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2-day Victoria and Butchart Gardens Tour with Overnight at The Fairmont Empress

Vancouver, Canada

From $572.44

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation
Free cancellation before April 27.
Vancouver Tours
All Vancouver Tours
Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Unique Experiences
  • 2 days (approx.)
  • Hotel pickup offered
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Experience the signature beauty of British Columbia on a 2-day tour of Victoria from Vancouver. Traveling by coach, ferry, and float plane, you’ll explore the region’s many waterways, mountains, and local wildlife. Spend two days visiting the city’s top attractions, including Butchart Gardens, and snapping postcard-worthy photos. Overnight, enjoy a luxurious stay at the 4-star Fairmont Empress hotel.
  • Overnight tour to Victoria from Vancouver
  • Spend the afternoon exploring the stunning Butchart Gardens
  • Enjoy a ferry ride through the Gulf Island, and keep your eyes open for whales
  • Take a scenic float plane ride back to Vancouver
  • Round-trip transportation from Vancouver to Victoria
  • You can't book this Viator Exclusive tour anywhere else!

What's Included

  • Float plane flight to Vancouver
  • Selected hotel pick-up and drop-off
  • 1-night stay in Victoria at the Fairmont Empress
  • Brief guided tour of Victoria by coach
  • All meals
  • Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

  • Canada Place
    Canada Place, 999 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1, Canada

    Gray Line Westcoast Sightseeing Welcome Kiosk. Please arrive 30 minutes before posted tour departure time.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

**Late guests may not be accommodated to participate on the tour and will not be refunded.** Pick up from hotels start at 45 minutes prior to tour departure time. If you are meeting at our 999 Canada Place location, meet us at 30 minutes prior to tour departure time. Gray Line Westcoast Sightseeing will pick up from select downtown Vancouver hotels. Please provide the hotel information at the time of booking. Guests must contact Gray Line Westcoast Sightseeing by 5 pm the night prior to departure to confirm pick up location and time.

What To Expect

Discover one of Canada’s most beautiful cities on this 2-day tour of Victoria and Butchart Gardens. Enjoy pickup from your central Vancouver hotel and leave behind the bustling metropolis for the tranquil island life. Enjoy a scenic ferry ride through the Gulf Islands and arrive in Victoria with the whole day ahead of you. Head first to Butchart Gardens before taking a sightseeing bus tour and then checking into your hotel for the evening. The remainder of your stay is at your leisure. A return shuttle will arrive the next evening to take you back to Vancouver.

Your tour includes round-trip transport via coach, ferry and float plane; one night of accommodation at The Fairmont Empress hotel; a short guided bus tour of Victoria; and a guided visit to Butchart Gardens.

This Viator Exclusive tour is available nowhere else.
Day 1

Vancouver to Victoria

4 Stops

Vancouver Downtown

This Vancouver to Victoria Overnight Tour Including Butchart Gardens will give you a comprehensive overview of one of Canada’s most beautiful cities. You will be picked you up from your downtown Vancouver hotel by shuttle and taken to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen where you board a BC Ferry bound for Victoria. As you cruise through the Gulf Islands, keep your eyes open; a variety of whales are known to inhabit these waters, turning your ferry ride into a whale watching excursion! Even without a whale sighting, the scenery throughout the Inside Passage is beautiful. Once in Victoria, you are whisked off to the spectacular Butchart Gardens where 55 acres of pristine gardens allows the visitor to stroll the globe without leaving the premises: amble from the Japanese Garden to the Italian Garden and linger for a while in the lush and colorful Mediterranean Garden. After admiring the flora and foliage, your coach takes you on a brief tour of the city. By 3:30pm, you’ll have been dropped off at the majestic century-old Fairmont Empress, ranked highly by Condé Nast Traveler magazine for several years, with the next 24 hours at your disposal. You can then bake the short walk to downtown Victoria to see the sights.

