Butchart Gardens

Is there a tour to take you to Victoria to butchart gardens and will they pick you up a hotel - still don't have my hotel :rolleyes:

There's a few....

• http://www.pacificcoach.com/Sightseeing-Tours-and-Activities/Victoria/Royal-Victoria-Excursion-RV1
  
• http://vancouvertours.com/tour/victoria-tour/
  
• Whale Watch combo.... http://princeofwhales.com/tours_van/ultimate-day-tour/
  

There's also some budget Chinese tours. Some may feel uncomfortable as English is a minority. But the price may be right... you need to taxi to their pickup points.

• http://www.supervacation.ca/en/content/canwest/YYJ01E.pdf
  
• http://www.supervacation.ca/en/content/canwest/YYJ02E.pdf
  

There's a few....

• http://www.pacificcoach.com/Sightseeing-Tours-and-Activities/Victoria/Royal-Victoria-Excursion-RV1
  
• http://vancouvertours.com/tour/victoria-tour/
  
• Whale Watch combo.... http://princeofwhales.com/tours_van/ultimate-day-tour/
  

 

 

There's also some budget Chinese tours. Some may feel uncomfortable as English is a minority. But the price may be right... you need to taxi to their pickup points.

• http://www.supervacation.ca/en/content/canwest/YYJ01E.pdf
  
• http://www.supervacation.ca/en/content/canwest/YYJ02E.pdf
  

Oh this is great - thanks for responding so quickly :)

Based on your other Q, I assume you mean 'will someone pick me up in my Vancouver hotel and take me to Butchart gardens?' and the answer is yes, but frankly it's a helluva long day unless you throw serious coin at the problem and fly both ways.

Landsea do an approx 14hr ferry both ways tour for CAD$200pp, to which you can add a flight one-way or both ways. Or take a Whalewatch cruise one-way, then the island tour and the bus/ferry back. Unless you cannot drive, or are traveling solo, it's both better value and more flexible to rent a car and take it over on the ferry yourself each way. See exactly what you want, when you want, and for as long as you want.

If you really are mad keen to see Butchart, do yourself a huge favour and spend at least one night on the island with a rental car - there is far more to it than Butchart, which IMO isn't even close to the best thing to see over there. To put it in perspective, it's quicker to take the train from London (England) to Brussels (Belgium) than to take a coach & ferry to Victoria from Vancouver!

The tour through Landsea is not BAD by any means - but unless Butchart is on your bucket list and you literally CANNOT manage a longer visit, there are hugely superior ways and means to experience the island. Even if you can only spend one day, doing it yourself with a rental car would be my grudging recommendation - at least this way you can take a different ferry each way, see different views, and fine-tune your time at the gardens and other venues.

Also bear in mind that unless you have 'done' Vancouver already, a day on the island means you are also missing out on things to do here! If it's just nice gardens you're after, you can see more in toto of equal or better quality than Butchart right here in Vancouver - while the two Quarry gardens at Queen Elizabeth Park are not quite as extensive or fancy as Butchart, it's free. We also have better Asian gardens (Chinese and Japanese - the former voted best urban garden in the world of any type as well as being the most authentic scholars garden outside China) for much lower cost, more roses and rhododendrons (both free) in Stanley park (plus the totems, beavers and all the rest!), multiple botanical gardens, a tropical conservatory, etc. etc. etc. For a fraction of the time and money of your Buchart visit, you could see much more without even leaving Vancouver...

Based on your other Q, I assume you mean 'will someone pick me up in my Vancouver hotel and take me to Butchart gardens?' and the answer is yes, but frankly it's a helluva long day unless you throw serious coin at the problem and fly both ways.

 

Landsea do an approx 14hr ferry both ways tour for CAD$200pp, to which you can add a flight one-way or both ways. Or take a Whalewatch cruise one-way, then the island tour and the bus/ferry back. Unless you cannot drive, or are traveling solo, it's both better value and more flexible to rent a car and take it over on the ferry yourself each way. See exactly what you want, when you want, and for as long as you want.

 

If you really are mad keen to see Butchart, do yourself a huge favour and spend at least one night on the island with a rental car - there is far more to it than Butchart, which IMO isn't even close to the best thing to see over there. To put it in perspective, it's quicker to take the train from London (England) to Brussels (Belgium) than to take a coach & ferry to Victoria from Vancouver!

