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Vancouver to Victoria & Butchart Gardens: Ferry & Skip-the-Line

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/16

Duration13h–14h

GroupUp to 50

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Vancouver to Victoria by Ferry: Gardens, Chinatown & the Gulf Islands in One Day

You travel from Vancouver to Victoria by coach and ferry with a local guide providing live commentary the entire way. The tour includes skip-the-line entry to Butchart Gardens, an optional walking tour through Victoria's historic downtown and Chinatown, and two hours to explore the gardens at your own pace. Round-trip BC Ferries tickets, water, and a souvenir postcard are included; the whole day runs from early morning departure to evening return to your hotel.

13h–14h

Step-by-step itinerary

Depart downtown Vancouver
Travel through Richmond, Delta, Tsawwassen
Arrive at BC Ferries terminal
Board BC Ferries for 90-minute sailing
Enjoy ocean views and wildlife spotting
Arrive at Victoria Inner Harbour
Choose optional guided walking tour or free time
Visit BC Legislative Assembly Building
See the Empress Hotel and take photos
Walk up Government Street with guide
Explore Victoria Chinatown
Pass Mile Zero and Terry Fox monument
Visit Butchart Gardens for two hours
Return on BC Ferries to Vancouver
Ride back to hotel and receive souvenir

The Experience

So yeah, the drive south from Vancouver starts pretty normal—you're rolling through Richmond and Delta, farmland opening up on both sides—and then your guide starts talking about the blueberry fields, the greenhouses, the wetlands near the border, and suddenly you realize you're not just sitting in a coach, you're getting the actual story of what you're looking at. That's the thing about having a step-on guide for the whole day: it's not just transportation, it's context. By the time you hit the BC Ferries terminal at Tsawwassen, you've already learned something about British Columbia that most people miss on the drive down.

The ferry crossing takes 90 minutes, and you can feel the difference between watching the Gulf Islands from a window and standing on the deck. Bald eagles, seals, maybe a porpoise if you're lucky—the guide knows where to look and when. You get the outdoor deck time, the comfortable lounge if the weather turns, and the whole thing moves slow enough that you're not just passing through, you're actually there. Victoria appears on the other side like something from a postcard, but you're about to walk through it, not just photograph it.

Once you're in Victoria's Inner Harbour, you choose your own pace. The optional guided walking tour takes you from the BC Legislative Assembly Building—that copper dome lit up at night, still the working seat of provincial government—through the Fairmont Empress Hotel, where they've been pouring afternoon tea for over a century, down Government Street where your guide points out the restaurants and hidden spots locals actually use, and ends in Victoria Chinatown. That's the oldest Chinatown in Canada, dating back to the 1850s gold rush, with Fan Tan Alley running through it—one of the narrowest streets in North America. Or if you'd rather just wander on your own, you've got the time and the freedom to do that instead. Either way, you're not rushed.

Then comes Butchart Gardens. Skip-the-line entry means you walk straight in while other groups are still in the queue. Two hours to move through 55 acres of the Sunken Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Italian Garden, the Rose Garden—you're not being herded, you're just walking. Complimentary water keeps you going, and the photo opportunities are constant. On the way back, you cross the ferry again, and by the time you're back in the coach heading to your hotel, you've got a postcard souvenir from a local artist in Squamish and a day that actually feels complete instead of rushed.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup in Vancouver, round-trip BC Ferries tickets, a dedicated step-on guide providing live commentary throughout the journey, skip-the-line admission to Butchart Gardens, an optional guided walking tour of Victoria's historic downtown and Chinatown, approximately two hours to explore Butchart Gardens at your own pace, complimentary bottled water (at least two bottles per guest), a postcard souvenir created by a local artist, and return transport to your hotel in Vancouver.
Groups of eight passengers or fewer travel in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van with a driver-guide for a more personalized experience; larger groups use a 2025 Prevost H3-45 coach.
Booster seats, specialized infant seats, and wheelchairs are available upon request.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by STAR Sightseeing

Is this one for you?This works well if you want the main Victoria and Butchart highlights in one full day without arranging your own ferry tickets, garden entry, or timing—the fixed itinerary and included guide handle all three, leaving you to focus on the experience instead of logistics.