Victoria - things to do

[Lady Librarian]

Can anyone tell me about the Pacific Undersea Gardens and the Victoria Butterfly Gardens?

 

Are they worth a visit?

[jamiski]

Hi there. I moved to Vancouver a little over a year ago. We've been over to Victoria. We did not go to the Butterfly Garden because it was not suppose to be that great. The other I've never heard of. May I suggest Butchart Gardens. We went there with my Mom and we all REALLY enjoyed it.

 

http://www.butchartgardens.com/

 

Also, you must have High Tea at the Empress. It is rather pricey, but there is an ala carte version downstairs from the main area. We had a great time.

 

Other than that the Parliament building is very nice, and there are alway street performers in that area.

[Ellya]

Here's a link to a list of lots of local attractions. Some are right in town, but some would require transportation.

 

http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=1

 

I always enjoy the museum!

[Nilla]

Hello I am from Victoria, BUtterfly Gardens is ok in my opinion. One thing that is a downfall from where you dock on the cruise ship it is about 40 minutes away. I have only been to Under Sea gardens once, and it was very nice. The advantage to Under Sea Gardens it is right in downtown! So you can walk from the ship to there! It is also next door to the wax Museum, and close to the Empress Hotel! So any other questions do not hesitate to ask me! I am an expert on my city!

[Blamar]

I am another one of those who live here in Victoria. If I may be as bold to suggest skip butterfly world, you can see a version of it at most zoo's. Undersea Gardens is okay but not as outstanding as one may think. One the other hand, I would definately recommend you see the Royal BC Museum - http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/. It is located right on the inner harbour and will take about two hours to visit. It will give you a great idea of what BC is about from a natural and historical perspective. That may sound kind of dull but really it is quite interesting.

 

Other kind of must things to do;

Stroll the inner harbour - there's lots of buskers and a world class view. If you feel very wealthy go for tea at the Empress. There are many better and more economical places to have tea, but the Empress has the longest history and is very convient.

 

Go on a pub crawl by boat;

There is a little ferry boat running in the inner harbour that will take you so some of the best local pubs in town. Catch a taxi, or better yet a pedicab from the ship to Fisherman's wharf. Then jump on the Victoria Harbour Ferry - http://www.harbourferry.com and go over to Spinnaker's Brew Pub, from there after a pint, ferry it again to The Empress and lift a glass in the Bengal Lounge, off again to the Canoe Club. If you have time, you can go up the gorge to Point Ellice House - http://www.britishcolumbia.com/attractions/?id=72. IMO, it is the best place in Victoria for high tea and as an added bonus, its haunted. From there take the long ride up the Gorge to the Gorge Point Inn. There is a reversing waterfall there that most people don't know about. Finally head back to the Empress where there is more fun at Bastion Square.

 

Take the double decker bus ride, its a great way to see our city.

 

Victoria downtown is a wonderful spot for walking, it is not very big and there are lots of festivals during the summer.

 

Have a wonderful holiday,

 

B

[Sail With Me]

Hello I am from Victoria, BUtterfly Gardens is ok in my opinion. One thing that is a downfall from where you dock on the cruise ship it is about 40 minutes away. I have only been to Under Sea gardens once, and it was very nice. The advantage to Under Sea Gardens it is right in downtown! So you can walk from the ship to there! It is also next door to the wax Museum, and close to the Empress Hotel! So any other questions do not hesitate to ask me! I am an expert on my city!

 

Hi,

 

Do you know of a private tour company which will take us to Butchart Gardens and then to High Tea at the Empress Hotel? Those are the two things we want to do when we are in Victoria next month on the Vision.

 

Thanks.

[Notned2]

Hi there, I'm also from Victoria. There are buses outside the Fairmont Empress Hotel that will take you on a tour to Butchart Gardens and return you to the Hotel. You don't need a bus to take you to the Empress Tea. It's right there in the centre of town.

 

An alternative is the Pacific Coach Lines. Their bus depot is next to the Empress Hotel on the 'Douglas Street' side, the (how do I say this politely) ... at the back of the Hotel!