 

The tour through Landsea is not BAD by any means - but unless Butchart is on your bucket list and you literally CANNOT manage a longer visit, there are hugely superior ways and means to experience the island. Even if you can only spend one day, doing it yourself with a rental car would be my grudging recommendation - at least this way you can take a different ferry each way, see different views, and fine-tune your time at the gardens and other venues.

 

Also bear in mind that unless you have 'done' Vancouver already, a day on the island means you are also missing out on things to do here! If it's just nice gardens you're after, you can see more in toto of equal or better quality than Butchart right here in Vancouver - while the two Quarry gardens at Queen Elizabeth Park are not quite as extensive or fancy as Butchart, it's free. We also have better Asian gardens (Chinese and Japanese - the former voted best urban garden in the world of any type as well as being the most authentic scholars garden outside China) for much lower cost, more roses and rhododendrons (both free) in Stanley park (plus the totems, beavers and all the rest!), multiple botanical gardens, a tropical conservatory, etc. etc. etc. For a fraction of the time and money of your Buchart visit, you could see much more without even leaving Vancouver...

We loved Stanley Park, but the Rose Garden there doesn't match Butchart Gardens. We loved Butchart Gardens, it was well worth the cool ferry ride and tour to the island.

We didn't visit the botanical gardens in Vancouver, since they are not very convenient to the downtown area and taxis are rather expensive in Vancouver.

We loved Stanley Park, but the Rose Garden there doesn't match Butchart Gardens. We loved Butchart Gardens, it was well worth the cool ferry ride and tour to the island.

 

We didn't visit the botanical gardens in Vancouver, since they are not very convenient to the downtown area and taxis are rather expensive in Vancouver.

I'm glad that you felt your day was worthwhile, and that the Landsea package provided value for you. It's always good to get after-the-fact opinions from visitors about local tours, sites etc.

Subjectivity being what it is, I'm not going to argue your opinion that Butchart's rose garden is better - I'm sure it absolutely was for you - but Stanley Park's is still bigger and it's infinitely better value than Butchart at free. I'm rather spoiled when it comes to roses as we split our time between here and Portland, the 'City of Roses', with the enormous and free International Rose Test Garden - but I still thoroughly enjoy the Stanley Park one.

Your assessment of relative cost/convenience of travel is rather unfair though - you may find taxis expensive locally and I know diddly about the price of cabs in Georgia so perhaps they are indeed much cheaper than ours. All of the sites I mentioned though are less far from downtown Vancouver than Butchart is from downtown Victoria and very feasible to visit by public transit - let's face it, the vast majority of folks visiting Butchart do so from Victoria, so it seems fairer to compare relative distance and cost from there instead of here with ferries or planes required.

Even the furthest, the very tip of UBCs campus, is half the distance from Canada Place that Butchart is from Victoria harbour - a loop around all of the sites I mentioned above is barely 20miles, much less than a round trip to Butchart. In terms of timing, all your driving would be urban here so the drive to Butchart is on paper almost as short time-wise - but as soon as you have to factor in the bottleneck at the garden entrance, even if it's not a fireworks night it gets annoyingly slow in summer.

Cost-wise, if you took a cab at all times in Vancouver (individual vehicle vs tour bus, hardly a fair value comparison) it would cost about $100 total to get from downtown out to UBC, UBC to QEP, and QEP back downtown (Van Dusen is basically in the same place as QEP - if you can't walk between them you're incapable of walking around any of our large gardens to begin with). A very generous tipper hitting dreadful traffic on all trips is not going to exceed $150 total - per person that could be under $30 for a group. A day pass on transit? $9.75pp.

That Landsea day trip is great if someone wants to do a ferry trip, a bus tour, see a little of Victoria, visit Butchart - AND doesn't want to drive themselves around. It's not bad value for what is included, especially for a solo - although a rental car plus tickets to gardens and ferry is cheaper even for two people - the main reason I post my alternatives is there are many people who want to see Butchart and have no awareness of the distances and times involved from over here on the mainland.

Subjectivity being what it is, I'm not going to argue your opinion that Butchart's rose garden is better - I'm sure it absolutely was for you - but Stanley Park's is still bigger and it's infinitely better value than Butchart at free. I'm rather spoiled when it comes to roses as we split our time between here and Portland, the 'City of Roses', with the enormous and free International Rose Test Garden - but I still thoroughly enjoy the Stanley Park one.

 

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You are comparing Apples and Oranges.

