Private Deluxe Tour of Victoria & to Butchart Gardens (5 hrs)
Description
Embark on a private, personable journey through Victoria, followed by a visit to the world-renowned Butchart Gardens located just 40 minutes from the city. Stroll through Fisherman’s Wharf, a vibrant community of colourful floating homes and food kiosks. Wander the charming Inner Harbour, framed by elegant historic buildings and scenic waterfront views. Visit Canada’s oldest Chinatown and take a stroll through the iconic Fan Tan Alley. Explore the magnificent Butchart Gardens at your own pace, taking in the breathtaking Sunken Garden, the striking water fountain, the seasonal Rose Garden, and the serene Japanese and elegant Italian Gardens. After your garden exploration will take a drive through Victoria’s picturesque neighbourhoods, including photo stops at the exterior of Craigdarroch Castle and Government House—the residence used by the Royal Family during visits.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Stroll along the pier and admire the eclectic collection of floating homes and charming food kiosks and one gift shop. Grab an ice cream cone if you like!
Grab your camera for picturesque photo opportunities at the scenic inner harbour, a vibrant waterfront hub surrounded by the impressive historic Parliament Buildings and exquisite iconic Empress Hotel in the centre of downtown Victoria.
Located in Canada’s oldest Chinatown, Fan Tan Alley is North America’s narrowest street—today packed with unique shops, once alive with gambling dens and opium rooms.
Take a self guided stroll and admire 55 acres of spectacular floral displays in a variety of garden settings! Explore the breathtaking Sunken Garden and dynamic water fountain, stroll the tranquil Japanese Gardens, the colourful fragrant Rose Garden (in season) Italian Garden, perhaps ride on the Rose carousel . Grab a bite to eat, explore the charming gift shop.
We will pass through the beautiful grounds of the Lieutenant Governor's House, the ceremonial home of all British Columbians. This is also where members of the Royal Family have stayed while visiting Victoria.
Admire the outside of the exquisite Craigdarroch Castle, a Scottish baronial mansion built in 1890 for wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir.
We will drive through this beautiful park and admire the towering trees, manicured gardens, roaming peacocks, peaceful ponds and impressive 127 foot Totem Pole!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up at the Ogden Point Cruise Ship terminal, Coho Ferry terminal, inner harbour Victoria. We also pick up at SeaPlane terminal Victoria and Helijet International. ** Please be sure your pick-up location is in Victoria, not Vancouver ** ***Admission to Butchart Gardens is additional***
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- **Wheelchairs can be accommodated in van provided passenger can get in and out of the van on their own or with assistance by another passenger.
- One collapsible small scooter can be acc
Reviews(35)
Linda was very helpful and knowledgeable about Victoria. We were able to see all that we wanted, and the Butchart Gardens experience was truly magical A lot of trees were in flower, and only wished that the Roses had been in bloom,
Thank you so much for your kind words! It was a pleasure showing you around Victoria, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the tour and found the Butchart Gardens experience magical. Spring is such a beautiful time with all the flowering trees in bloom. The roses will definitely give you another reason to come back and visit again! Hope you enjoy your day up island!
Linda is phenomenal!!! Great tour. The gardens were awesome. Highly recommend!!! Victoria is beautiful!
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! It was a pleasure spending the afternoon with you and your family/friends. I’m thrilled you had a great tour and enjoyed your time here. Your recommendation truly means a lot. Wishing you safe travels and many happy memories from your visit to Victoria!
Melanie was awesome. We enjoyed the day and learned so much about Victoria and loved our afternoon at the Butchart Gardens. Highly recommend this private tour
Hi Sandee, thank you for your very nice review! So glad you enjoyed your day with Melanie, she is an exceptional tour guide. Hope you will come back to Victoria soon!
Great tour with Linda. She was flexible on what we wanted to do, knew so much about the history, and we saw a lot of Victoria highlights. I had booked just the day before as we wanted to see Buchart Gardens, which was beautiful.
Thank you so much for your kind review! It was such a pleasure meeting you and Tim and showing you around Victoria. I really enjoyed our time together and appreciated your enthusiasm throughout the tour. Wishing you all the best in your travels, and I hope our paths cross again someday!
Be prepared to ooh and ahh and let the gorgeousness sink in. Pictures are good but don’t give the 3D depth. We truly appreciated our driver Linda. She was gracious and kind with our 97 yo Aunt and us. Excellent guide and service.
so glad the sites had you oohing ahhing (they do have that effect!), and you’re right — photos just can’t capture that full 3D magic. It was an absolute pleasure meeting you all! Hope to see you again for more unforgettable views and good vibes!
Melanie was a great tour guide! Full of information and so very pleasant! We enjoyed touring in the city and visiting The Buchart Gardens. Great day in Victoria.
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a great day touring Victoria and visiting the stunning Butchart Gardens. We’re especially happy that Melanie helped make the experience both informative and pleasant — she truly loves what she does, and it shows! We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to her. Hope to see you again for more adventures in the future!
Victoria is a beautiful city and area with much to discover and see. We enjoyed a delightful day with Linda as our guide. Her local knowledge made the day even better.
Thank you so much for your lovely words Tom! It was such a pleasure spending the day with you and sharing a bit of what makes Victoria so special. I’m so glad you enjoyed the sights and stories — there really is so much to take in here. I truly enjoyed our time together and hope our paths cross again someday. Wishing you all the best in your travels!
Excellent tour. Comfortable van. Very helpful driver/tour guide. She gave us lots of information about the area and arranged the day to suit our requests.
Thank you for the excellent review Judy! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tour in our comfortable van. Hope you will come back to visit Victoria again!
Tour picks up right at the pier, our tour guide Linda was right there on time waiting with a sign with our name on it. She asked us if we had any other specific things we wanted to see and we mentioned wanting to see the Castle, she suggested we see that first since it was in a different area than the gardens. She took us also to see the tallest totem pole and a beautiful park with Sequoia trees. Then we went to the Butchart gardens which was amazing! Linda was very knowledgeable about the town and gave us lots of info while driving us around. The van was very comfortable and had booster seats if needed for the kids.
Thank you for the nice review! I’m so glad you enjoyed your tour of Victoria and visit to Butchart Gardens. It was a pleasure meeting you all!
This was a terrific experience. We day tripped from Port Angeles on the ferry. We wanted to see butchart gardens and a number of other sights in town. We also didn’t want to worry about coordinating schedules with one of the shuttle buses. This was perfect. Linda picked us up at Fisherman’s Wharf. She drove around pointing out several interesting sites and stopping a couple of times for us to get out and see the sights. She was knowledgeable and very flexible in adjusting the itinerary for our preferences. At Butchart Gardens she said that guided tours weren’t permitted but she did accompany us in for a few pictures at the entrance and gave us her tips on how to walk through the garden to see everything. When we were done she picked us up, pointed out some more sights and then dropped us off. This was a great day and I can’t recommend her enough!
Thank you for the kind review! It was a pleasure meeting you and your family. I’m so happy the weather changed to the better and that you enjoyed the tour and your time at Butchart Gardens!