1 day • Admission Ticket Included

Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal

Enjoy a 90-minute ferry ride between Vancouver and Victoria. Sail through the serene beauty of the Gulf Islands. Marine wildlife sightings from the outdoor ship decks are common, especially eagles, sea lions and whales.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

The Butchart Gardens

Arrive at Swartz Bay terminal on Vancouver Island and continue to the enchanting botanical paradise of Butchart Gardens. Wander through a series of themed gardens, highlighted by the massive Sunken Garden and dancing fountain. The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Inner Harbour

The City of Victoria boasts many impressive architectural wonders, including the iconic Parliament Buildings and the waterfront Fairmont Empress Hotel. Visit the unique shops and cafes of Government Street and Chinatown. Stroll along the Inner Harbour for prime ocean views, and enjoy some free time to take in this culturally significant city. This afternoon, be dropped off at your overnight hotel.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Overnight at the Fairmont Empress. This classic hotel offers elegance and charm and harbour views.

Meals: Not included

Day 2

Victoria at leisure & Return to Vancouver

2 Stops

Inner Harbour

Day two is independently guided. You’ll have the whole day to enjoy whatever activities you please. Get out and explore the capital city’s many shops, museums and restaurants, and make sure to see famous parliamentary sights, Beacon Hill Park and the Inner Harbor. At 5pm, a bus will provide transfer service from your hotel to the float plane terminal for your scenic flight back to Vancouver. Your 2-day tour finishes with a drop-off at your hotel in central Vancouver in the evening.

10 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Victoria

This afternoon, fly on Harbour Air from the harbour in Victoria to the downtown harbour in Vancouver. Once back in Vancouver, Harbour Air will provide a complimentary shuttle to your downtown Vancouver hotel.

35 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Not included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
  • Pricing is based on Single/Double occupancy only. If 2 rooms are required, please book this option twice (2 Singles or 2 Doubles).
  • At the time of booking, please supply gender of all travelers. The flight option of this package requires this information
  • Confirmation received at time of booking.
  • Please hand in your booking confirmation to your guide at the beginning of the tour
  • Please dress accordingly to weather as the tour operates rain or shine. Jackets and rain attire recommended during colder months
  • If booking for more than one person, please make a note in the special requirements section indicating your room type
  • Max of 25 lbs of luggage allowed per traveler
  • 1.5 hours allowed at Butchart Gardens
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Harbour Air in Victoria is location steps from the Fairmont Empress. A taxi transfer is not required.
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Victoria Tour departure from Vancouver will either be at 8:30 am or 9:30 am depending on the season.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 4 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 4 full days before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 3 full days before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 3 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

