BC Transit is a bus system that runs throughout the British Columbia/Victoria area. It was…read moreconvenient and easy to use, as we were looking for a public transit option to get to Butchart Gardens from downtown Victoria. If you're staying in downtown Victoria and want to visit the Butchart Gardens, I highly, highly, highly recommend using BC Transit instead of the tour deals that the tourism offices will try to upsell you on because it only costs $5 CAD round-trip per person to get to the gardens and it drops you right off at the entrance. The downside like with any public transit system is that everyone else uses it. When we used the bus on a Sunday in the late morning, the bus was packed, so finding a seat can be challenging. Yet, it's easy and cheap to use, with signs indicating where to go. I would use this again for how affordable it is.

BC Transit is a provincial government crown corporation that operates transit outside of Metro…read moreVancouver. BC Transit is better than Translink (Metro Vancouver) the reason is because BC Transit is not privatized. This means no crazy spending because everything is closely monitor and tracked and audited. Crown corps make sure that spending are not wasteful and most of the time need multiple level of delegation of authority/approvals. So you ask me why BC Transit doesn't operate in Metro Vancouver. Well they used until 1999. BC Transit being a crown corp they are subjected to many public service rules and benefits. This means that they don't pay taxes. Their employee pay increase is based on the released public servant percentage and etc. This also means the fare of course are lower than if it was privatized when compared to distance wise. Yes BC Transit is funded by tax payer. But if you look at Translink, tax payers fund it too. Yeah it doesn't make any sense. Anyways, any upgrade to buses and improvement would require a business case, budget layout, consultations and etc because it is a crown corp. So you would expect that any upgrade would take awhile. Yes BC Transit still uses the rip rip tickets. They work and they don't feel that they need to burden taxpayer on increase cost that will not provide increase revenue or rider satisfactions or increase productivity. They do use a machine that counts coins. So it is not counted by hand. The bus is definitely cleaner than the one operated by Translink. They do have an app that tracks the time the bus is coming. or you can text for the time. Or even just use google map (type in current location and where you are going).

Beautiful ferry terminal here at Tsawwassen. We arrived here unreserved and had to wait out 2…read moreferries before we got on one. But the little play area and the cafe mall kept her 5 year old pretty engaged through the 2 hours of wait time. Lots of food options at the terminal, so no worries about refreshments. and lots of open grass areas for pets to laze and go. Staff make very timely announcements and ensure transparency with delays as quickly as they can. One sincere advice - please make reservations during peak hours, it is so much better. Once abroad, the ride is amazing. Ferries are well maintained and clean.

Call me crazy but the spicy ultimate crunch on the ferry is one of my favourite chicken burgers,…read moreand I eat a lot of chicken burgers. Maybe it's the destination that makes it good, maybe it's that you're usually travelling with family, who knows? The ferry it's self although sometimes annoying to drive on, has been improved lots by the reservation system! Walk on has never been a problem ever. Ferries are nice inside for the amount of traffic they see and perfectly fine for a hour and a half boat ride. Some complain lots about the ferries for some reason? Book in advance and show up 30 minutes before the sailing and it'll be a much more pleasant experience!

I wouldn't normal write a BIG "rant" but it is only out of disappointment that I feel sharing our…read moreexperience could help others before booking a wine tour. May.27 my work booked a wine tour through Regent Limousine for two of our 30yr retirement friends/co-workers. Tour included 3 wineries and lunch at the second location. Tastings were $5-10 which some places wouldn't charge if you bought wine and each person would pay for their lunches. We each paid our amount for just the bus trip/tour and prepared to pay for our extra's. So. . .. when we got to the first winery they were completely surprised and shocked to see 21 people ready to do tastings. Apparently we were not booked at all. Our poor driver scramble to make contact with his company and to sort it all out. Now the very busy winery had to divide our group to be able to do a tasting, which took a lot longer since they already had another group before us. Of course this puts us behind and our next tour was to include lunch, which again was not booked. Our driver then informed us they have arranged a wonderful lunch at the end of our tastings at the Malahat Chalet. Not one winery had our party booked, and our 10:30-4:30 tour was behind and we arrived for lunch at 3:30. At the restaurant there was a set menu and our office manager asked if this was being paid for by Regent to make up for the mix up with our tour. We were told if we ordered from the set menu it would be paid for, if we ordered from their regular menu it would be the cost for that person. So we were thankful for the good gesture to cover lunch for our tour mishap, until my office manager was later changed for every single lunch, $30 per meal. When she set an email to the company they claim they did not say they were going to pay for it and they didn't charge her for the extra hour it took to get us back to Victoria. I find this completely misleading and a complete let down to such a wonder celebration of our great friends retirement. " As we did not have a reservation for your group on that very busy day and in order to accommodate you on the spot,, I had to split your group up for the tasting, which I normally would not have done, and the tasting was a bit more abbreviated than I usually do. Vigneti Zanatta "It was unfortunate that Regent didn't make the appropriate reservations for your large group on the 27th and I was pleased to hear that Shannon was able to accommodate your group of twenty" 'Unfortunately, the tour was not booked with us ahead of time and we were unaware of your visit which makes it hard on us to give you the proper tasting and time with a Blue Grouse team member. "

