15 Canada Garden Tours to Plan a Day Around

1.Victoria & Butchart Gardens Tour with Ferry from Vancouver

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,703 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $228Our pick

Travel by coach and BC Ferries from downtown Vancouver to Victoria. Your day includes a 90-minute Gulf Islands crossing, admission to Butchart Gardens, and two hours to explore Victoria. Guides such as Anthony, Bobby, Leslie, and Andy are praised for clear timing and local stories.

“Had an amazing time on the ferry from Vancover to Victoria. The islands we passed were gorgeous. The Butchart Gardens were spectacular in the fall. Visited both in the summer and fall, fall time was totally different. Vibrant colors made for a beautiful place. Walking on the waterfront on a beautiful sunny day with family was the highlight of our trip. If visiting Vancover, make sure you spend a day in Victoria on the ferry, and enjoy the views.”

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2.Victoria and Butchart Gardens Day Trip from Vancouver

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,242 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $232

Spend a full day traveling from Vancouver to Victoria by coach and BC Ferries, with free time downtown and a visit to 55-acre Butchart Gardens. Guides such as Tim, Gavin, Tony, and Zac add history and humor, but expect a very long day with several hours in transit.

“Professional tour guide and really help when you need help, very organized trip, time management is very well”

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3.Victoria, Gulf Islands Cruise, & Butchart Gardens

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,165 reviews · 13 hours · from $208

Travel from downtown Vancouver by coach and BC Ferries to Butchart Gardens and Victoria. You get two hours at the gardens and about 1.5 hours downtown, with guides such as Dan, Mark, Justin, and Dion sharing local stories along the way.

“Our driver and guide Mark was excellent! He knew the area very well and shared lots of interesting and insider information with us. The tour was very well organized, giving us enough time to explore on our own. We also got great tips on where to eat and how to make the most of our free time. We were lucky with the weather, but it was really Mark’s knowledge and friendly manner that made this tour such a great experience.”

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4.The Butchart Gardens Express Shuttle from Downtown Victoria

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 616 reviews · 3 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $44

Ride from near the Fairmont Empress to Butchart Gardens in about 35 minutes, with drivers such as Sarah, Rob, and Emily often providing lively Victoria commentary. You get about three hours to explore, then return by shuttle. Garden admission costs extra.

“Very good driver Sharing a lot of Information and also tellung funny Stories also good gibt’s how to visit the garden”

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5.Victoria & Butchart Gardens Tour with Gulf Islands Cruise Ferry

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 565 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $214

Travel from Vancouver to Victoria by coach and ferry, with Gulf Islands views, a two-hour visit to Butchart Gardens, and free time near Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The $214.46 price includes transport and garden admission. Guides such as Mark, Justin, Dan, Dion, and Senan add local history and practical tips.

“We had a wonderful day. Mark is a great guide. Learned and saw so much about the area and it's history.”

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6.Butchart Gardens and Victoria Sightseeing Tour from Vancouver

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 564 reviews · 13 to 14 hours (approx.) · from $234Top rated

Spend a full day traveling from Vancouver to Victoria by BC Ferries, touring the Inner Harbour, Chinatown, Mile 0, and Fisherman’s Wharf, then visiting Butchart Gardens. A guide such as Kim, Rene, or Byron handles the driving, commentary, ferry tickets, and garden admission for a group of up to 24.

“Beautiful gardens. Flowers were all in bloom. Tour gave us sufficient time to walk through but I would have liked another 30 minutes.”

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7.COMBO Victoria City Tour & Butchart Gardens & Entry Tix

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 456 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $106

See Victoria’s Inner Harbour, Parliament Buildings, Fisherman’s Wharf, and nearby neighborhoods with a local guide, then explore Butchart Gardens for 2.5 hours. Small vehicles, reserved seating, hotel pickup, garden admission, and several departure times make this a practical choice for a short stay.

“Gardens are wonderful. At least two hours needed to explore the gardens. One of the most beautiful anywhere”

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8.Victoria and Butchart Gardens, an Elevated Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 252 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $223

Travel from Vancouver to Victoria by coach and BC Ferries, watch for whales and eagles, explore Victoria on your own, then spend two hours at Butchart Gardens. Guides such as Joel, Aimee, Stephen, and Natalia add local stories and humor, while the coach, ferry tickets, water, and umbrellas keep the day simple.

“Well paced tour with enough time for us to visit the garden and Victoria downtown. Joel was an entertaining and enthusiastic tour guide. 🙂 if you only have one day and want to visit Vancouver Island, this is the tour to go for.”

