Butchart Gardens & Saanich Peninsula

Almost every Victoria itinerary includes Butchart, and the practical question is how to get there. The express shuttle from downtown is the cheapest way to arrive with your own timetable; the combined tours add a narrated loop of Victoria's landmarks before or after the gardens and usually include admission; private tours put a driver-guide at your disposal for a half day and often add the Malahat SkyWalk, Brentwood Bay or the peninsula's wineries.

Admission is priced by season and is sometimes included in a tour and sometimes not — the listing will say. Summer evenings bring Saturday fireworks and outdoor concerts; December brings the Magic of Christmas lights; spring is bulbs and blossom. The gardens are open year-round and the winter garden is a real garden, not an off-season apology.

For cruise passengers the combined tours with pickup at Ogden Point are built around ship schedules; check the tour's return time against your all-aboard time rather than assuming.