Just got back from a cruise to Alaska. Myself and two young kids (8 and 10) got a 2hr tour of…read moreVictoria by a wonderful driver called Dave. He was an older gentlemen and very knowledgable about the area. He took us to a great ice cream parlor that was off the beaten track - he took us around various neighborhoods and landmarks. The car was immaculate and we felt like royalty stepping out. Well worth it rather than going on the more expensive, rigid and cheesy cruise excursions. Highly recommended; especially if you have very limited time in port.

Booked a tour with this company to visit Butchart Gardens last Summer in 2019 while visiting the…read morecity of Victoria on a 1 day stop on a cruise ship They have a small booth in front of the Empress Hotel to reserve tours and to be picked up by their buses. We waited for over an hour on the street for their tour bus to come pick us up and were reassured it was "coming soon". After 1 hour we gave up and asked for a refund and wasted time standing around waiting for nothing. They said their tour bus broke down, but we later found out this company went to pick up and take care of cruise ship booked tours. Bottom line is they will simply drop you or leave you stranded if more lucrative or more profitable tours come their way...Buyer beware.

REVIEWER #18…read more Visiting Victoria? Want to head to Butchart Gardens or the Butterfly Garden without renting a car? If you answered yes to all of these questions then CVS tours is definitely the way to go! Super easy, convenient and no driving necessary- for you atleast. I was looking into tour buses that will take me to Butchart Gardens as I was visiting Victoria for two days. I came across CVS Tours on the website: Viator as an option. For less than $55 you get a ride to and from Butchart Gardens, as well as entry in. Can't beat that, right? The buses pick you up right in front of the Empress Hotel, which is located on Government Street, right downtown! They advise you to arrive 10 minutes before your departure time to check in and receive your tickets. I love that the bus that are double decker! It makes the ride so much more fun and interesting as you're able to see the view from up high. Once you get to your destination, the buses drop you off right in the front. You're able to venture out on your own and the buses leave from the destination upon every hour of the hour. The last bus leaves Butchart Gardens at 5 p.m. The ride to The Butchart Gardens was great! The buses are very comfortable and doesn't seem to fill up quickly. During the ride, the drivers usually provide history and helpful information about the Gardens. For the price that you pay and the comfortable seats on the bus, it definitely makes the pricing all worth it! I would for sure recommend that you book through CVS if you plan to visit Butchart Gardens!

What a cool experience! It's a ferry that takes you to your destination when traveling around…read moreVictoria Harbour. You can totally see why it's needed just by looking at a map of the city. The harbor is divided into 4 active sections. The cruise ships dock at Ogden Point in the Outer Harbour. The water taxi services the Inner, Upper, and Middle Harbour. It's a great transport option that is more affordable than a standard taxi. There can be a wait time. You may want to book a water taxi ahead of time if you're traveling in a group. The boat can only take up to 12 passengers. Our BC Bites & Sights guide booked it in advance so there was only a 10 minute wait at the Fisherman's Wharf pick up point. We saw a couple of sights along the way. There was a great view of the seaplane port, and the Empress Hotel in the Inner Harbor. We also passed under the Johnson Street Bridge with its beautiful aqua blue lights. We arrived to our destination (Mermaid Wharf) in a matter of minutes. Yes, I know we could have walked to Chinatown. It was already part of the tour, so why not? It would have taken longer to walk, and it was a cold & windy day. Some people in our group said it felt like being near the Great Lakes. The wind around Shoal Point was brutal that evening. I'm sure it's much worse in the Winter. It was fun! I think this is considered to be a Top 10 attraction here, and not just a ferry service. They do offer tours of the Inner Harbour as well as the Gorge Waterway. The latter one would be great for wildlife enthusiasts. That's definitely a tour I'd like to take one day.

