Victoria & Butchart Gardens Day Trip with Ferry & Snacks

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Free cancellation

1/10

Duration14h

GroupUp to 52

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Victoria’s gardens, harbour walks, and Chinatown stories in a single day

You’ll cross to Victoria by ferry with snacks in hand, wander Butchart Gardens’ blooming paths, pass through lively Chinatown and Beacon Hill Park, then stroll Victoria Inner Harbour before sailing home at dusk. Expect small surprises—a guide’s local stories, quiet garden moments—that make this day trip linger long after you’re back.

14h

Step-by-step itinerary

Victoria full-day tour with ferry rides

Board 11:00 AM ferry from Tsawwassen
Enjoy scenic Georgia Strait crossing
Explore Victoria Inner Harbour for 1 hour
Drive through historic Victoria Chinatown
Pass by Beacon Hill Park and Mile Zero
Visit Butchart Gardens for 105 minutes
Board 7:00 PM ferry back to Tsawwassen
Relax on return ferry crossing

The Experience

I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure if a full-day tour from Vancouver to Victoria would feel rushed or just right. Turns out, there’s something oddly calming about starting the morning on that BC Ferries deck—wind in your face, coffee warming your hands, and a salty tang in the air. Our guide, Sam (born-and-raised Vancouverite), pointed out a bald eagle perched on some driftwood as we pulled away from Tsawwassen. I’d never noticed how quiet the ocean could get until then—just the ferry hum and the occasional seagull squawk.

Butchart Gardens was next. I’m not really a “garden person,” but even I had to stop and just stare at those sunken beds—like someone painted with flowers instead of oils. There was this moment in the Japanese Garden where everything went silent except for water trickling somewhere nearby. The air smelled like wet earth and something sweet I couldn’t name. Sam let us wander for about 100 minutes (“Don’t get lost!” he joked), which honestly flew by faster than expected.

The drive through Victoria’s Chinatown surprised me—it’s smaller than Vancouver’s but felt more lived-in somehow. We didn’t get out here, just rolled past the Gate of Harmonious Interest while Sam told us about his grandmother’s favorite bakery (he swears by their pineapple buns). At Beacon Hill Park, people were out walking dogs under these big Garry oaks; you could almost forget you’re in a city at all. Passing Mile Zero and the Terry Fox Memorial hit me harder than I thought it would—maybe because everyone on the bus went quiet for a second.

We got about an hour around Victoria Inner Harbour, enough time to watch floatplanes come and go or grab a snack by the Parliament Buildings. The Fairmont Empress looked like something from another century—felt weirdly comforting seeing people sipping tea inside while we wandered outside in our windbreakers. Heading back on the evening ferry, tired and happy, I realized I’d barely checked my phone all day. That view across Georgia Strait at sunset—I still think about it sometimes.

What’s included

Your day includes round-trip BC Ferries fares between Vancouver and Victoria (with plenty of time to enjoy ocean views), entry to Butchart Gardens with about 105 minutes to explore freely, drive-bys of Beacon Hill Park and Chinatown with local stories from your guide, an hour to stroll around Victoria’s Inner Harbour area on foot, snacks along the way plus bottled water—all handled by a comfortable air-conditioned coach so you can just relax into it.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by First Express Travel & CoachCanada