Butchart Gardens Tour Prices 2026: What You Pay and Get

Booking choice: The gardens-first day trip, from $184 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

Tour prices look high next to the gardens' own ticket, until you remember what is in them: two BC Ferries crossings, the drive from downtown Vancouver to Tsawwassen and from Swartz Bay to the gardens, Butchart Gardens admission and a guide. You are buying a whole 12 to 14 hour day, not a garden ticket.

Tour prices below are Viator from-prices in USD, checked in October 2026; garden gate prices are the gardens' own 2026-27 rates in Canadian dollars. Both move with the season, so the checkout price is the one that counts.

The quick answer

Full-day tours from Vancouver run from $161 to $255 per adult on Viator, and every one listed here includes both ferry crossings, transport and Butchart Gardens admission. The gardens' own adult gate price is CAD 36.75 in October 2026. Food, drinks and tips are extra on every tour, and all of them cancel free up to 24 hours before.

The open deck of a BC Ferries ship passing a forested island — Both ferry crossings are inside the tour price.

How much is a Butchart Gardens tour from Vancouver in 2026?

Between $161 and $255 per adult for a full day from Vancouver, with ferries and garden admission included.

Group size, pickup and the order of the day change from tour to tour. The route does not: every tour crosses on the same BC Ferries sailing route and visits the same gardens. Children aged 3 to 12 pay a child rate on most listings.

Tour	From (USD)	Rating	At the gardens	Order
Westcoast day trip	$184	4.6 (3,178)	About 2 h	Gardens first
Combo tour	$161	4.8 (492)	About 1 h 45	Gardens first
Pacific Coach	$183	4.7 (674)	About 2 h	Gardens first
Gray Line	$170	4.4 (84)	About 2 h	Gardens first
STAR Sea and Land	$214	4.9 (548)	About 2 h	Victoria first
Landsea	$220	4.7 (2,322)	About 1.5 h	Victoria first
Discover Canada	$255	4.8 (650)	About 1 h 45	Victoria first

Two ferry crossings, the gardens and Victoria in one price, with downtown hotel pickup.

Check dates for the gardens-first day trip

What is included in the tour price?

Round-trip transport from Vancouver, both BC Ferries crossings, Butchart Gardens admission, free time in Victoria and a driver-guide.

Included on every tour listed here: the coach or mini-coach, the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay ferry both ways, garden admission and time in downtown Victoria.
Varies by tour: hotel pickup (Westcoast, Pacific Coach, STAR and the combo tour pick up at listed downtown hotels; Discover Canada meets at Canada Place), a restroom on board (Pacific Coach and STAR list one), bottled water and a snack (the combo tour).
Never included: lunch, drinks and gratuities. Westcoast also excludes airport drop-off and luggage transfer.

A paved path winding down through flowerbeds in the Sunken Garden — Admission is in the price, so you walk straight in with your group.

How much is Butchart Gardens admission on its own?

In October 2026 the gardens charge CAD 36.75 per adult, CAD 18.38 for youths 13 to 17 and CAD 3.00 for children 5 to 12, tax included.

The gate price changes month by month: CAD 28.60 per adult in November, CAD 41.00 during the Christmas season (December 1 to January 6, closed December 25), CAD 25.20 from January 7 to 17, then rising through spring to CAD 45.60 in May 2027. The gardens' rates table starts at age 5, so check it before you book for a younger child. A 12-month pass costs CAD 88.50 per adult, CAD 44.25 per youth and CAD 7.35 per child. For the full month-by-month table, see the best time to visit.

Is it cheaper to do Victoria and Butchart Gardens yourself?

Possibly a little, but once you add two ferry fares, local buses and admission it is not much cheaper, and it takes far more planning.

A DIY day on foot means: transit from downtown Vancouver to Tsawwassen, a BC Ferries foot-passenger fare each way, a bus from Swartz Bay into Victoria, a second bus out to the gardens (the gardens say the #75 from Belleville Street by the Empress takes about 50 minutes to an hour), admission, and the same chain in reverse to make an evening sailing.

The fares: BC Ferries charges CAD 21.00 per adult and CAD 10.50 per child aged 5 to 11 each way, with under-5s free (fare guide effective June 16, 2026). Victoria's buses cost CAD 3 a ride or CAD 6 for a day pass, and children 12 and under ride free (BC Transit). One adult on foot in October pays about CAD 85 for the ferries, the island buses and the gate, before the TransLink fare out to Tsawwassen. That is roughly half a tour price, for a day you plan and time yourself.

Your own car gives you full freedom and costs CAD 89.00 each way for a standard vehicle, plus every passenger's fare. The tour price buys you something real: nobody has to watch the clock for the last sailing.

A BC Ferries ship crossing open water near a wooded island while a floatplane flies above — Ferry fares are the biggest cost in a DIY day.

Ferries, the bus legs and admission sorted in one booking, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Check dates for the combo tour

Why do tour prices differ by almost $100?

Group size is the clearest difference: the dearest tour is a mini-coach capped at 24, while the mid-priced coaches carry up to 50 or 75.

Discover Canada ($255) caps its mini-coach at 24 and spends about three hours in Victoria. Landsea ($220) takes up to 30. Westcoast ($184) lists a maximum of 75 travelers across its departures, and Pacific Coach and STAR list up to 50 on coaches with a restroom. The combo tour at $161 is the lowest Vancouver price here and goes to the gardens first.

Want a smaller group? The Discover Canada mini-coach seats up to 24, with about three hours around the Inner Harbour.

★ 4.8 650 reviews · 13 to 14 hours · from $255

Explore the mini-coach Victoria tour

Do children pay less?

Yes. Most Vancouver tours price ages 3 to 12 as children, and the gardens charge reduced youth and child rates.

The combo tour asks for a booster seat for children under 6, and STAR offers booster seats. The Victoria-based island tour has a minimum age of 5 because its vehicles require seatbelts. Under-5s ride BC Ferries free, and the gardens' rates table starts at age 5; the age bands each tour charges for are listed at Viator checkout.

Pink tulips and blue flowers beside a paved garden path — Spring bulbs line the paths from late March.

Is there a cheaper option if you are already in Victoria?

Yes: the island tour from downtown Victoria costs from $105 and includes a city tour and about two and a half hours in the gardens.

It suits cruise passengers and anyone staying a night on the island, because it skips the ferry entirely. It picks up at downtown Victoria hotels, not in Vancouver. See Victoria in a few hours if you are planning time in the city too.

Staying in Victoria? Hotel pickup, a short city tour and about two and a half hours in the gardens.

★ 4.9 687 reviews · 5 hours · from $105

Explore the tour from Victoria

Can I cancel if the weather turns?

Yes. Every tour on this site can be cancelled for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start time.

Discover Canada's listing says it runs in the rain, and the Christmas tour runs subject to the weather. If a storm is forecast you can move or cancel the day without losing money. Book early for summer weekends and the Christmas weeks.