Vancouver & Victoria Christmas: 7 Days Escorted Tour

Experience a Victorian Christmas that offers a unique holiday with our Canadian neighbors. Spend two nights in Vancouver, one of Canada's most beautiful cities, and then continue to Victoria for a traditional Victorian Christmas. Stroll through a collection of decorated trees at the Fairmont Empress Festival of Trees, take in the lights and local activities of the season and visit several homes decorated for the holidays. Learn the history of the Pacific Northwest with a local guide to discover Christmas traditions and colorful stories, take a carriage ride, sip traditional "high tea" at the Empress, and savor a wonderful Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

• Inclusions
• Highlights
• Features
• Itinerary
• Dates

Inclusions

• 2 nights at the Hotel Vancouver in Vancouver
• 4 nights at the Chateau Victoria in one bedroom suites in Victoria, BC
• Roundtrip airport transfers
• 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 1 tea, 4 dinners

Highlights

• Take a city tour of Vancouver
• Enjoy a gondola ride and lunch at Grouse Mountain
• Take a city tour with a local guide to learn about its Christmas traditions
• Have afternoon tea at The Empress Hotel
• See over 50 holiday decorated trees at the Festival of Trees
• Take a horse-drawn carriage ride to sightsee the downtown area
• Explore the BC Museum with your guide
• Visit Victorian homes decorated for the holidays
• Enjoy a performance of the Victoria Operatic Society with hot cider and cookies
• Explore Butchart Gardens
• Enjoy a special Christmas Day brunch at the Chateau Victoria in the Vista 18 rooftop restaurant
• Sit down to a traditional Christmas dinner

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Itinerary

Day 1 - Begin Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia, with its cosmopolitan seaport cities, is a sparkling holiday destination. Your transfer from the airport to the hotel is included and you enjoy a two night stay in this beautiful and vibrant city. A get-acquainted reception followed by dinner at the hotel begins your tour.

Day 2 - Vancouver sightseeing
Today, city sightseeing includes Chinatown, the second largest Chinese community in North America, and Gastown, the original heart of Vancouver named for "Gassy Jack" Deighton who opened a saloon here in 1867. See the famous totem poles of Stanley Park. Lunch is at Grouse Mountain after you ride the Gondola to the top for breathtaking views of the city below. Return to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening at your leisure.

Day 3 - Arrive Victoria
Take the ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island. Arrive in Victoria for sightseeing, including Beacon Hill, City Center and Marine Drive. When you arrive at your hotel, the costumed staff will greet you dressed in Victorian attire to get you into the holiday spirit to experience an old fashioned Victorian Christmas. Dinner this evening is included at the Vista 18, a rooftop restaurant.

Day 4 - Walking tour of Victoria/Carriage ride/Tea at The Fairmont Empress
Depart the hotel for a walking tour of Victoria with a local guide and discover the Christmas traditions and colorful stories surrounding Victoria's past. This is a narrated tour of the historic old town, which starts in market Square and finishes in the oldest Chinatown in Canada. Christmas lights and festive shop windows add even more to visual appeal to this history-steeped area, and provide you with some insight as to how the diverse groups who came to the Island celebrated Christmas. Return to the hotel for lunch on your own, before departing at mid-afternoon to stroll through the grand halls of The Fairmont Empress to view the spectacular Festival of Trees. This magical parade of 50 beautifully decorated trees benefits BC's Children's Hospital Foundation. You can vote for your favorite tree, and your donation goes to support the children at the hospital. Afterwards, relax and indulge in one of Victoria's grandest traditions - afternoon tea at The Fairmont Empress - including a special secret tea blended just for the hotel, freshly-baked raisin scones served with Devon-style double Jersey cream and strawberry preserves. Return to your hotel by a horse-drawn carriage, which is a relaxing and old-fashioned way to experience the charm of Victoria.

Day 5 - Visit Victorian houses/BC Museum/Christmas Eve
This morning, walk to the BC Museum for a guided tour followed by a visit to Helmcken House, which is located behind the Royal BC Museum. Special Christmas tours feature professional actors demonstrating the celebrations of a traditional Victorian family. Next, visit Craigdarroch Castle, as it is lavishly and festively decorated in true Victorian-era style with colorful Christmas trees in all the rooms. Return to your hotel and enjoy a performance of the Victoria Operatic Society at a reception with hot cider and cookies. This evening, join your fellow travelers for a festive Christmas Eve dinner at the hotel. Afterwards, some may wish to attend Christmas Eve services.

Day 6 - Christmas Day/Butchart Gardens/Carolers
Merry Christmas! This morning is free to relax or for church services. Early bird muffins and coffee are served in Victoria Janes, followed by Christmas Day lunch in the Vista 18 rooftop restaurant, which has spectacular views of the city. Later this afternoon, depart for a visit to Butchart Gardens. The Gardens dress up for Christmas in glorious style and are transformed by a remarkable display of thousands of twinkling lights and seasonal decorations. Miles of fresh evergreen swags and wreaths, holly and ivy and winterberries adorn the walkways and the lampposts. Traditional holiday music adds to the magic with lively performances by the Brass Band and Christmas Carolers. Depart the gardens and return to Victoria with a Christmas lights tour en route. Your farewell dinner will be a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

Day 7 - Conclude Victoria/Vancouver
After breakfast, your motorcoach returns to the Vancouver Airport via the ferry crossing. Please don't book any return flights prior to 12 noon.

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Travel Dates & Rates

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• Booking Code: MXV
• Note: Land only rate is per person based on double occupancy. Airfare is not included unless noted below. Please inquire about our competitive rates at the time of booking. Pre/post nights are available upon request. Reservation deposit is $350 per person. Travel insurance is highly recommended.

Prices subject to change without notice until time of deposit. All dollar values not denoted as US or CA are in US Dollars.