FYI regarding Victoria food: everyone recommended Nautical Nelly’s and the food is good but they are very busy, however 2 people can be seated at the bar quickly even without reservations (but, it’s not a long bar).
Reviews
4.5
24 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 24 reviews
Great overnight trip!
Amanda_L, Sep 2022
What a fabulous way to see Victoria from Vancouver! The bus tour was wonderful with Alex the tour guide I learned a lot about the lower mainland. His stories and history were engaging and an added addition to the already great tour. Lovely stay at the Empress, such an impressive building! The highlight for me was the float plane back to Vancouver, Harbour Air has it really dialed in. I hat an amazing experience! Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Hello, We're very happy to hear that you had a wonderful time on your tour to Victoria! We're glad that our guide Alex provided engaging and informative commentary for your long journey! We love that you enjoyed your stay at the Empress and Harbour Air's flight back! We hope to see you on our tours in the future. Thank you
Good but Could have been Excellent with a few modifications
Phillip_W, May 2022
Good tour but could have been excellent with additional time at Butchart Gardens (90 min was actually 75 min considering unloading and loading of Bus with 40+ guests), and better communication from tour operator on actual agenda, info on hotel, and info on flight back to Vancouver.
Response from Host, May 2022
Dear Phillip_W, Thank you for your feedback! We will forward it to our operations team! We are glad that you did enjoy your time in Victoria, and we hope to see you again in the future! Thank you
Solo exploring!
cedand3, Oct 2019
Great trip! All very straightforward with pick up and the driver, Jack, did an excellent job. The Butchart Gardens are lovely and the hotel in Victoria, beautiful. Highlight of the trip - the seaplane back to Vancouver. I had great weather but it was really special!! Would definitely recommend.
Response from Host, Nov 2020
Thank you for your review. We are thrilled that you had a great day in Victoria. Please allow us to host you again in the future.
Butchart Gardens and Fairmount Empress GREAT
jrapras, Sep 2019
Gardens are beautiful!!! Bus driver informative.Empress was excellent...try Q1908 purple gin fizz martini on the veranda! Dinner at IL Terrazzo with Mussels then penna with Frutta di Mare and Leg of Lamb were perfect...sat outside by fireplace (they have 5). Toured the town the next morning and seaplane out mid afternoon... you call for your seaplane time and can do AM or PM. Highly recommend this trip
Cool side trip with a unique experience
John_S, Sep 2019
This trip from Vancouver to Victoria was fun and informative. The ferry ride to the island was enjoyable. The return by float plane was really fun and comfortable. The Empress hotel was, of course, a very fine old hotel that has been very well updated. Our room was convenient and comfortable.
We had a great time, viewed the...
brongard, Oct 2018
We had a great time, viewed the Butchart Gardens, beautiful and amazing displays, and enjoyed our stay at the Fairmont Empress, really enjoyed our seaplane flight back to Vancouver.
VERY NICE, BUT!!
rogerd559, Aug 2018
Very nice overall, hotel was excellent, seaplane ride was very good, bus driver did a great job, the only problem was at the end of the seaplane ride. The confirmation for the trip reads as follows: "When you fly into the Harbour Air Dock .... tell them you are looking for their courtesy shuttle back to your downtown Vancouver hotel." We expected to be dropped off at our downtown hotel, but instead the shuttle only went to a certain spot in downtown and we then had to take a taxi the rest of the way to get to our hotel. The cost of the taxi with tip was only about $20 but it was the surprise and inconvenience of getting out of the shuttle and then getting a taxi. Otherwise it was a very good trip.
Love Victoria could do without Butchart Gardens
Sarah_T, Aug 2018
Victoria was delightful and I m so glad we did a 2 day trip. The traveling is so long that it is not worth it to spend just the few hours you spend in the city. The fairmont empress is an average hotel that is banking on its location, which is fabulous, and it's historic nature. The rooms were average and small, the bathroom, clean but super small, my view was terrible and the overall hotel felt old and smelly. The pool is indoors and has a hottub. Just remember if you are booking this tour, you need to plan your trip, food, activities, etc. This is basically just transportation and hotel. I recommend the hop on hop off bus.
Mainly Plus and some minus
Michael_F, Jul 2018
