How to Get Here

The Gardens are about 22kms (13.5 miles) from Victoria and there are several transportation options available to you.

  Car:

• North on Blanshard, get in middle lane, automatically becomes Hwy. 17, Pat Bay Hwy. northbound
• After lights at Elk Lake (Sayward Rd.), get in left lane
• Take Tanner Rd. LEFT off the highway
• Continue for approximately 1km; Tanner Rd. will turn into Central Saanich Rd.
• Turn left onto Keating Cross Rd.
• 35 to 45 minute drive depending on traffic

  Transit Bus:

• Purchase a $5 DayPASS from driver or $2.50 per ride (will accept CAD and US bills and coins, but no exchange or change given)
• This trip generally takes 50 minutes to 1 hour
• #75 bus leaves from Belleville St at Government St (beside the Fairmont Empress Hotel) and services bus stops along Douglas St.
• Note not all #75 trips during afternoon commute times go into Butchart Gardens, please check destination signs, or confirm with the driver.
• If you have further specific schedule, route, or fare questions, BC Transit will be able to assist: BC Transit 250-382-6161 bctransit.com

CVS Shuttle/Sightseeing Victoria:

• Departs in front of Empress Hotel at Humboldt and Government Street
• https://sightseeingvictoria.com/tour/Operates daily
• Reservations not required
• (250-386-8652 / 1-877-578-5552) sightseeingvictoria.com

  Taxi:

• Another option is to take a cab, which will be readily available outside of the ferry terminal.  Cab fare is approximately $55 Cdn.
• The majority of cabs can accommodate four passengers.  Following is contact information for three local cab companies that will be able to advise you if they have vehicles in their fleet that can accommodate six passengers:
  • Yellow Cab: yellowcabvictoria.com/ 1-800-808-6881
  • Blue Bird Cabs: taxicab.com/ 1-800-665-7055
  • Victoria Taxi: victoriataxi.com/ 1-888-842-7111

• The following companies also have larger vehicles for hire that may suit your needs:
• LA Limousines: lalimo.ca 1-888-933-5466
• Regent Limo: regentlimousine.bc.ca 1-877-778-4777

Uber:

• As of June 6, 2023 Vancouver Island has welcomed Uber as a transportation option.

The Gardens are about 13kms (8 miles) from YYJ International Airport. Transportation options from Victoria Airport to The Gardens are to take a city bus, rent a car, Uber, or to take a cab.  We are about a 25 to 30 minute drive from the airport and cab fare is approximately $45 CAD each way.

Transit Bus:

• Purchase a $5 DayPASS from driver (will accept CAD and US bills and coins, but no exchange rate or change given)
• This trip generally takes 60 minutes
• #87 or #88 bus from YYJ airport to McTavish Exchange and then transfer to #81 Butchart Gardens bus. When you take two buses the cost is $5.00 for a day pass which you purchase from the driver.
• Or take the #87 bus from YYJ airport to Saanichton Exchange and then transfer to the # 75 bus. When you take two or more buses the cost is $5.00 for a day pass which you purchase from the driver.
• Or take the #88 bus from YYJ airport to McTavish Exchange and then transfer to  #72 to Downtown to Saanichton Exchange and then transfer to the #75 to Downtown. When you take two or more buses the cost is $5.00 for a day pass which you purchase from the driver.
• If you have further specific schedule, route, or fare questions, BC Transit will be able to assist: BC Transit 250-382-6161 bctransit.com

The Gardens are about 14.5kms (9 miles) from Swartz Bay and there are several transportation options available to you.

Transit Bus:

• Purchase a $5 DayPASS from driver or $2.50 per ride (will accept CAD and US bills and coins, but no exchange rate or change given)
• This trip generally takes 55 minutes
• There are two B.C. Transit options available to get to The Gardens from Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. Bus #81 connects with the ferries that depart from the Tsawwassen terminal on the odd hour sailings only
• When you disembark the ferry at Swartz Bay, the bus stop is just outside the foot passenger terminal and the #81 bus will bring you right into The Gardens.
• Or the #72  bus connects with the ferries that depart from the Swartz Bay terminal  to the Saanichton Exchange and then transfer to bus #75 to get to The Gardens. When you take two buses the cost is $5.00 for a day pass which you purchase from the driver.
• If you have further specific schedule, route, or fare questions, BC Transit will be able to assist: BC Transit 250-382-6161 bctransit.com

Car:

• There will be signs directing you to The Gardens from Hwy. 17.  You will turn right off the highway at the McTavish Interchange, continue on McTavish Rd. to West Saanich Rd. (17A) and turn left on West Saanich Rd.  Continue on West Saanich Rd. to Benvenuto Ave. (about 10 to 15 minutes), turn right on Benvenuto Ave.  We are at the end of the road on Benvenuto Ave.

Taxi:

• Another option is to take a cab, which will be readily available outside of the ferry terminal.  Cab fare is approximately $50 CAD.

Uber:

• As of June 6, 2023 Vancouver Island has welcomed Uber as a transportation option.

Planning resource for cruise ship passengers: Read more

The cruise ship terminal is about a 20 minute walk from downtown Victoria.