Such a delightful way to get around Victoria's waterfront…read more These adorable little ferries are such a fun and scenic way to get around. Whether you're hopping between docks or joining a guided tour, the experience feels personal and relaxed. Boats seat just 11-12 passengers, making it a cozy ride with front-row views of the harbor. Even if you're just catching a lift, one-way fares are available and super easy to pay. QR codes at the docks make it seamless, and for those who are old-school, tickets can be purchased from a few local businesses or directly from the captains onboard. We didn't have time to jump on one of their narrated tours through historic waterways and neighborhoods, but it's definitely on our list for next time.

Great idea for a one day stop on any cruise! It was so easy. I made reservations ahead of time…read moreonline so all we have to do was pick it up. We had plenty of bikes to rent, even if we hadn't taken care of it ahead of time. Bikes are all in great condition and staff were really great! So glad we didn't take a long bus ride with all the tourists to Bouchard Gardens, the gardens and parks just a half a mile from the port are so beautiful and a lovely way to spend the afternoon! We downloaded a $10 audio cast and had a great tour of the area! With all the money we saved, we went to we must exquisite in the Fairmont Empress Hotel. This was the best day of our trip! Highly recommend!

We had a very short stop in Victoria on our cruise recently, and planned to walk into the city for…read morethe view and ride-share back to save time. We were bummed we may not get to see much. We love biking, but didn't even think about biking for this port stop with the port being so far from businesses. When we saw VBR conveniently posted in the port, we were ecstatic! Renting bikes from them was such an easy and quick process. No time was wasted whatsoever..within minutes of introductions, we were on the bikes fully geared up and exploring! We were able to see so much more than on foot or by car. We rode along the bike path along the coast, through a park, by the Parliament, and to Bastion Square. We went to an historical pub and watched the fireworks with the locals. Then a quick shortcut back by the landmarks, and a quick bike return with a proper farewell. We were able to squeeze in as much culture as is possible in 2 hours thanks to VBR, and it was amazing. Thanks...you're a lifesaver and breath of fresh air!

We used Island Time Tours for a private tour to Bouchard Gardens. She made it incredibly easy for…read moreus as cruise ship passengers to see this world-class garden even though our stop over was relatively short. The pricing is reasonable and well worth the cost. Colleen, the owner, was our tour guide -- she was so informative, kind, and fun. She made the drive extra special by giving us a full history of the gardens and a mini driving tour on the way home of downtown Victoria. Highly recommend doing this!

Wow, what a great time find! We came to Victoria on the Clipper, just before New Year, and my wife…read morewanted to take a winery tour, so we ended up booking Island Time Tours while on the boat over. We were thinking it would be in a large bus with 40-50 other people and I was not excited about it, and we were surprised the next day when Coleen met us in her small party type bus that only seats about fourteen people. There were only four of us and it felt like we were going out for the day with friends. Coleen was very personable and informative, and with only four of us it felt like we were going out with friends for the day. We don't think it was just because of our small group but how Coleen just seems to be. It turned out to be more than just a winery tour as she pointed out various sights and places of interest. We only went to two wineries and an apple cider farm because of the time of year. Coleen appeared to have a good relationship with the wineries that made it more personable. We had a great lunch that was included in the price. Actually, I am not even a wine drinker but I really enjoyed the entire day because it was more than just tasting wine. We started at the boat terminal but she dropped us all off at our hotels. We had planned to go to Bucthart Gardens the next night and were going to take the typical large bus with 40-50 people, like we had done before, and found out that Coleen also runs tours to the Gardens. We decided to go with her and she picked us up at our hotel and again, there were only four of us. The cost was the same as with the large bus tour, but so much more enjoyable since she takes the back roads with less traffic and also get into places easier because of the small van. Victoria is one of our favorite the places to go and finding Island Times Tours has been a great and we will surely use them again.

The Victoria Harbour is about a 1 mile walk from the cruise port but some of the cruislines offer a…read morefree or paid shuttle. The harbour is very nice for walking around, eating at the restaurants and sitting a while to people watch and marine watch. The seaplanes constantly took off and landed in the water throughout the morning hours. On the day I was there, it was the 1st Water Taxi Boat Ballet at 10:40am. It lasted about 20 minutes and was fun to watch. There is also plenty of lodging in the harbour area as it is part of their downtown. I though there was alot to do and an easy way to spend a nice day.

The Harbour is covered in lights in December and is a romantic view. It's a beautiful place to…read morevisit regardless if it's day or night, winter or summer. Great trails and bike paths. Quite walkable.