thp

My wife and I, and our two young children will be staying in Vancouver (West End) from Oct. 13-18. Since the first and last days are travel days, we'll have four full days to see the sights. Since we've already booked a hotel in Vancouver for all five nights, is it wise to go to Victoria for only a day without sleeping there? Also, how is Buchart Gardens in mid-October? Thanks.

WillTravel

That's quite possible to do. Estimate it will take about 1 hour to get to the ferry, 1.5 hours on the ferry, and about 1 hour to drive to Victoria (except if you stop at Butchart Gardens). So you do have to count on about 3.5 hours of travel each way, which I guess does not sound that great when you have two small children with you.

The very expensive but easy way is to take a floatplane across. That is a quick trip from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria.

Otherwise, I'd consider taking Pacific Coach Lines to make everything easy. You get on the bus, it drives on the ferry, and it drops you off in downtown Victoria. But then you'd have to find your own way to Butchart Gardens (not sure how it is in October) or take a tour bus to there.

The other option would be to take a car, drive onto the ferry at Tsawwassen terminal, go up on deck on the ferry for the voyage, drive off the ferry, stop at Butchart Gardens on the way to Victoria, visit Victoria, and then come back. I'm not sure how busy the ferries will be then, but at certain times, it is highly advisable to have a paid reservation so you don't have to wait to get on the ferry with your car.

Check out http://www.bcferries.com for a schedule.

morriskg

If you can afford it, I'd floatplane it. Maybe even try floatplane one way and catch the bus/ferry back? That way your kids can catch some sleep on the way back to your hotel.

The floatplane is an awesome experience. Landing in the inner harbour of Victoria is an experience that I will always remember

Kyle

Meesthare

Butchart Gardens is gorgeous at any time of year. Have a look at their website to see what's going on when you're planning to be there. The kids might enjoy the Butterfly Gardens which are virtually next door to Butchart.
One argument in favour of the ferry trip is that the kids can run around and play while you're travelling; they won't be confined to the car or the bus. There are children's play areas on the ferries and kids always seem to be having a good time there. On the outer decks they can run around quite safely (with supervision, of course) and burn off a bit of energy that way.
How old are the children? There might be other things in Victoria for them to enjoy. Butchart Gardens can take up a lot of time, although the Butterfly Gardens can be explored thoroughly in an hour or less.

thp

Thanks for all your helpful replies! My children are 3 and 1 years old. I'm sure they'll enjoy the ferry ride. Since the floatplane is out of our budget, we will take the ferry if we decide to go. We'll have a rental car for the week, so it seems like that would be the best way to get to Buchart Gardens, correct? Thanks.

thp

We have not actually reserved a rental car yet. After reading some different posts, I'm debating if I should just not get a car altogether. I was originally planning on getting one, thinking that it would be easier with two young children, but I'm not sure now. Any advice? Thanks.

Meesthare

There are advantages and disadvantages, of course. You might not use the car much in Vancouver, although, for example, if you want to take the kids to Granville Island (which they would love - there's lots to see and explore there, including the Kids' Market) it's easier with a car; the kids can fall asleep while you wrestle with traffic on the way back. I would definitely recommend a car for your Victoria trip. Otherwise you're dealing with hauling the kids on and off buses, and having to make choices based on bus schedules rather than your own needs. If you can afford it comfortably, I'd recommend having a car for at least part of the time - not necessarily for every day that you're in Vancouver.

thp

Thanks for the advice. I like the idea of having the car maybe for part of the week. I'll look into it.

LuvToGo

Just returned from Vancouver and we did the one day Victoria trip. Booked a tour through our concierge from LandSea Tours. It picked us up at our hotel, first in line on the ferry, 3 hours in Victoria, then 2 hours in Buchart Gardens, back on the ferry and dropped off at our hotel. In the long run it would probably be about the same amount or even a little cheaper than the car rental and admission to Buchart. Taking your own car on the ferry is over $50 each way. We did not have a car (or little kids) the 4 days in Vancouver and didn't miss it at all. If we needed transportation we either arranged a tour through the concierge or took a taxi. I think we really saved in the long run. Have fun - Vancouver is a beautiful city!

Francie

I, too, also took LandSea Tours from Vancouver to Victoria about 4 yrs ago. We signed up for the 1 day tour via our hotel. The bus picks you up directly in front of hotel and at end of tour, drops you off in front of hotel. Pickup was early around 8 a.m. We were served juice on board. It was nice and relaxing as tour people took care of everything. Once arrived in Victoria, we were let off directly in front of the Empress Hotel to stop for lunch on our own to either walk around see sites and/or eat at the local deli. After lunch, we were taken/driven to see the beautiful sights of Buchart Gardens for the rest of the afternoon -- This time will be on your own once at the Gardens. On way back to ferry, you will be shown all the lovely residential areas on way back. All in all the trip is quite a full day. Total hrs: 13. But what a lovely way to spend a delightful day in Victoria.

mct

Francie, do you know if the LandSea Tours has a website? I've been looking for it but haven't had any luck. We want to plan a day trip with another couple we'll be travelling with and none of us wants to drive so a bus trip would be fine with us.