedback! We're glad you joined us and appreciate your thoughts on how the time in Victoria was spent. Our guides aim to share as much insight as possible, and we understand everyone enjoys different parts of the experience. We’ll keep your comments in mind as we continue to improve our tours. Thank you again for sharing your experience with us, and we hope we can take you out on another journey!
April_B, Jul 2025
This was well worth the time and money. It’s a long day but seeing Victoria and Butchart gardens was amazing! Well worth it.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us in Victoria! We hope to see you again in the next adventure!
Quang_T, Jul 2025
The garden was very nice but not enough time in Victoria to look around. I do wish we got to explore more in Victoria since waiting for food was long time. The tour guide, Ian, was informative and funny.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for your feedback! We're glad you enjoyed your time in Victoria, and we appreciate your comment about the time in Victoria. We'll definitely keep this in mind to improve the experience for the future. Thank you again for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back soon for another adventure!
Elizabeth_D, Jun 2025
great overview of victoria and Butchart. it's a long day but some nice down time on the ferry. there was together time in the bus and self exploration at the destination after introduction time by tour guide.Ben was fantastic. great wit and knowledgeable!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! It's great to know that our itinerary gave you a balance between the tour and your free time. We hope to welcome you again soon!
Victoria_C, Jun 2025
Stunning garden! I could have stayed all day! The fountains were so pretty. The paths were clear and the Gelato was great
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Seems like you had a great time! Thank you for sharing your experience with us and we hope to welcome you back on another adventure!
George_H, Jun 2025
Byron was our tour guide. He was great!! He did not take the “typical “ bus routes and showed us some amazing countryside. Gave a lot of the history of both Vancouver and Victoria. This tour takes an earlier ferry than most giving you more free time to explore Victoria and have lunch. Byron recommends what local eating establishments are the best. We tried red fish blue fish and it was great. Small outdoor fish shack overlooking the water. Great food and view. Watched airplanes come and go on the water while we ate. By going to Butchart Gardens last many of the other tour buses were leaving as we got there so much less crowded. Byron told us things to watch for in the Gardens. On the ferry ride home let us know about the lounge area that was available for only $6.00 with complimentary soft drinks and hot drinks. Food available if desired. It was great back there!! Thanks Byron for a great day. Highly recommend. Both Victoria and The Gardens are spectacular!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
That sounds like an amazing trip! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. We're so glad to know that Byron's knowledge and suggestions made your trip even more enjoyable. Victoria is such a charming city, and Butchart Gardens are just absolutely beautiful! We're glad to be able to offer you such a good time on our tour. Thank you again for your kind feedback, and we hope to welcome you back again next time!
ANNE_H, Jun 2025
Beautiful gardens. Flowers were all in bloom. Tour gave us sufficient time to walk through but I would have liked another 30 minutes.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for your kind feedback! We're glad you enjoyed the beauty of Victoria & Butchart Gardens. We really appreciate your suggestion and we hope to see you again soon!
From $231.73
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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