We'll be staying in Vancouver and want to go to Butchart Gardens ... <BR><BR>How do we get to Victoria? <BR><BR>When there, how do we get to the Gardens?<BR><BR>Many thanks!

Will you have a rental car?<BR> The way you get to Victoria is on the ferry, or if you want to spend more money, you could fly. If you have a car, you can take that on the ferry with you. If not, there is a bus you can catch in Vancouver that will take you into downtown Victoria. Look at www.bcferries.com, and I'd also check the website for Pacific Coach Lines to see if they have a bus that goes to Butchart Gardens. If you're driving, once you get off the ferry at Swartz Bay near Victoria, you just drive down the peninsula - I forget what the exit is for Butchart Gardens but they also have a website which will probably tell you that. <BR>

We hadn't planned on a rental car, Cindy -- we weren't really sure WHAT to plan for, actually. ;-)<BR><BR>The ferry/bus seems doable. Thanks for the help.

The bus is an easy, comfortable way to get to Victoria. http://www.pacificcoach.com/ Unfortunately I don't know of a way to get directly from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal to Butchart's other than by taxi. <BR><BR>Otherwise, you can take the bus into Victoria, about a 30-45 minute drive, and then catch the no. 75 city bus on Douglas St. The bus depot is also on Douglas St., so you're right there. At the moment the two-zone fare is $2.50 one way. <BR><BR>There are tours also for more money.

Thanks, April! Sounds like a good alternative plan. We might even look into taking a tour from Vancouver -- din't realize they were available.<BR>

Sorry, I was unclear. I meant there are tours to Butchart's from Victoria that leave from the front of the Empress Hotel. I don't know if there are tours from Vancouver or not.

This is not how I would choose to travel, but a tour from Vancouver is possible from a company called Grayline.<BR>urls<BR><BR>http://www1.etix.com/travel/servlet/onlineSale?action=viewTourDescription&route_id=271 &franchise_id=31<BR><BR>or<BR><BR>http://www.grayline.com/destinations.cfm?action=canada

Thanks, Rand ... Er, can you say why you would not choose to travel that way?

We will also be staying in downtown Vancouver (in June)prior to an Alaskan cruise. I have found a company in my AAA book that has a tour from downtown Vancouver to Victoria including Butchart Gardens. They will pick you up at your hotel with a mini-bus, take you to the ferry, and once in Victoria, take you to the Butchart Gardens and downtown Victoria. We plan on doing this. The website for the tour company is www.vancouversightseeing.com. It is Tour 5 and it costs about $115 Canadian per person. I was told to book the tour ahead of time as it will be busy during the summer months. Their phone number is 604-451-1600; fax number is 604-451-4448. Hope this helps. It appears to me to be the easiest way to get back and forth to Victoria and see the sights.<BR>

Thanks, Ilene ... You won't believe this, but we just made very similar arrangements, and I was coming here to update my original request. <BR><BR>Our tour is with Pacific Coach Lines (thanks, Cindy), is very reasonable (110 p/p cdn), and was just what we were looking for.<BR><BR>Thanks again to all. We're looking forward to the Spring gardens.

Have a great time, 2travelers! Incidentally, the gardens at Royal Roads University are gorgeous, if you have an opportunity to visit them. Not as elaborate as Butchart, but lovely.

This may be a little late for Irene and 2travellers but there is no need to spend the money to go to Vancouver Island ( Victoria ) just to see Butchart Gardens. Grated they are nice but VAncouver has VanDusen Botanical Gardens which is 3 acres larger than Butchart and, actualla better garden The difference is that Butchart is private and advertised and VanDusen is owned and operated by the Vancouver Parks Board.<BR>The UBC Botanical gardens in Vancouver are also considerably larger than both, but not as well done. About an hours drive from Vancouver is Minter gardens which is smaller than the others but a lovely garden.<BR><BR>While in Vancouver, if you are considering a trip to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, look on the map for Lynn Canyon Park. Similar situation as the gardens, one is private and heavily advertised and the other is a huge public park. The Lyn Canyon suspension bridge is actually a couple of feet higher than Capilano but not as long.<BR><BR>cheers, enjoy<BR><BR>Gus Mitchell