Victoria - Bus to Butchart Gardens and back.
 

Our Mexican Riviera cruise is now going north to Victoria. I went to the bus sight for 700 Douglas Street Located behind the Empress Hotel but couldn't find the times to go but especially to get back from the Gardens. When you click the map logo it doesn't take you to the bus site.

We are going whale watching on May 13 and then after dinner hopefully to the gardens without having to pay $$ for a cab.

Butchart Gardens closes at 6 pm that time of year. It doesn't stay open in the evening until the middle of June. Also the bus that used to run out of the terminal by the Empress doesn't have a schedule for the season yet. If you did decide to go during the day you could go by city bus www.bctransit.com Are you planning on doing this as a day trip from the ship or are you disembarking in Victoria?? I am curious is this a change of itinerary due to the new virus? The way you worded your question sounds like that. Whatever you do enjoy the cruise!!!

If you want some greenery after supper, you could walk to Beacon Hill Park. It's not Butchart, but it is green.

Butchart's usually stays open late when cruise ships are in town; so that option might be available.

Sorry I got interrupted before finishing my last post. Apparently there is a new bus service from downtown to Butchart's, it's called Cruise Victoria. I don't have the website in front of me but you could do a search.

cruiseryyc - Good to know about the bus service but Butchart Gardens will not open late until June 15 so unfortunately it won't be an option. I found the website for the bus service - http://www.cvscruisevictoria.com/ I think that is great and about time. A friend of mine is with the gardens and told me some time ago they were trying to work with a company to get that type of service.

Whoops!! I just read the website - the service provides tours to Butchart - not a shuttle. Looks like it costs $49. The shuttle is to downtown.

It won't help the OP, but Butchart will be open late a few nights prior to June 15, according to their website (the additional late openings are listed at the bottom of this page):

http://www.butchartgardens.com/plann...operation.html

Which public bus line goes from downtown to Butchart Gardens?

Thanks,

:-)

Here is a great website with all of the bus info on it
http://www.transitbc.com/regions/vic/schedules/explore/

If you read the Cruise Victoria website closely, the tour is on the way out to the Gardens, the $49 includes the price of admission but once there, you are free to wander on your own and spend whatever time you want out there. Note the times of arrival and departure.

Just for reference, the fare on the #75 bus that goes from downtown Victoria to Butchart Gardens is $2.25 Canadian, $1.40 for seniors. They seem to run about every half hour during the week. Admission to the Gardens is $28, so the coach ride is $21, as opposed to $4.50 - $2.80 for the city bus, a saving of $18.20 for a senior like me.

I can buy a lot of Labatt's Ale for eighteen bucks!

:-)

We took the CVS Cruise Victoria Butchart Gardens Shuttle Bus Tour and were very impressed. For the cost of just $10.50 each way to and from the Gardens - we had an excellent narrated tour and direct service to the Gardens. They sell the transportation on its own or as a package with the Butchart Gardens entrance fee included. The bus was modern and the schedule allowed us to return on any of their buses returning to town. This flexibility allowed us to have tea at the Gardens. We saved a great deal of time by taking this service and avoiding the long public transit trip - the history alone provided by the driver was worth the difference in price. http://www.cvscruisevictoria.com/ or Tel: 250-893-9503

Trips depart from 811 Government Street one block north of the Empress Hotel.

Surely first-time poster John_Parks has no commercial connection with this tour company, does he?