Vancouver/Butchert Gardens
 

I would like to know if it is possible to visit Butchert Gardens using public transportation from Vancouver. I'm not at all familiar with the area.

Butchart Gardens is located on Vancouver Island (close to Victoria) and Vancouver is on the mainland of British Columbia. You will need to take the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, so "public transportation" is not an option. You might try contacting some of the local charter bus lines, such as Greyhound, Pacific Stage Lines, etc. If you're staying in Vancouver, ask about tours from downtown Vancouver to Butchart Gardens. Best to do some research on the Internet, since your question is a bit vague as to your itinerary, accommodations, etc.

As Bowen says you are not too clear on how much time you have etc but it can be done in one day.
Pacific Coach Lines bus will take you from Vancouver to Victoria. The terminal for PCL is right downtown Victoria and from there you can get one of their buses for $6 each way to the gardens. You can buy your ticket for the gardens at the depot as well. By doing it that way you can spend as much time as you want at the gardens without having to be with a tour group. However, time will be of the essence. It depends on when you are going because there are more ferries on in the summer so you can get an early morning one over and the last one back at night. Makes a very long day but it can be done. Here is the website for the bus company. You can see their schedules and fares as well as day tours. http://www.pacificcoach.com/

Enjoy your visit.

Thanks for the info. We will be ending our Alaska tour in Vancouver and decided to extend the trip a couple of days and stay in Vancouver at Four Seasons. One of the things people have told me is that there is a beautiful garden there and not to miss it. I'm assuming it is Buchert Gardens that they are talking about. Is there anything you would recommend we not miss as time will be short(3 nights). We made reservations at the culinary institute for dinner on sat. night. Has anyone been ther?

The Pacific Culinary Institute is excellent - glad you already made your reservations. As far as gardens go - there are a few in Vancouver that are beautiful but I am sure you are referring to Butchart Gardens in Victoria. You just have to decide on whether or not you want to spend the day doing that. The downtown area of Victoria is lovely and you will see a that if you take the bus I recommended in my earlier post. Time is the only problem for you.

Could someone please provide me with information on The Pacific Culinary Institute? Much appreciated.

I googled "Pacific Culinary Institute" and found their website ... what kind of info were you looking for? Anyway, here's their contact info:
Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
1505 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Y4 Canada
Toll Free 1-800-416-4040 | Tel 604 734-4488 | Fax 604 734-4408
[email protected]

I took the Gray Line Tour from Vancouver to Victoria. They stopped at the Butchert Gardens but they also spend a couple of hours in Victoria. They will pick you up at most hotels.

bowen: Thanks for the information. I did the exact same thing AFTER I posted - what a nut! I'd be interested in trying this dining experience but from what I read they change the menu daily so we'll wait until we are there and see if there is any way of finding out what the daily offerings are and then try to get a reservation. We have the same thing in Toronto at the George Brown Culinary School and, although the service isn't great, the food and presentation are wonderful.

Can anyone give me an idea what the price of dinner is at the Pacific Culinary Institute in Vancouver?

Not sure if it matter anymore (almost a month after the original post), but I suspect that if someone told you to go to a garden in Vancouver, they were probably talking about Van Dusen Gardens, which are actually in Vancouver, as opposed to Butchart Gardens in Victoria...
Van Dusen is on Oak St. (at 37th), and yes, you can get there via public transportation.

suvgal,

I worked at Vancouver's tourism info centre all summer which is right across the street from the cruise ship terminal. I think the number one question from cruise ship passengers all summer was, "We've heard about the Butchart Gardens and that they were beautiful... how do we get there?"

I honestly think that most visitors had no idea how far away the gardens were... that they were maybe 20 minutes away. When I told them it would take at least 3 and a half hours just to get there by car (or longer without a car), they were often horrified.

So, while Butchart Gardens are indeed beautiful, it would take at least 4 hours just to get to them from Vancouver by public transit. That's one way. So you'd be spending at least 8 hours in transportation on one of your days. You would probably only spend 2-3 hours at the gardens in total.

So while it's possible to visit Butchart Gardens using public transit from Vancouver, whether or not it's worth it to you should be the real question.

If you did decide to go to Butchart Gardens, you'd have to take the 98-B Line bus from Burrard Station about 45 minutes south to Airport Station. From there you would have to transfer onto the "Tsawwassen Ferry" bus. That would take another 30 minutes or so.

Afterwards, you'd then walk onto the ferry. The ferry comes every 2 hours these days. Once on the ferry, it takes 1.5 hours to cross over to Vancouver Island. Once on Vancouver Island, you would have to find the appropriate bus that takes you to Butchart. I forget the exact number, but it's direct. It would take maybe half an hour or so.

There are, as mentioned, Victoria tours which are organized by companies like Gray Line West, West Coast Sightseeing, and Landsea Tours. Those are 12 hour tours, leaving early morning. All of the tours give you 2 hours at Butchart Gardens and about 3-4 hours in Victoria. You're looking at spending $135 to $140 Canadian per person.

Also remember that 2 days in Vancouver will only allow you to skim the surface. If you spend one day in Victoria and Butchart Gardens, would you be satisfied with only one day in Vancouver? You'd be able to see the main downtown attractions like Stanley Park, Granville Island, and perhaps a downtown neighbourhood like Robson Street or Yaletown. It wouldn't, however, give you enough time to see Vancouver's own gardens (like Van Dusen) or the attractions on the mountains (like Grouse).

Is it possible to add on an extra day? :)