Butchard Gardens Questions

I've done the search here and read that some cruise visitors enjoy their visits, and others find the bus trip too long and/or the gardens too dark to enjoy at twilight.

So for those of you who have visited from the cruise port, how long is the ride?

Do you feel that the bus ride was worth the visit?

And, has anyone done the 'Chinese Latern' tour? Did you enjoy it?

We're on the Solstice August 5 and would like to visit, but the negative responses have given us second thoughts.

Thanks -

which bus are you talking about ... the city bus?

Tour buses will take about 30 minutes to reach Butchart; it's only 15 miles north of Victoria. I've used the CVS shuttle a few times. It leaves from behind the Empress:

http://www.cvstours.com/butchart-gardens-express-shuttle-schedule.html

If you look at the sunrise/sunset table, on Aug 5 sunset isn't until 8:30pm so you will have light until at least 9pm.

I try to visit Butchart every time I go to Victoria .... spectacular !

Assuming that you already know you enjoy touring gardens, I am very confident you will enjoy Butchart - and you should have time to do so on your evening in port provided you take a promptly-departing ships tour.

I believe Solstice port time is 6pm until midnight, so only the 7:15pm CVS departure would work for you and that is beyond the threshold of good light IMO - you will need a couple of hours to see the whole of the gardens, so arriving c. 8pm you will be mostly viewing in twilight or darkness.

As long as the ship tour leaves promptly after docking, by 6:30pm, you'll have almost 90mins of good daylight to get your photos in then some more twilight time to just hang and enjoy the illuminations.

Thanks for the information. It was the ship's tour bus that I was asking about; sorry I wasn't more specific.

We were there on a Sat. night in late Aug, and yes, the time seemed to go too quickly BUT they had an amazing fireworks display that lasted for 40 min if I remember correctly. Well worth it.

Butchard Gardens are definitely worth the visit! I have gone several times and would go again in a heart beat. I have nothing bad to say except for at times it can be crowded.

I have missed the fireworks every time I have been there. Our bus left before the fireworks took off. Oh well. The gardens are worth it. It has never been too dark to not enjoy when I have gone.