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 (Max 24 passengers)
- 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.Start time.8:00 am
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
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 642 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Although understandable, too much time was spent getting to and from Victoria from Vancouver pick-up. So little time to even get to, much less visit Victoria sites other than Butchart Gardens.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Celeste. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We completely understand that the travel time can feel significant when visiting Victoria from Vancouver in a single day.
The ferry journey is an important part of the experience and, unfortunately, the travel time is unavoidable when travelling between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Our tour is designed to make the most of the day and is currently the only way to visit both Victoria and Butchart Gardens from Vancouver in a single day while having transportation and logistics taken care of for you.
We appreciate your feedback and are glad you chose to experience Victoria with us. Thank you again for travelling with Discover Canada Tours and for sharing your thoughts.
All day tour - beautiful gardens, city of Victoria and sunsets on ferry back to Vancouver. Guide-Rena was phenomenal and funny!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Wesley. Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the gardens, Victoria, and the beautiful sunset on the ferry back to Vancouver.
We’ll be sure to pass your kind words along to Rene. It’s fantastic to hear that his personality and sense of humour helped make such a long day even more enjoyable.
Thank you again for choosing Discover Canada Tours and for sharing your feedback with us!
I think it was definitely worth it. All the logistics taken care of: getting you to Vancouver Island, seeing and spending time in Victoria, and Butchart Gardens and then back to Vancouver. It was a pretty long day with lots of driving. We were able to relax and enjoy the scenery instead of trying to pay attention to the driving, stressing on ferry details if we tried to do it on our own. The tour guide/driver, Bernie, was great pointing out sites and facts.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Bonnie. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re delighted to hear you felt the tour was worth it and that having the logistics taken care of allowed you to relax and enjoy the scenery rather than worry about the ferry and driving.
We’ll be sure to pass your kind words along to Bernie. It’s wonderful to hear that his commentary and local knowledge added to your experience.
Thank you again for choosing Discover Canada Tours and for sharing your feedback with us!
We had a great experience with Bernie!! He was knowledgeable and friendly. We had an awesome day experiencing Victoria and Butchart Gardens.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Thomas. Thank you so much for the lovely review! We’re delighted to hear you had such a great day exploring Victoria and Butchart Gardens.
We’ll be sure to pass your kind words along to Bernie. It’s wonderful to hear that his knowledge and friendly approach helped make your experience so enjoyable.
Thank you again for choosing Discover Canada Tours and for sharing your feedback with us!
It's a long day but worth it!
We traveled from downtown Vancouver to the ferry.
The ferry is about one and a half hours.
Butchart Gardens did not disappoint.
The British Columbia Museum is very nice.
I just had a knee replacement in June but this Trip was not a problem.
Thank you Kim.
Kim is great 👍
Mitch and I had a great time.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Janice. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience! We’re delighted to hear that you and Mitch had such a great time, and that you found the day well worth it.
We’ll be sure to pass your kind words along to Kim. It’s wonderful to hear she helped make your trip so enjoyable. We’re also glad to hear you were able to comfortably enjoy the tour and everything Victoria and Butchart Gardens have to offer.
Thank you again for choosing Discover Canada Tours, and we hope to see you both again on another Canadian adventure!
Was very informative kim did a great job and had some ghost stories even. The tour was well planned out
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Shauna. Thank you for the wonderful review! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the tour and found it both informative and well planned.
We’ll be sure to pass your kind words along to Kim. We love hearing that the ghost stories added a little extra fun to the day as well!
Thank you for choosing Discover Canada Tours, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure in the future.
Be very wary of this tour operator. We were sent a meeting point to start this tour and arrived well ahead of schedule. Unable to locate our contact described in instructions we finally made contact with tour coordinator. We were advised that the new point we were sent to was incorrect. We paid for an Lyft ride to the correct point but the bus had left at by the time we arrived which was 5 minutes later. The coordinator told us to take an Lyft to ferry terminal and pay our fares on Ferry. So we shelled out over $80. All of this after the tour coordinator admits that we were sent to incorrect departure point.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Hi James,
Thank you for your feedback. From the outset, there appears to have been some confusion regarding the meeting point, and we would like to clarify what happened.
Your booking confirmation listed the correct departure location. The other guests on the tour arrived at this location and the bus departed as scheduled. We are happy to provide a copy of your confirmation showing the meeting point.
When our coordinator was contacted, we understood that you were at a different location. Our team did everything reasonably possible to help you still join the tour. Unfortunately, by the time you arrived, the bus had departed as we needed to ensure the group made its scheduled ferry reservation. Taking an Uber or Lyft to the ferry terminal was the only practical option available to allow you to catch up with the group.
Following the tour, you requested reimbursement for the Uber expense. As the correct meeting point was provided on your booking confirmation and the bus had departed from that location as scheduled, we were unable to approve this request. We appreciate that this was an unexpected expense, but it was not a cost caused by an incorrect departure point being provided by our team.
