Four of us are staying in Victoria one night in July then staying in Vancouver. Want to know the best way to get from Vancouver Airport to Victoria. Thinking about renting a car but don't know if that is practical. We are staying at Abigail's in Victoria. To get there will we have to get a taxi or bus if we don't rent a car? Another taxi or bus if we want to go to Butchart Gardens?

I just posted this information for someone here somewhere. You can take the Pacific Coachlines bus from the airport to downtown Victoria for $32. It leaves every second hour from 7:45 am to 7:45 pm, but check to see if the schedule has changed by July. <BR> <BR>Then you can take the bus back to downtown Vancouver for $28. Both prices include the ferry trip. <BR> <BR>You would probably want to take a taxi from the bus depot to Abigails if you have a fair bit of luggage. <BR> <BR>I wouldn't take a cab to Butchart's. There are tours or you can hop a city bus for $2.50 each way.

I had the same question, but wondered if its a scenic drive from Vancouver to Victoria, therefore worth the car rental? Also, does one need a car in Victoria, we are staying for 2 nites at the Empress. Thanks!

No need for a car in Victoria. The drive from Vancouver to the ferry landing isn't very scenic, so you won't miss anything by being carless. The Empress Hotel is centrally located. As for getting out to the Burchart Gardens (which I'd highly recommend) ask about a shuttle bus service in the nearby area.

I would like to render a minority opinion. I would rent a car because of the freedom it gives you. True, the drive to the ferry at Tsawwassen is not highly scenic, but there are many places around Victoria that are interesting to visit. With a car, you can explore at your leisure. <BR>You can argue that it is not practical, but I personally think it leads to more freedom of movement and, as a result, you can see more.<BR>I have been to Victoria both with and without an automobile. On my third visit, I will opt for the automobile.<BR>

We are arriving in Vancouver from a cruise at 8 a.m. on a Sunday. We plan to rent a car as we won't be leaving Vancouver until around 4 p.m. the next day. We are wondering if it would be practical to drive (ferry?) to Victoria to visit Bouchart Gardens as soon as we pick up a car. Would we be able to make the drive, see the Gardens, and return to Vancouver for the night so that we would have a few hours to see Vancouver on Monday. Thanks for any help you can give.

Calteacher - It's possible to pull it off, but it's going to be a long day. Keep in mind that you're going to be spending around 4 hours on the ferry that day getting back and forth.

Were you thinking you can drive from Vancouver to Butchart Gardens?<BR>No. You take a ferry from Tsawwassen, which is south of Vancouver.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

Yes, I knew that we couldn't drive all the way but would need to take a ferry. Is there another way to get from Canada Place (where our ship docks) to Bouchart Gardens that would be any easier? I assume that the ferry ride is about 1 1/2-2 hours each way. What is the approximate driving time to get to Tsawwassen from the dock area of Vancouver?

Calteacher,<BR>There are some buses that go directly from the cruise ship docks to Victoria. Don't take my word for it but I believe there is one that leaves at 11:00 am and arrives in Victoria at 3:30 pm. That wouldn't leave a lot of time for getting to Butchart's and back to the ferry terminal. <BR><BR>If there are 8:00 as well as 9:00 pm sailings back to the mainland, I'd make sure I was there for the 8:00. The trip across the water should take close to 1½ hours each way.<BR><BR>As for the driving times you asked about, I did this recently but can't remember how long it took. Traffic was awful so an hour might be optimistic.<BR><BR>You may face waits with a vehicle at the ferry terminal too, but yes, you can do this in a day. If you don't ride ferries often, you might enjoy the ride as well as Butchart's.