 

You can also take a No. 75 city bus to Butchart Gardens. They run about every half hour from the downtown core. It's a good ride but takes about an hour.

 

If you're looking for a less expensive 'Tea place,' check out the James Bay Tea Room at the corner of Superior Street and Menzies. It's only a couple of blocks walk from the Empress hotel. A wonderful little restaurant, full of pictures of British Royalty, and they do a lovely 'tea, scones and crumpets' for about $10.

 

Welcome to Victoria....you'll have a wonderful time in our beautiful city!

 

Cheers! Notned.

[Notned2]

Just my 'two cents,' here, but I found the Undersea Gardens very claustrophobic. So if you have a tendency towards claustrophobia, I'd say give it a miss. The Royal BC Museum, as another member said, is a wonderful place and if you have time, don't miss it!

 

Enjoy our wonderful city!

 

Cheers, Notned.

[geomarc]

There are buses outside the Fairmont Empress Hotel that will take you on a tour to Butchart Gardens and return you to the Hotel.

 

An alternative is the Pacific Coach Lines. Their bus depot is next to the Empress Hotel on the 'Douglas Street' side.

 

Are there various private bus lines that transport people to the gardens?

 

I understand that the company that shuttles people from the ship to town offers transportation to the gardens. We are not having luck getting a response from them. :rolleyes: The one response I did get said that they would pick us up at the ship if we could guarantee 20 passengers. We would be interested in that, but it is days since we wrote them and haven't heard a word back. BTW, it wasn't Pacific Coach.

[Putterdude]

Are there various private bus lines that transport people to the gardens?

 

I understand that the company that shuttles people from the ship to town offers transportation to the gardens. We are not having luck getting a response from them. :rolleyes: The one response I did get said that they would pick us up at the ship if we could guarantee 20 passengers. We would be interested in that, but it is days since we wrote them and haven't heard a word back. BTW, it wasn't Pacific Coach.

 

Is it CVS Cruise Victoria...as they are the shuttle people but it doesn't sound like them. Others who offer a tour of the gardens include PCL, Greyline, and I.T. Wilson. With Cruise Victoria you need to take the shuttle to across the street from the Empress Hotel and transfer to their Garden's bus; on the return they will take you to the ship ....but on the pick up they can't appear to be competing with the cruise lines' tours. You have option of taking transit but the schedule get a little thin in the evenings and not a good idea if you are only in Victoria for a few hours.

 

 

http://www.cvscruisevictoria.com/butcharts.html

http://www.wilsonstours.com/Home_Page.html

[geomarc]

Is it CVS Cruise Victoria...as they are the shuttle people but it doesn't sound like them.

 

:rolleyes: Hmmmmmm.

[Putterdude]

:rolleyes: Hmmmmmm.

 

OK then, as I posted above, they won't pick up at the pier and that is why you need to take the shuttle. I also note that the email contact appears to be a personal one and maybe that person is away...strange way to run a railway ... but possible.

[geomarc]

OK then, as I posted above, they won't pick up at the pier and that is why you need to take the shuttle. I also note that the email contact appears to be a personal one and maybe that person is away...strange way to run a railway ... but possible.

 

The one response I did get back said that if we could guarantee 20 passengers they would pick us up at the pier. When I wrote back for more particulars about payment etc. they never responded.

[Putterdude]

That is very strange, I know them to be very good operators and this is quite out of character. All I can suggest is another email or a phone call to them. From their website it is very clear that the do offer a shuttle connection with the Gardens tour.

http://www.cvscruisevictoria.com/cruiseship_shuttle.html

[geomarc]

That is very strange, I know them to be very good operators.

 

That's why we thought we would go with them!

We'll give it a few more days and then decide what to do.

Thanks.

[Nghthawke]

Just a block away from The Empress Hotel is Rogers' Chocolates. A definite must stop:

 

http://www.rogerschocolates.com/

 

http://www.rogerschocolates.com/stores

[cruiseyj]

anyone have info on what the weather is usually like mid-may?

 

Also, any further info on the venues for the pub tour listed above (and below)? sounds fun!