I have been to Stanley Park maybe 3x and Butchart Gardens probably 5-6x. It is obvious from that which I much prefer. I will go to Butchart Gardens every time in Victoria. I have gone to Vancouver and skipped Stanley Park as I have been there and don't feel a need to return.

You are comparing Apples and Oranges.

 

I have been to Stanley Park maybe 3x and Butchart Gardens probably 5-6x. It is obvious from that which I much prefer. I will go to Butchart Gardens every time in Victoria. I have gone to Vancouver and skipped Stanley Park as I have been there and don't feel a need to return.

If you visit Butchart every time you visit Victoria Coral, it's simply because there is nothing better to do in Victoria - for you. If there was something better to do in your opinion, you'd obviously do that instead as you don't strike me as a complete idiot!

OTOH, Vancouver must offer things that you prefer to do in comparison to visiting Stanley Park for the 4th time. Unless you expect me to believe that you simply sit in your hotel room doing nothing of course...

The reason I mentioned distance/times was to show that, relatively-speaking, these sites are easier to get to from downtown Vancouver than Butchart is from downtown Victoria - but the only time I ever suggest people skip visiting Butchart is when they're asking about doing so from Vancouver*. When it comes to folks asking about cruise stops in Victoria, I figure anyone asking about visiting a famous garden is more likely to enjoy Butchart than they would the museum or a pub crawl - or else they'd be asking about museums and pub crawls.

Butchart is indeed a great place to visit from Victoria - but to visit from Vancouver it is a very lengthy and expensive trip, and many visitors who have heard of Butchart have no idea of the local alternatives. If someone wants to see beautiful gardens visiting all of the sites I mentioned, and more, is possible in a shorter time than a trip to Butchart from Vancouver.

Factually and verifiably, my alternatives are quicker and cheaper - the only relevant argument is whether or not Butchart is enough better than these alternatives combined to be worth spending all the extra time and money.

You've visited Butchart on multiple occasions so you obviously really like it - but do you like it enough that you would you visit it from Vancouver? That's the key part of the issue. Do you think it's good enough value to spend 14 hours, $200pp? Or 10 hours and double that flying instead of ferry?

You also mentioned Stanley Park being a 'no need to return' for you after 3 visits - but what about the other sites I mentioned? Have you visited any of those? If so, how did you feel they compared to the most equivalent Butchart zone?

If you have actually seen some or all of the places I linked, your opinion could be extremely relevant and useful to others considering a day touring Vancouver parks & gardens vs a day going to Butchart & Victoria so your feedback would be appreciated.

*Edit - actually, I've probably warned people off a visit when they are on a four hour PVSA-compliance stop too since it's too short a time to do justice to the gardens.

If you visit Butchart every time you visit Victoria Coral, it's simply because there is nothing better to do in Victoria - for you. If there was something better to do in your opinion, you'd obviously do that instead as you don't strike me as a complete idiot!

 

Not necessarily. I have done other things in Victoria also - I have had several coastal cruises where I have had an entire day in Victoria. So have done tea at the Empress, walked around the waterfront, visited some shops, and museums, etc.... I am not a bar person so if I stop at night, I will go to the gardens as a lot of things downtown are closed (except a lot of restaurants and bars).

I actually find Victoria a fascinating city - feels very European to me.

 

OTOH, Vancouver must offer things that you prefer to do in comparison to visiting Stanley Park for the 4th time. Unless you expect me to believe that you simply sit in your hotel room doing nothing of course...

 

The second to last time we choose to spend our time in Whistler for a few days instead of spending time in Vancouver. Loved Whistler.

 

Butchart is indeed a great place to visit from Victoria - but to visit from Vancouver it is a very lengthy and expensive trip, and many visitors who have heard of Butchart have no idea of the local alternatives. If someone wants to see beautiful gardens visiting all of the sites I mentioned, and more, is possible in a shorter time than a trip to Butchart from Vancouver.

 

Factually and verifiably, my alternatives are quicker and cheaper - the only relevant argument is whether or not Butchart is enough better than these alternatives combined to be worth spending all the extra time and money.

 

You've visited Butchart on multiple occasions so you obviously really like it - but do you like it enough that you would you visit it from Vancouver? That's the key part of the issue. Do you think it's good enough value to spend 14 hours, $200pp? Or 10 hours and double that flying instead of ferry?