We’re sorry that your day got off to a frustrating start. However, we do feel it is important to clarify that the information provided with your booking was correct and that our team made every effort to assist once we were made aware of the situation. We hope you were still able to enjoy Victoria and Butchart Gardens once you joined the tour.
Discover Canada Tours
It’s a long day but evenly paced, packed with fun and plenty of bathroom breaks. There were wonderful views and discussion of the history of Vancouver & Victoria. You had enough time to explore on your own in Victoria and at Butchart Gardens. Our guide (Ernie) was a lot of fun.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for the fantastic review, Tom! A long day, but it sounds like a good one! We’re thrilled the pace, scenery, history, and free time all came together to make the trip enjoyable. And we’ll definitely let Ernie know he gets a shout-out for keeping things fun along the way.
Thanks for joining us for the Victoria adventure, and we really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience!
Discover Canada Tours
The gardens were beautiful but the rest was pretty bad. If you can, rent a car and take yourself. 14 hours this took. Most of which spent on an 80 degree bus where we could not hear our tour guide (who was very nice). No water provided. Our time in Victoria was almost an hour shorter than it should have been so we missed a lot of things we wanted to see. Less than 2 hours at the gardens was not enough time.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Dear Jessica,
Thank you for taking the time to write this review. We truly appreciate your feedback, and your concerns have been shared with our team to address for future tours. We sincerely apologize for these inconveniences.
We are happy to hear that despite these issues, you still enjoyed the Butchart Gardens, and your time with your guide Renzo.
Kind regards,
Discover Canada Tours
Great experience. This is a long day but worth every minute from the bus ride to the ferry touring Victoria and Butchart Gardens it is a must do! Our guide Rene was so funny and welcoming. He made the whole experience come alive.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We are delighted to hear you enjoyed your trip to Victoria, and tour with René! We agree, he is amazing, and the Butchart Gardens are definitely a must-see! Thank you for your review.
It is a full day from 8 am - 9:45 pm but it’s all very well-managed and there is plenty of down time on the ferry and in Victoria and Butchart Gardens to do whatever you want.
Great 13.5h day trip. Our guide, Kim, was awesome. She was very knowledgeable, engaging, and helpful.
Long day. Ferry ride very scenic, comfortable drinks and snacks available. Great guide Kim . Went above and beyond. Very knowledgeable with a sense of humor. Butchart Gardens were breathtaking. Well worth the visit. A great day out.
It’s a long trip but WORTH the experience . Our tour guide, RENE , was personable, Knowledgeable, and funny making the ride so much more memorable. Ask for him !
The gardens are stunning and vibrant in color. Each garden is unique and so well manicured . You feel like you are in the land of OZ .
Follow the yellow brick road !
Everything about this tour was perfection! Bernie our guide, his knowledge of the area and sites, he went above and beyond. We loved Victoria and hand ample time there. Butchart Gardens was beyond expectations.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Teresa, thank you for this 5 star review! We are delighted that you had a perfect experience on this tour, and I am sure Bernie will be happy to hear this positive feedback. We hope you are able to join us again in the future!
Departed our accomodation at 07.30 arrived back 10.00. A long day but very worth it. Very pleasant driver / tour guide.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review David! We are happy to hear that your experience on our tour made the long day worthwhile.
For the most part we were dropped off at the locations & wandered around independently- no real explanation of what we were looking at (ie type of plants explanations of areas etc)
Cannot provide a review because the operator canceled the tour of the day before due to unforeseen circumstances
Gardens were spectacular, Victoria was fun & beautiful. Our guide Byron was absolutely great, knowledgeable, funny, & provided excellent recommendation for restaurants & things to do. Loved that we were on a tour but had our own free time to spend it how we wanted!
Victoria and Bouchard Gardens are both beautiful places and worth the visit. We stopped for in a lovely little town, Sidney, for a few minutes by the sea. Bernie, our tour guide was caring, informative, and funny. It is a whole day trip but the time is well spent even on the ferry ride.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello Cynthia, thank you so much for this review! We are delighted to hear that you had a good time on our tour and that Bernie helped making this day even more memorable! We hope to see you soon on another adventure!
Discover Canada Tours Customer Service Team
This was a very long day but well worth it! Byron our driver and tour guide was excellent providing commentary along the route. It was Victoria Day weekend so there were many people on the ferry and in town as well. He structured the tour so that we hit Victoria first before all the crowds and the restaurants got crowded. We visited the magnificent Butchart Gardens later in the day when the crowds were gone and lucky for us the rain stopped as well. It was a long day 13 1/2 hours but very well spent and Byron dropped us off at our hotels. Glad we took this tour and. Byron was a great tour guide and driver as well….. Highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for this detailed review! We truly appreciate the kind words you have shared for Byron. We are happy to hear that you had a fulfilling and memorable experience on our Victoria tour.
Excellent in every way. Ian was so knowledgeable, entertaining & helpful. First in line on & off ferries. Funny stories.
Response from Host, May 2026
We are happy to hear you enjoyed your Victoria Sightseeing tour with Ian. Thank you for your review, and for booking with us!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
From $194.09
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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