I am posting this because there are so many questions regarding Butchart Gardens transportaion.

You do not have to take a tour. Gray Line operates a desk out of the bus depot behind the Empress Hotel that offers shuttle service to and from the Gardens. At this time the shuttle runs close to every hour (times approx)starting at 9:10 am and it is $6 each way.

Starting July 1st the service will be approximately every 1/2 hour.

You can do the gardens at your leisure this way without having a commitment to a tour bus.

You can also buy your entrance to the Gardens at the depot as well.

Their phone number is 1-800-663-8390 (don't know if that works in the States or not.)

Hope that helps everyone.

Topping for jrbnrnc.

I had unanswered questions re transportation to and from Butchart Gardens via public transit and this is what I learned. Route 75 is the one that goes to Butchart Gardens. One would catch it "downtown." According to my e-mail from Mike Davis of BC Transit, they WILL have a bus leaving after the fireworks on Saturday nights and returning to downtown Victoria but he could give me no specific info yet about the time.
An e-mail I received recently from Butchart Gardens personnel says that they DO NOT close the admission gate to transit customers (on their website it says they close the admission gate when the parking lot is full) and that one should plan to arrive by 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. on a Saturday evening. There is a vaudeville act preceding the fireworks at 10 pm and an organ concert afterwards.
Another contact I have says that you can spread your blanket on the ground (where the fireworks show will take place) ahead of time. I guess nobody messes with them (?)
I hope that this helps others who might have the same questions that I did.

Thank you so much for this information Traveler69. I have researched this for hours and finally came up with your answer.
A friend of mine said she took the shuttle from the pier to the Empress and got her tickets to Butchart Gardens behind the hotel. I have not been able to verify that until now.
The cruise ship excursions are very expensive and this will save us a lot of money.
Thank you so much!!

Panamaguy - if you are in Victoria on a cruise and only have six hours in Victoria, I highly (HIGHLY) recommend taking the ship's tour. If you take your own transportation to the Gardens and miscalculate the time it takes to get back into town, you might miss your ship's departure.

Thanks, but fortunately we have plenty of time in Victoria. I did some more research, emailed Tourism Victoria and got the following response:
Quote:
Thank you for contacting Tourism Victoria. The one that leaves from behind the Empress is shuttle service, which will cost 7 dollars each way plus the admission to the Butchart Garden. The other one that cost $56 is the Butchart Garden Tour, which is provided by Gray Line West. The tours are provided all year around. The shuttle services are available from April 30th this year.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask us again. We are happy to help you.
Have a nice day,
Yuri Matsuoka
Visitor Information Counsellor
Tourism Victoria
1-800-663-3883
www.tourismvictoria.com

That answers my question about Grayline Tours vs shuttle service. Thanks again!