Victoria & Vancouver, Flowers & Fireworks

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Vancouver Festival of Light invites countries from all over the world to compete with fireworks and pyrotechnics above English Bay in Vancouver Harbor. Each night of the festival a different country puts on its own unique show. Experience your night of the festival on board a dinner cruise watching the activity.

Quick Information

3 nights at the Chateau Victoria, a terrific location in the heart of Victoria Harbor
Tour Victoria by double-decker bus
Have high tea with the “Queen” at the Empress Hotel
Enjoy an elegant luncheon at Butchart Gardens
2 nights in Vancouver at the Lonsdale Quay on the water
City Tour of Vancouver with visits to Stanley Park & Granville Island
Dinner Cruise during the festival of light, Vancouver’s Annual Fireworks Spectacular
Ride the ferry across Puget Sound twice
5 meals: 1 high tea, 4 lunches, 1 dinner
Round trip air to/from Seattle
Door-to-door airport service
2500/2950 Gold Passport Points

Trip Itinerary

Day 1

Fly to Seattle then head to Pike Place Market for an included lunch at Cutters Bayhouse on the water and shopping in the market (time permitting). The Victoria Clipper leaves for Canada’s Vancouver Island in the mid-afternoon, arriving in Victoria by sunset. Chateau Victoria – 3 nights (L)
Day 2

Tour the city in true English fashion – by double-decker bus, of course – ending with the quintessential Victorian experience, high tea at the historic Empress Hotel. They say tea here is “…fit for a queen,” and it’s true. Have your cameras ready. You never know who might take the seat next to you! The afternoon is free to take in the boutiques and shops of downtown, visit the Royal British Columbia Museum, or enjoy a walk along the Inner Harbor. (HT)
Day 3

Spend the morning downtown with a tour of the royal houses of Parliament. Later it’s off to one of Canada’s most visited attractions. Started as a way to brighten up an old limestone quarry, at 105 years old Butchart Gardens is better than ever. After lunch in the historic Butchart family home, tour the gardens at your leisure. Fuchsias, hydrangeas, and the rose garden, with hundreds of varieties, should be absolutely breathtaking during your summer visit. (L)
Day 4

Travel north this morning along the east coast of Vancouver Island bound for Duncan, home of the Quw’utsun’ Native Heritage Center. Learn about Canada’s First Peoples and enjoy an authentic BBQ Salmon Lunch. Further north in Nanaimo, meet the ferry that will deliver you to back to the mainland and your hotel for the next two nights. The hotel is located inside a popular public market with diverse shops and right on the water. Lonsdale Quay Hotel – 2 nights (L)
Day 5

See the very best of Vancouver today including a drive over the famous Lions Gate Bridge to Stanley Park and a visit to Granville Island to browse its quaint shops and to enjoy lunch at your leisure. The afternoon is yours to enjoy back at the hotel or enjoy or make an optional visit to Grouse Mountain by way of the aerial tram that delivers you to an altitude of over 4,000 feet. Tonight, you have seats on board your cruise boat on English Bay as the 20th Annual Festival of Light commences in the evening sky. Dinner is included on board as you wait for the fireworks to begin. (D)
Day 6

Sleep in a little this morning before heading back across the border. Pause in Mukilteo for a late lunch and a visit to the seaside town’s lighthouse. Your early evening flight from Seattle returns you to Sacramento where your car from Carey Transportation waits to return you home. (L)