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9.Vancouver to Victoria Day Trip by Seaplane + Butchart Gardens

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 200 reviews · 6 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $525

Fly 35 minutes from Vancouver Harbour to Victoria, then ride by coach to Butchart Gardens for at least two hours. Admission and return transport are included, with free time in Victoria before your flight home. Expect a small seaplane group, spectacular Gulf Island views, and tightly timed connections.

“Wonderful experience and great way to see Vancouver, Victoria and Butchart Gardens. The seaplane trip over and back from Vancouver Harbor was delightful. We made a day of it with an early morning trip over and a 6 pm flight back. Gave us plenty of time to explore Victoria after touring Butchart.”

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10.VanDusen Botanical Garden Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 179 reviews · 1 day (approx.) · from $8Best value

Spend a self-guided day among more than 7,500 native and exotic plant species at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Follow winding paths to ponds, waterfalls, sculptures, teaching gardens, and the Elizabethan hedge maze. Your mobile ticket covers regular daytime admission, but not special events.

“The maze was a lot of fun the weather was in our favor and the flowers were beautiful great place to take pictures”

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11.City Highlights and Butchart Gardens Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 148 reviews · from $86

Spend four hours seeing Victoria’s key sights with an English-speaking driver-guide, then explore Butchart Gardens independently for two hours. You’ll pass Chinatown, Beacon Hill Park, the Inner Harbour, the Empress Hotel, the Royal BC Museum, and the BC Legislature in a comfortable vehicle with Butchart admission included.

“We were the only ones booked on the tour. They could have cancelled. But no, our driver, Michael was amazing. He took us round the city first with lots of interesting information. Then a smooth drive to Butchart gardens which was fantastic. Then a lovely drive home. Thanks to all of you but especially Michael for making this happen when we will probably never be able to get here again xx”

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12.Vancouver to Victoria Seaplane Day Trip + Butchart Gardens

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 141 reviews · from $504

Fly Harbour Air from downtown Vancouver to Victoria’s Inner Harbour, ride a narrated coach to Butchart Gardens, then explore Victoria independently before returning by seaplane. The May to October trip includes flights, garden admission, and transfers, with about four hours for Victoria sightseeing.

“The early morning sea plane meant we seen the sunrise. plenty time to get Breakfast and a look round the harbour before the coach the tour guide to and from the gardens kept us amused. Beautiful gardens with a lovely story. The seaplane was my highlight and worth seeing the city and island from the sky,bonus was a humpback whale sighting on the way back.”

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13.Butchart Gardens and Victoria Tour from Vancouver

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $246

Spend about 14 hours traveling from Vancouver to Victoria by deluxe coach and BC Ferries. Your English-speaking driver-guide, such as Kim, Ian, Megan, or Janell, handles the route, Victoria highlights, and Butchart Gardens admission while you enjoy free time in the city.

“Great trip. Kim made the trip so much better. She was extremely knowledgeable and kind. Very helpful”

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14.Victoria Butterfly Gardens Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 74 reviews · 45 minutes to 2 hours (approx.) · from $15

Walk through a warm tropical conservatory in Victoria, where up to 70 butterfly species fly freely among flowers, ponds, and waterfalls. You’ll also see frogs, tortoises, iguanas, flamingos, birds, koi, tropical fish, and an insectarium. Plan on 45 to 120 minutes.

“We enjoyed the butterfly garden on our way into Butchart gardens. The fish and turtles were a pleasant surprise.”

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15.Victoria 1-Day Tour From Vancouver (Butchart Gardens) (Chn&Eng)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 73 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $187

Spend about 12 hours traveling from Vancouver to Victoria by coach and BC Ferries, with stops at Butchart Gardens, Chinatown, the Inner Harbour, and major civic sights. Guides such as Charlie, Ken, Jake, and Andrew lead bilingual or multilingual groups. Expect a full day with about half the time spent in transit.

“The tour from Vancouver to Victoria began with an early pick up in a deserted parking lot of a Chinese grocery store. Then we boarded a minivan with 12 other people for a commute of 4 hours including a 1 1/2 hour ferry ride. Our first stop was downtown Victoria for shopping and lunch in Chinatown. Then on to Buchart gardens for a 1 1/2 hour tour of the gardens. Back to the minivan for the 4 hour return trip to Vancouver. The driver/guide was very knowledgeable regarding the area and the major points of interest. He was helpful in guiding us to good lunch places in Chinatown. He did…”

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