 

If I was going to be in the area only once, I would spend the money to go to Victoria from Vancouver. I think it is that great. I can only think of one place in the US that has similar gardens (Longwood Gardens) and since I am right smack in the center of the US - that is not an easy visit for me either. It was easy when I lived near there and I frequently visited and took visitors there also.

 

You also mentioned Stanley Park being a 'no need to return' for you after 3 visits - but what about the other sites I mentioned? Have you visited any of those? If so, how did you feel they compared to the most equivalent Butchart zone?

 

If you have actually seen some or all of the places I linked, your opinion could be extremely relevant and useful to others considering a day touring Vancouver parks & gardens vs a day going to Butchart & Victoria so your feedback would be appreciated.

 

The last time I was there, we were going to go to the Chinese and Japanese gardens. It turned out I was with a parent who had a health issue, and the weather didn't cooperate so I was unable to do so. Thankfully I have been to several Japanese gardens in Japan so I wasn't too upset.

 

*Edit - actually, I've probably warned people off a visit when they are on a four hour PVSA-compliance stop too since it's too short a time to do justice to the gardens.

I still encourage people to go at night time. Again - I only know of 2 amazing gardens like Butchart and Longwood gardens that I have seen that are this extensive (in US or near US). If one hasn't been to either of them, I think a short visit is better than never going.

I appreciate the feedback Coral, and anyone else considering a Butchart visit from Vancouver now has another opinion to consider.

I actually find Victoria a fascinating city - feels very European to me.

The main reason we like it, and especially Swans brewpub (which is 'our Butchart' in that we always visit every trip), is that Britishness - as expats it's nice to get a little reminder of home now and again, and the flat, warm beer with authentically surly British service standards reminds us that while some things were better in the Old Country, overall life in Canada wins;-)

 

The second to last time we choose to spend our time in Whistler for a few days instead of spending time in Vancouver. Loved Whistler.

Interesting - so mountain scenery is a big hit with you, formal gardens likewise. I would strongly suggest a visit to Queen Elizabeth Park next time you're in town - the Quarry gardens are basically a smaller-scale version of Butchart's main garden, admittedly not quite as packed with floral displays, but with the double-bonus of an excellent waterfall (you may have to wait for several wedding parties if you want a pic without brides in it!) and outstanding views across the full panorama of Vancouver and the mountains beyond.

 

If I was going to be in the area only once, I would spend the money to go to Victoria from Vancouver. I think it is that great. I can only think of one place in the US that has similar gardens (Longwood Gardens) and since I am right smack in the center of the US - that is not an easy visit for me either. It was easy when I lived near there and I frequently visited and took visitors there also.

Longwood I've never visited but will if I'm ever in Philly for any length of time; I'm aware of it and on paper should enjoy it more than Butchart as it's a true Botanical Garden with solid science and education programs as well as the pretty displays. There are some very good botanical gardens in Nebraska & Iowa, though none with more than a few decades of history and all I'm aware of definitely smaller in scale.

 

The last time I was there, we were going to go to the Chinese and Japanese gardens. It turned out I was with a parent who had a health issue, and the weather didn't cooperate so I was unable to do so. Thankfully I have been to several Japanese gardens in Japan so I wasn't too upset.

It's a shame you missed both - and if you're a fan of Japanese gardens and culture in general, you really should visit next time. Nitobe is excellent, one of the most authentic anywhere outside Japan (personally approved by Emperor Akihito!), and even offer formal tea ceremonies if you time it right. Compared to Butchart's it is distinctly superior.

 

Butchart was one of several Kishida designs and not even his best one - arguably the first, in Esquimault, was the one he gave most care to as it was made for his son; unfortunately it was pretty much wrecked during the internment years and Esquimault is still rebuilding a new one. Hatley Castle has the most traditional design left of the several made for rich white folks in the Victoria area - as well as the biggest Edwardian garden anywhere in Canada (and while it's another 'not actually a castle but called one' building, it looks much more castle-y than Craigdarroch!)

 

Sun Yat-Sen is simply the best of it's type anywhere outside Suzhou - and the fact I've visited the best gardens over there in no way detracts from the excellence and repeat-visit-value of the one on my doorstep; it stands up in all ways but longevity with a mere 30 years instead of hundreds.

 

I still encourage people to go at night time. Again - I only know of 2 amazing gardens like Butchart and Longwood gardens that I have seen that are this extensive (in US or near US). If one hasn't been to either of them, I think a short visit is better than never going.