This review concerns mainly the tour operator’s performance not the price or Victoria or Butchart Gardens: Problems we had were a) not enough time at Butchart Gardens b) the promise that Harbour Air would return us to our Vancouver hotel was not kept. a) We didn’t have enough time at Butchart Gardens because the ferry was late, however the tour only allows about 2 hours in the Gardens anyway. The tour operator couldn’t control the ferry, but the schedule was too tight, in my opinion. b) the flight on Harbour Air was amazing and fun, but Harbour Air seemed surprised that they were asked to provide us a ride back to our hotel, and in fact though Harbour Air does provide a shuttle to some downtown hotels they didn’t go to ours..so we had to get a cab. Overall had a great time. One tip: if you want to visit the Gardens a second day, they charge you only $3.50 per person with your old ticket. Also a public bus goes to and from the Gardens and is quite good value at $5 for a senior day pass. ( bus takes 1 hour to and from) We found the Fairmont Empress Victoria staff very helpful but not quite as friendly as the Fairmont Whistler staff. For example at the end of the Gardens tour on return to Victoria you are given vouchers for the hotel, Harbour Air flight, and the cab from Hotel to Harbour Air. I asked the Empress concierge to call Bluebird Cabs to pick us up and she said, “Well, it’s a 3 minute walk to Harbour Air or 5 minutes by cab...” When you have luggage even for just overnight walking across busy streets and tourist crowded sidewalks isn’t fun. The vouchers are hand written by the tour guide and not preprinted so it has a feel of not quite being ‘real’, though they were accepted without question. FYI regarding Victoria food: everyone recommended Nautical Nelly’s and the food is good but they are very busy, however 2 people can be seated at the bar quickly even without reservations (but... it’s not a long bar). For after Gardens tour drinks the patio pub by the Tourist Information Office is great (as were the people in the Tourist Information Office).
Great time
Deborah_W, Jul 2018
Perfect tour for two days. Experienced the ferry to get there, and seaplane to return, which were both fun. Loved the ease of being taken to Butchart Gardens, which was beautiful, and then having plenty of time the next day for Parliament and the BC Museum on our own. And of course the Fairmont Empress was lovely and luxurious. Perfect trip!
This was a wonderful short stay for...
JohnA_B, Jun 2018
This was a wonderful short stay for anyone who wants to take in the best of Victoria. The shuttle picked us up at our hotel and our driver/guide Henry was just wonderful. He was very funny and extremely knowledgeable. The ferry ride over to Victoria was easy and enjoyable and after we arrived we were taken for a short familiarisation drive through Victoria and then on to Butchart Gardens. Everything you read about this place is true - it's amazing. Our accommodation at the Fairmont Empress was a treat. It has recently been refurbished and the rooms are lovely. After our overnight stay we checked out but the Fairmont was happy to store our luggage until later in the day when we came back to collect it prior to our float plane ride home. The float plane was also a highlight for us.
So worth it. The gardens are...
Michelle M, Dec 2017
So worth it. The gardens are spectacular and a bit out of town. The ferry over was fab BUT the seaplane back was amazing. Pods of whales and archipelago of islands below. Cant recommend highly enough.
The trip was great. We had a nice...
Shirley W, Aug 2017
The trip was great. We had a nice ferry ride over and sat in the bow area of the ferry and had a good buffet breakfast. Butchart gardens is beautiful. We then checked into the Empress hotel, which is a grand old hotel and huge. We had a geat room. We explored Chinatown and a nice dinner a Finn's on the water, Next day we went to the Royal British museum, which had great exhibits of the native people of Canada. Then we did a Bose electric boat ride to explore the channel in downtown Victoria. Ask for Buz for your captain. He is a wealth of information on the area of Victoria, as he grew up there and had lots of stories from his childhood to adulthood growing up on the water. Then my husband got to sit in the co-pilot seat on the seaplane home. What a trip. Viator took care of everything and it went so smoothly. Highly recommend this tour.
This was an awesome tour - from the...
Barbara_C, Oct 2016
This was an awesome tour - from the minute they picked us up from when they dropped us off! I'd highly recommend anyone to take this incredible tour and with so many good things, I have to say the float plane was one of the best! The guide was very nice and knowledgeable as well. Fun time!
Was a great experience and Victoria...
Anne W, Aug 2016
Was a great experience and Victoria was much better than I expected. The 2 day tour was excellent and our bus driver was great with heaps of knowledge about Canada and the local areas.
Great trip! Everything about the trip...
Stanton L, Jul 2016
Great trip! Everything about the trip exceeded our expectations!
Unbelievable!! What a fantastic tour...
Heather L, Jul 2016
Unbelievable!! What a fantastic tour. Thoroughly recommend this tour to anyone.
Beautiful historic building for...
Kaye H, Aug 2015
Beautiful historic building for hotel, no air conditioning, famous tea and wiifii not included, garden was ok, loved the sea plane, lots of tourist type shopping, ferry ride was nice, but no whales seen.
Falta cuidado com o cliente
paulostrini, Sep 2018
Fui cobrado em CAN$100,00 no cartão de crédito pelo Hotel Fairmont Express indevidamente. Toda despesa no hotel (basicamente a diária) estava coberta pelo tour VIATOR. Registri uma reclamação na VIATOr e responderam que eu tenho que falar direto com o hotel

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