My brother and I wanted to take a small vacation out to pacific northwest. We are flying in/out of seattle. We wanted to check seattle out and also the san juan islands. We then wanted to either go to Victoria(and Vancouver Island) or go to Vancouver, BC. If you have to choose...which is better, Victoria or Vancouver??? Also we were trying to figure out the best way to travel b/w the locations and what order Sea - SJ - Van/Vic - Sea ....or.....Sea - Van/Vic- SJ - Sea?? We are getting in late on Friday night and leaving on the red-eye the following Thursday. Any advice is appreciated.

Well, I prefer Vancouver because I love the vibe of the city and especially the incredible restaurant/food scene, but Victoria is nice also...it really depends on what you're looking for.

A nice circle trip, if you decide on Victoria rather than Vancouver, is going from the San Juans to Victoria, then on to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula and back to Seattle.

Otherwise, if you do decide to go to Vancouver, I'd try to structure your itinerary to cross into Canada rather than back to the US--the waits going into Canada are rarely as bad as those coming back over the border.

NWWanderer,
Don't quite understand this comment..."if you do decide to go to Vancouver, I'd try to structure your itinerary to cross into Canada rather than back to the US--the waits going into Canada are rarely as bad as those coming back over the border.

Do you mean crossing by ferry? Obviously if you cross into Canada you have to cross back somehow to the US!

What I was referring to is the wait to cross the border by car back into the US at the main (Peace Arch) crossing. The immigration/customs process is built into the ferry crossing.

So that's why I suggest doing the loop counter clockwise, so you're crossing by car into Vancouver, rather than vice versa.

So if we return from Victoria via ferry into Port Angeles the customs check will be during the trip? There are so many dang ferries it is confusing!!!

You go through Immigration at the dock in Victoria before you board the ferry. You go through Customs when you arrive in Port Angeles.