Booking choice: The Pacific Coach day trip, from $183 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Butchart Gardens covers 55 acres on the Saanich Peninsula, and it grew out of a worked-out limestone quarry: Robert and Jennie Butchart bought the land in 1904 for a cement works, and Jennie turned the exhausted quarry into the Sunken Garden. Today the gardens are a National Historic Site of Canada.
You will not see every corner on a day tour, and you do not need to. The gardens' own suggested full route runs to four hours with afternoon tea; the main sights fit comfortably into two.
The quick answer
Plan on at least 2 hours to see the main gardens at a steady pace: the Sunken Garden and Ross Fountain, the Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden and the Italian Garden. With 1.5 hours, focus on the Sunken Garden and one other. The gardens' own suggested itinerary for seeing everything, with tea, is four hours or more.
How much time do you need at Butchart Gardens?
About 2 hours for the highlights, 3 to 4 hours if you want every garden, the gift shop and a sit-down meal.
The gardens' own estimate matches: a leisurely walk on the main paths takes 1.5 to 2 hours and covers about 1.5 km (the gardens' FAQ). One Westcoast guest summed up two hours there as "plenty of time". Guests on shorter stops, especially on Christmas-season itineraries, more often wish they had longer. If photographs or plants are your thing, take a tour that gives you two hours or more.
Two hours in the gardens before your time in Victoria, on a coach with a restroom.
Check dates for the Pacific Coach day tripHow long does each tour give you at the gardens?
Between about 1.5 hours (Landsea and the Christmas tour) and about 2.5 hours (the island tour from Victoria).
| Tour | At the gardens | In Victoria | Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westcoast | About 2 h | About 2 h | Gardens first |
| Pacific Coach | About 2 h | 1 h or more | Gardens first |
| Combo tour | About 1 h 45 | About 1 h | Gardens first |
| STAR | About 2 h | About 2 h | Victoria first |
| Discover Canada | About 1 h 45 | About 3 h | Victoria first |
| Landsea | About 1.5 h | About 3 h | Victoria first |
| Island tour (from Victoria) | About 2.5 h | About 1 h city tour | Either |
What should you see in 2 hours at Butchart Gardens?
Start with the Sunken Garden, then walk on to the Ross Fountain, the Rose Garden and the Japanese Garden, finishing at the Italian Garden.
- Sunken Garden: start at the lookout on the limestone mound, then follow the paths down through the layered beds.
- Ross Fountain: installed in 1964 by the Butcharts' grandson for the gardens' 60th anniversary.
- Rose Garden: at its best from June through August.
- Japanese Garden: through the torii gate to maples, beeches and streams.
- Star Pond and Italian Garden: the Italian Garden was the family's tennis court and now has a bronze statue of Mercury.
Keep 10 to 15 minutes in hand to get back to the coach. If you have more time, add the Mediterranean Garden and the Seed and Gift Store.
What is the Sunken Garden?
It is the old limestone quarry of the Butcharts' cement works, which Jennie Butchart turned into a garden after it was exhausted around 1909.
It took years, and topsoil was brought in by horse and cart. Today the paths wind down past layered beds, trees and shrubs to the Ross Fountain and the Bog Garden. It is the gardens' signature view, so make it your first stop.
Want the gardens before anything else? This day trip goes straight from the ferry to Butchart.
Explore the gardens-first day tripWhen is the Rose Garden in bloom?
From June through August, according to the gardens; outside those months it is green rather than in flower.
The arches and beds hold floribundas, ramblers, climbers and hybrid teas. In late winter the gardens describe a carpet of crocus in the Rose Garden instead. See the best time to visit for what blooms when.
Is the Japanese Garden worth the walk?
Yes, if you have two hours: it is one of the first formal gardens the Butcharts laid out, with a torii gate, maples and streams.
The gardens describe a torii gate at the entrance, maples and beeches, and Himalayan blue poppies in late spring. In autumn the maples turn red and gold. Note that the Japanese and Mediterranean Gardens close during the Christmas season.
Gardens first or Victoria first: which gives you more?
It does not change the minutes much, but gardens-first tours get you there fresh, and later arrivals can be quieter.
Gardens-first tours (Westcoast, Pacific Coach, Gray Line, the combo tour) go straight from the Swartz Bay ferry, since the gardens lie between the terminal and the city. Victoria-first tours (Landsea, STAR, Discover Canada) reach the gardens in the afternoon; one STAR guest found it quieter then, while some Landsea guests wished the gardens had come first. Pick by your priority.
Gardens later in the day, Victoria first and skip-the-line entry: check dates for the STAR tour.
Check dates for the Sea and Land tourCan you eat at Butchart Gardens on a tour?
Yes, there are restaurants and a coffee shop, but on a two-hour stop a meal eats into garden time.
The gardens recommend High Tea in the Dining Room Restaurant, with reservations, for longer visits. On a day tour, eat on the ferry or in Victoria and keep the gardens for walking; one guest's tip is not to spend garden time queuing for food. Bringing your own snack is allowed, and picnics are kept to the Concert Lawn and the Fireworks Viewing Lawn.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1.5 hours enough at Butchart Gardens?
It is enough for the Sunken Garden, the Ross Fountain and one more garden, such as the Rose Garden in summer. For the main highlights at a relaxed pace, 2 hours is better.
How big is Butchart Gardens?
The gardens cover 55 acres on the Saanich Peninsula, about 20 km north of downtown Victoria.
Which tour gives the most time at Butchart Gardens?
From Vancouver, Westcoast, Pacific Coach, Gray Line and STAR each give about 2 hours. From Victoria, the island tour gives about 2.5 hours.
Is Butchart Gardens wheelchair friendly?
Mostly. The gardens lend push wheelchairs for a refundable CAD 10 deposit; some paths are narrow or steep, with alternate routes marked. Most Vancouver tours are marked not wheelchair accessible, though STAR and Pacific Coach can carry a foldable wheelchair.
Ready to book
Choose your day
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Victoria & Butchart Gardens Day Trip by Ferry
Two hours in the gardens, then Victoria
Victoria & Butchart Gardens Day Trip
- Round-trip BC Ferries crossing and coach transport
- Butchart Gardens admission, with free time in the gardens
- About two hours on your own in downtown Victoria
Victoria & Butchart Gardens Sea and Land Tour
Victoria first, gardens later in the day