I think that may be a fundamental difference in our attitudes to tourism - I would rather skip a site with true depth and wait for a future visit to do it justice. Butchart is a very nice and very large garden; two hours in daylight for folks with good mobility is the absolute minimum I'd ever consider.

 

Given how many people on these very boards claim Alaskan cruises are a 'once in a lifetime' trip for them then come back over and over, I'm comfortable keeping Butchart on my "until you can do it right don't do it" list - hence my frequent assertion that unless it's a literal must-do, bucket list item spending just one day to get there is a poor value proposition.

 

Even for folks who really, really want to see it from Vancouver, overnighting on the island is a massive improvement to ones timing and flexibility - and a necessity if you want to see the fireworks, which are also very nice. If it's pre- or post-cruise, flying in or out of YYJ instead of YVR or using the Clipper to get back to Seattle from Victoria can be very feasible alternatives when adding up the time and money of the various options.

 

Absolute worst case that would be tolerable to me is the one-day rental car trip - get on the earliest ferry, drive straight to the gardens, spend your time there with total flexibility, and come back on the other ferry route to Horseshoe Bay so you at least have two different sets of views.

I appreciate the feedback Coral, and anyone else considering a Butchart visit from Vancouver now has another opinion to consider.

Thank you for your comments. I will definitely put the 3 gardens you mention in Vancouver on my list for next time!

Yes - mountain scenery is definitely something I love (being from the plains). And while I hate gardening and breakout in hives whenever I do yard work, I do appreciate the beauty of gardens.

I do fondly remember Longwood Gardens. I visited many times when I lived out there but it was 20 plus years ago so it is difficult to compare (probably a 10 year difference between last time there and first time at Butchart gardens). They also did a wonderful night laser show.

Yes - I would rather see something for a short time then miss the opportunity of maybe never making it back. I was in Italy once and chose not to go to Venice as time was short. I regret that as I have yet to get back.

You mention Nebraska and Iowa having good gardens. Not sure if I mentioned this but I do live in Nebraska and have lived in Iowa before. While Lauritzen Gardens is pretty amazing (Omaha), I prefer Longwood and Butchart gardens. I must have entirely missed the gardens when I lived in Iowa. I do remember the Asian gardens in Des Moines.

Again, I appreciate your perspective and comments on a few things I need to see on my next trip.

Thank you for your comments. I will definitely put the 3 gardens you mention in Vancouver on my list for next time!

 

Yes - mountain scenery is definitely something I love (being from the plains). And while I hate gardening and breakout in hives whenever I do yard work, I do appreciate the beauty of gardens.

 

I do fondly remember Longwood Gardens. I visited many times when I lived out there but it was 20 plus years ago so it is difficult to compare (probably a 10 year difference between last time there and first time at Butchart gardens). They also did a wonderful night laser show.

 

Yes - I would rather see something for a short time then miss the opportunity of maybe never making it back. I was in Italy once and chose not to go to Venice as time was short. I regret that as I have yet to get back.

 

You mention Nebraska and Iowa having good gardens. Not sure if I mentioned this but I do live in Nebraska and have lived in Iowa before. While Lauritzen Gardens is pretty amazing (Omaha), I prefer Longwood and Butchart gardens. I must have entirely missed the gardens when I lived in Iowa. I do remember the Asian gardens in Des Moines.

 

Again, I appreciate your perspective and comments on a few things I need to see on my next trip.

I figured from your comments about being right in the middle you were likely in Kansas or Nebraska.

Lauritzen was one of the gardens I was thinking of; Arbor Lodge was the other in Nebraska I know of (more arboretum than garden, but does have a nice rose garden and who can say no to a Frederick Law Olmsted design?); Iowans were Cedar Valley, Dubuque, and Reiman which all have several zones of different styled gardens.

Vanderveer Park in Davenport you might like too, it's much older at late 19th century IIRC albeit less fancy than some, modeled after (and originally called) Central Park.

Lauritzen was one of the gardens I was thinking of; Arbor Lodge was the other in Nebraska I know of (more arboretum than garden, but does have a nice rose garden and who can say no to a Frederick Law Olmsted design?); Iowans were Cedar Valley, Dubuque, and Reiman which all have several zones of different styled gardens.

I am about 45 minutes from Arbor Lodge. Almost went last weekend for Apple Jack festival. I do try to go for fall colors and Apple Cider. I used to go to a lot of meetings/retreats at Arbor Lodge.