Shuttle:

• There is a shuttle that takes passengers at the cruise ship terminal for $13 US unlimited use for the day or $10 US one way and travels to downtown Victoria (a 5 to 7 minute drive). From here please refer to transportation options from Downtown Victoria.

Taxi:

• Another option is to take a cab, which will be readily available outside of the cruise ship terminal.  Cab fare is approximately $60 to 65 CAD.
• The majority of cabs can accommodate four passengers.  Following is contact information for three local cab companies that will be able to advise you if they have vehicles in their fleet that can accommodate six passengers:
  • Yellow Cab: yellowcabvictoria.com/ 1-800-808-6881
  • Blue Bird Cabs: taxicab.com/ 1-800-665-7055
  • Victoria Taxi: victoriataxi.com/ 1-888-842-7111

• The following companies also have larger vehicles for hire that may suit your needs:
  • LA Limousines: lalimo.ca 1-888-933-5466
  • Regent Limo: regentlimousine.bc.ca 1-877-778-4777

Uber:

• As of June 6, 2023 Vancouver Island has welcomed Uber as a transportation option.

There are several transportation options to travel from Vancouver to The Gardens.  If you have only one day to visit Victoria you may prefer to take a tour.  The following companies operate from downtown Vancouver and offer a full day trip with visits to The Gardens, as well as other Victoria highlights.

Tours:

• West Coast Sightseeing: westcoastsightseeing.com/  1-877-451-1777
• Landsea Tours: vancouvertours.com/victoria-tour   1-877-669-2277
• Discover Vancouver Tours: discovervancouvertours.com/tours/victoria-butchart-gardens 1-604-637-4480

Car:

• If you would prefer to travel independently you can rent a car and make your way to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, about 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver for a 90 minute ferry trip to Vancouver Island.
• Once on the Island, we are approximately 35 minutes from the terminal and downtown Victoria is another 35 minutes from us.
• Contact information for BC Ferries is bcferries.com

Transit Bus:

• Public transportation is also available from downtown Vancouver; you can expect travel time to be approximately 4 to 5 hours.
• Public transportation is available from downtown Vancouver to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen, and from the Swartz Bay terminal on the Victoria side to The Gardens.
• In Vancouver you would need to take the Skytrain to Bridgeport Station, and then transfer to bus #620 to get to the Tsawwassen terminal for the 90 minute ferry trip to Vancouver Island. BC Transit bus #81 then connects at Swartz Bay with the ferries that depart from the Tsawwassen (Vancouver) terminal on the odd hour sailings only.
• When you disembark the ferry at Swartz Bay, the bus stop is just outside the foot passenger terminal and the bus will bring you right into The Gardens.
• The following link to BC Transit will provide you with schedules for bus #81: bctransit.com/victoria/schedules-and-maps/route-overview?route=81

Other:

• The following websites will assist you with schedules and route information for the Vancouver transit system and BC Ferries:
  • Translink (Vancouver Transit): translink.ca
  • BC Ferries: bcferries.com
• Bus service is available from downtown Vancouver, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and the Vancouver Cruise Ship Terminal to downtown Victoria with the BC Ferry Connector: bcfconnector.com

The Gardens are about 16 kms (10 miles) from Sidney and there are several transportation options available to you.

Car:

• Left off Beacon Ave. onto Pat Bay Hwy. southbound
• Right at Exit 21 Newton X Rd.
• Follow till first 4-way stop, go straight
• Left onto Wallace Dr. at second 4-way stop
• Right onto Benvenuto Ave.

Transit Bus:

• Purchase a $5 DayPASS from driver or $2.50 per ride (will accept CAD. and US bills and coins, but no exchange or change given)
• This trip generally takes 40-50 minutes.
• There are two B.C. Transit options available to get to The Gardens from Sidney. You can take bus #72 from Sidney to the Saanichton Exchange and then transfer to bus #75 to get to The Gardens.  When you take two buses the cost is $5.00 for a day pass which you purchase from the driver.
• Or you can take bus #81 (which only runs every two hours) from Sidney to The Gardens without needing to transfer.
• If you have further specific schedule, route, or fare questions, BC Transit will be able to assist: BC Transit 250-382-6161 bctransit.com

Taxi:

• Another option is a cab; it is about a 25-minute taxi ride to The Gardens from Sidney, and cab fare is approximately $40 – $45 CAD. each way.

Uber:

• As of June 6, 2023 Vancouver Island has welcomed Uber as a transportation option.

There are several transportation options to travel from Seattle to The Gardens.  There are three different ferries that accommodate vehicles, or if you will be travelling without a vehicle, the Victoria Clipper is a passenger ferry that travels from downtown Seattle to downtown Victoria.

If you would like to travel by car, you can drive to Vancouver, B.C. to take the B.C. Ferry route from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay.  There is also a vehicle ferry that runs between from Port Angeles, WA to downtown Victoria.  Float plane service is also available from Seattle to Victoria.

The following websites will provide you with schedule and rate information for all transportation options:

BC Ferries: www.bcferries.com

Black Ball Ferry (Coho) from Port Angeles to Victoria: www.cohoferry.com

Victoria Clipper: www.clippervacations.com

Kenmore Air: www.kenmoreair.com