We will be traveling to Vancouver and Victoria the last week in April. Our time is limited to a few days. What are the not-to be-missed things to do. Do the ferries run regulary to Vancouver Island then?

The ferries run to Vancouver Island all year round. Your best bet is to take one of the ferry routes to Vancouver Island, and take thesecond ferry route back. Ferries leve from North of VVancouver and south of Vancouver, and arrive at two different ports on the Island.. <BR>BAK <BR>

Expanding on Brian's, post, why not do a loop trip to the Island. Take one ferry over and the other one back. That way you get to see a little more of the area without a lot of driving. In fact I see now where Brian actually suggests this so my post is just seconding his recommendation.

victoria in april is beautiful. flowers blosom............. !! don't miss the Butchart garden! the whale-watching tour shall be fun too. <BR>

The ferry terminal south of Vancouver is called Tsawwassan; the one to the north is called Horseshoe Bay. Ferries run from Tsawwassan to near Victoria where it is about a 20 mile drive to the main part of the city by the harbor. Butchart Gardens, which is really nice, even though i am not a garden lover, is up on that part of the island. <BR> <BR>You can then drive from Victoria north to Nanaimo. You can take a ferry from Nanaimo back to Tsawwassan or to Horseshoe Bay. Those are big ferry boats, capable of holding about 450 cars and trucks. <BR> <BR>In Victoria, the Royal Museum close to the harbor is quite well done. It is not so huge as to be overwhelming, but comprehensive enough to be informative. I liked it and have been through it twice. <BR> <BR>There is a very good BC Ferries website that Yahoo will find for you. I don't have it at my finger tips, but it is easy to find with any good web search engine.

John: While in Vancouver be sure to take a stroll along the seawall in Stanley Park. Science World is neat if you don't have something like that where you live, as is the IMAX theatre at Canada Place. Eating lunch at the Salmon House on the Hill in West Vancouver is a nice way to eat seafood and enjoy the Vancouver skyline from across the water. There is so much advice I could give if you had something more specific in mind. <BR> <BR>Pat

John, <BR> <BR>My wife and I have just returned from our honeymoon in Canada and I just have to say that whilst you're in Victoria, you MUST go whale watching. The company we did it with were superb. They take you out in small rigid inflatable boats which means you can lean over and touch the water if you wish. We went twice it was so ggod and we saw over a dozen Killer Whales each time. Both times they swam right under the boat and were no more than 6 feet away from us. Absolutely superb. <BR> <BR>There is so much I could tell you about our trip. We did Vancouver, Banff, Vancouver Island, Jasper, etc, etc, etc. If you have any specific questions, or would just like to know more, Email me at [email protected] <BR>I would be glad to help. Just two more things. When you're in Vancouver, the best restaurant in town is Joe Fortes Oyster Bar. It sells just about every kind of seafood plus steaks and more traditional food also. The service is second to none and, by our standards, it is very cheap. It can be found just off Robson Street. Last of all, the Whale watching company mentioned above have a website. This is the address: <BR>WWW.greatpacificadventures.com <BR> <BR>Good luck. You'll love it.

We were in Victoria last spring - just took the ferry over w/no reservations and -- first thing -- checked out the tourist office. I found several hotel cards w/ promo rates and, based on the info/rate on one, asked the tourist office to book it for us. We were very pleased. I can't now recall the name (if you are really interested, feel free to e-m me)...but it was a most pleasant room, in an updated, older downtown hotel, smack in the middle of everything (for about, $89). It's not our usual way - to just arrive somewhere and leave things to chance - but it showed us that sometimes it's the best way.

John: <BR> <BR>You can take a bus(they take reservations, but usually not necessary) from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria(no, they aren't amphibious, they go onto a ferry)..that takes about 3.5 hours....costs about $25US and includes the ferry fare. Same thing back to Vancouver. It's run by Pacific Stage Lines. Leaves every 90 minutes or so throughout the day from the main bus terminal in Vancouver(and Victoria)between roughly 6:00 am to 8:00 pm daily. <BR> <BR>Or, you can fly from Vancouver to Victoria on a float-equipped plane(WestCoast Air) that takes off from the waterfront in Vancouver and lands on the waterfront in Victoria 45 minutes later(daylight hours only). Costs about $60US each way. Or....you can take a helicopter (Helijet Airways)also from the Vancouver waterfront to the Victoria waterfront for about $100US each way. You might want to fly one way and bus the other. The ferry ride is great....the actual ferry time is 1 hour and forty minutes, but it's about an hour(45 minutes for hotfoots) out of Vancouver driving or on the bus to get to the ferry terminal, then another forty minutes or so from the Victoria ferry terminal(called Schwartz Bay) to downtown Victoria. <BR> <BR>The ferry threads its way through the Gulf Islands...you might see killer whales and seals from the ferry. If you rent a car in Vancouver to drive to Victoria, it'll cost you about $25US each way just to get it onto the ferry....and you might have to line up(and miss a ferry or two, especially on busy weekends). Bus is best. <BR> <BR>If you're on a quick trip, you can simply spend the day walking around downtown Victora...it's small and beautiful. Visit the Provincial Museum...right across the street from the Empress Hotel...a Victoria landmark and famous for its tea and scones(with jam). <BR> <BR>Just a note that Air Canada also flies into Victoria airport, but it's a major deal getting to the Vancouver airport to catch the flight, and another major deal to get from the Victoria airport to downtown. Not recommended. <BR> <BR>Have a good trip. <BR> <BR>Scott

www.bcferries.com

<BR>We got super cheap airfare to Seattle, rented a car and took ferry from Vancouver to Victoria. Having a car allowed us to see Tofino, a wild beautiful place on north of island. Whale watching costs only about $50 US per person and is absolutely terrific. Lonsdale Quay in Vancouver has a terific seafood market and is a great place for lunch. Children will enjoy the excellent hands on science museum. <BR>

I wasn't able to post a new subject as part of this Fodor's web site seems non functioning (again). I have another question about Vancouver island and I am hoping someone with an answer might read this. We are thinking of taking the ferry over from Anacortes Washington to Vancouver island to see the Butchart Garden Christmas lights display. I don't know anyone who has seen this display so I wonder if those that have think it's worth it...is it really nice IYO? Also we would love to know about nice parks in the Sidney area (not in the city of Victoria) that are big where we can hike on trails or beaches with our dogs. Also if you know anything about either of these motels that say they take dogs in Sidney: Cederwood or Best Western Emerald Isle. Thanks.