car rental

[TeanneTX]

I want to take my SIL from Vancouver over to Butchart Gardens from the Westin Bayshore Hotel.  My problem is that all the regular tours include Victoria and are about 12 hrs long which we can't physically do.  So I was thinking about renting a car for just the one day.  Is there a car rental place near the hotel and is this doable for 2 women in their 60's to be able to navigate out there.  We rented a car when we went many years ago but we were younger and my husband drove. 

[cruiseryyc]

Even renting a car, your day is going to be 10-12 hours.

 

Drive from downtown Vancouver to Tswassen ferry terminal - 45 minutes

You must be at the terminal 30-60 minutes prior your reserved sailing

Ferry crossing - 1.5 hours

Drive from Swartz Bay terminal to Butchart Gardens - 30 minutes

Time at Butcharts - 2/3 hours

Drive back to Swartz Bay - 30 minutes

Waiting for ferry 30-60 minutes

Ferry crossing - 1.5 hours

Drive to downtown Vancouver - 45 minutes

 

Total hours = roughly 10 hours

 

If  you really want to see Butcharts and don't want to spend a day doing it; your only option is to fly - which you don't want to do.

 

There are beautiful gardens in Vancouver, just stay there.

[martincath]

I'd agree with all those timings - even if you make reservations for the ferries they give them away if you are not at least 30mins early, but they're also pedantic about not letting you arrive more than 60mins early! Let's just say that nobody who lives here thinks BC Ferries is very customer-focused...

 

Car rentals with offices at or very close to the Bayshore include Bayshore Easy Drive, literally across the street, and Enterprise downtown might actually drive the car to you (they stopped doing their 'come get you, bring you to office' thing during the pandemic but if it's not a busy day/time some offices will deliver cars that are prepaid). All the major companies also have downtown offices, within a $5-10 cab ride worst case.

 

Flying, even though you have to get from Victoria to the gardens, is so much more efficient - an hour each way including the walk from your hotel to the airport to check-in and the flight. Time it right and a CVS shuttle to the gardens (~45mins each way, they stop at the Butterfly Gardens for folks who want to see that) should be leaving not long after you arrive, an easy walk from the seaplane dock in the Inner Harbour so let's say another hour each way total to play it safe - or a rent a car downtown Victoria, there are offices just behind the Fairmont Empress. Either way you're looking at 'time spent at gardens plus 4 hours' which is still pretty much a fill working day amount of time.

 

To put an equivalent time spend onto things, illustrating how inefficient a Butchart visit from Vancouver is as a day trip - would you consider visiting a garden in Brussels or Paris for a few hours if you were in London? Eurostar is about the same timing as you're looking at, 2-2.5hrs travel!

[TeanneTX]

Wow thanks for the info.  That sure puts things into perspective.  I don't think we'll do the car rental from Vancouver after all.  I didn't realize you have to wait an hour to get on the ferry.  That is crazy.  That ends up being 5 hrs just to get too and from the island.  I think flying is starting to sound better.  I know its pricey but this is a once in a life time trip for us so maybe we can make it work.  Or we may just stay in Vancouver after all and see their gardens.

[em-sk]

3 hours ago, TeanneTX said:

Wow thanks for the info.  That sure puts things into perspective.  I don't think we'll do the car rental from Vancouver after all.  I didn't realize you have to wait an hour to get on the ferry.  That is crazy.  That ends up being 5 hrs just to get too and from the island.  I think flying is starting to sound better.  I know its pricey but this is a once in a life time trip for us so maybe we can make it work.  Or we may just stay in Vancouver after all and see their gardens.

 

There are some fine gardens in Vancouver.  Including a botanical garden and two Japanese Gardens.

 

If you do want to go to the Island.  I would not do the rental car but instead do the intercity bus.  

 

-  You would need to take a taxi from your hotel to Pacific Central Station.  

-  There is a 9:30  AM bus that leaves Pacific Central and drives directly onto the 11:00 sailing that arrives in Swatz Bay at 12:35

- You will want to get off the bus on the ferry and walk off the ship. 

- Take a taxi from the ferry terminal to the Gardens.

 

You would end up with a good four hours to visit the gardens.

 

Coming back

- Tax a taxi from the Garden To Swartz Bay Terminal to get on the 5:00 pm sailing you will want to be at the terminal no later that 4:30.

- Board the bus on the ferry it will take you back to Pacific Central Station in Downtown Vancouver.

- Taxi from there to your hotel.   You will be back to your hotel around 8 pm.

 

Pre-booking the bus is at: https://bcfconnector.com/

 

Even paying for taxis etc, this is likely lower cost. You spend far less time waiting for a ship and you don't need to worry about traffic etc.  

 

----  

 

If you do decide the fly there are a few choices.....

 

Harbour Air operates float plans from Vancouver Harbour (near the cruise ship terminal) to downtown Victoria.  
Helijet Airways operates helicopter service from Vancouver Heliport to the inner harbour in Victoria.  Both are spectacular views.  You can sometimes get good deals.

 

The gardens are actually closer to the Victoria Airport than downtown Victoria.  So regular airport service may be a better fit though not as interesting.  Air Canada, WestJet and Pacific Costal are the three airlines.  Pacific Costal operates out of the south terminal in Vancouver and being a small aircraft does not have the same security constraints as the bigger airlines.   The flying time is around 20 minutes.

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by em-sk