 

 

Go on a pub crawl by boat;

There is a little ferry boat running in the inner harbour that will take you so some of the best local pubs in town. Catch a taxi, or better yet a pedicab from the ship to Fisherman's wharf. Then jump on the Victoria Harbour Ferry - http://www.harbourferry.com and go over to Spinnaker's Brew Pub, from there after a pint, ferry it again to The Empress and lift a glass in the Bengal Lounge, off again to the Canoe Club. If you have time, you can go up the gorge to Point Ellice House - http://www.britishcolumbia.com/attractions/?id=72. IMO, it is the best place in Victoria for high tea and as an added bonus, its haunted. From there take the long ride up the Gorge to the Gorge Point Inn. There is a reversing waterfall there that most people don't know about. Finally head back to the Empress where there is more fun at Bastion Square.

[Roadster1]

The Bengal Lounge in the Empress is very historical and elegant..Beverages and curries there are fantastic!

Spinakers is more casual and they have their own brewpub with a number of different craft beers to try. Fish and chips used to be good there as I recall. Another nice place (IMHO) on Government St (main drag in town) is the Irish Times. Good food and nice atmosphere.

Enjoy your day!

[Putterdude]

There are a couple of other pubs in the downtown area that are easy to walk to:

 

The Garrick's Head link

The Sticky Wicket link

[scottbee]

anyone have info on what the weather is usually like mid-may?

 

Also, any further info on the venues for the pub tour listed above (and below)? sounds fun!

 

 

Go on a pub crawl by boat;

There is a little ferry boat running in the inner harbour that will take you so some of the best local pubs in town. Catch a taxi, or better yet a pedicab from the ship to Fisherman's wharf. Then jump on the Victoria Harbour Ferry - http://www.harbourferry.com and go over to Spinnaker's Brew Pub, from there after a pint, ferry it again to The Empress and lift a glass in the Bengal Lounge, off again to the Canoe Club. If you have time, you can go up the gorge to Point Ellice House - http://www.britishcolumbia.com/attractions/?id=72. IMO, it is the best place in Victoria for high tea and as an added bonus, its haunted. From there take the long ride up the Gorge to the Gorge Point Inn. There is a reversing waterfall there that most people don't know about. Finally head back to the Empress where there is more fun at Bastion Square.

 

If you're a beer person, Spinnaker's and Swan's are the two 'cant miss' pubs you want to visit.

[natesfirewife]

Can anyone tell me how long the walk from the Empress Hotel to the Cruise Ship Pier is? I've mapped out a Pub Crawl starting at Spinnakers and ending at the Empress, but wanted to know if walking back to the ship from there would be too far.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Urban trekker]

Scottbee can probably answer that one for you as he used to live in Victoria but it might not be the walk that is the problem - it might be the great tasting local craft beers that might make the walk a little longer than normal.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[scottbee]

Can anyone tell me how long the walk from the Empress Hotel to the Cruise Ship Pier is? I've mapped out a Pub Crawl starting at Spinnakers and ending at the Empress, but wanted to know if walking back to the ship from there would be too far.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Urban trekker hit the nail on the head; the beer will get you. It's a pleasant walk either along the waterfront, or amongst older buildings, just keep walking west, you can't really get lost. The walk is about 1 mile. Other options are 30 or 31 (only the later #30s go past the cruise terminal) bus ($2.50) leave from Government @ Belleville (kitty-corner to the Empress)

 

Of course heading south on govt street, there's the JBI (James Bay Inn); for that one last beer....(made that walk many times)

 

map:http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=212770407613531027445.0004665d7f3e28f06866d&ll=48.416499,-123.361015&spn=0.022274,0.066047&z=15

[Urban trekker]

And if your are still thirsty when you get back to the port isn`t there a pub adjacent to the docks.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[scottbee]

And if your are still thirsty when you get back to the port isn`t there a pub adjacent to the docks.

 

Not that I remember, although there's a cafe/dive shop along Dallas Road; is that what you're thinking of? They do serve libations, but it's primarily a cafe not a pub/bar.