Hey Folks,
I am looking for some itinery suggestions for 7 days in the seattle vancouver region. We are flying from North Carolina to Seattle, have arranged for a car and have friends who will host us in Seattle and Vancouver. My preference is to spend not more than 1-2 days in seattle and then move to vacouver directly or go the National park in WA for a day, then to Victoria followed by Vancouver and back. Suggestion and tips on itinery and travelling with a tot would be greatly appreciated. this is our first long big vacation with our daughter and I am not sure what to expect and how much to plan..

I might be over my head on this one... particularly in the area of "how much to plan" (considering the kid).

The locations will certainly be grand, and I'm inclined to say that if it is actual VACATION you want, that you allow time for relaxing and child-related delays and irritations. I sorta think I would just stick to Seattle and Vancouver.

You will be so far from home that it is all area you won't see again for a long while, so I think the adults can gain most from allowing TIME to digest central Seattle and central Vancouver vs. adding time for the National Park (Olympic Peninsula, I'm guessing you to mean), the ferry, and then Victoria, and then another Ferry).

There is a reason why Vancouver is consistently the ONLY North American city mentioned among the "Top Ten Livable Cities" on earth.

Both the Seattle downtown area and the Vancouver downtown area are compact enough to allow for reasonably easy getting around for you and baby.

Given what you offered, I think I'd land in Seattle on day "X"... then stay with the Seattle friends for two nights... leave by car up Interstate 5 toward Vancouver on day number X-plus-2... then spend 4 nights at a nice hotel in downtown Vancouver. (I'd use Priceline.com for such a place, because the location won't matter too much as long as you are "downtown", and the rates are relatively good with Priceline, freeing up your budget for other things)

Seattle attractions include:

Pike Place Market
Space Needle/Seattle Center
maaaaaaaaybe a trip to Mount Rainier
Pioneer Square
maaaaaaaybe a scenic ferryboat ride
Seattle Aquarium
etc.

Vancouver attractions include:

Stanley Park
Vancouver Aquarium there (better than Seattle's)
Chinatown
Water and mountain views
Shopping on Robson streets
People watching on Granville
Relatively safe downtown streets all night long
Diverse restaurant cuisine, etc.


Anyway, I tend to favor reducing the number of hours you are in a car with an 18-month-old, and just sticking to basics in this area which will still impress the both of you.

The friends on both ends will be sure you don't miss anything.

Good luck.

Thanks so much for your suggestion. I am also beginging to think that Seattle - Vancouver is prob the sane thing to do. But I reaalllly want to see victoria. Seems like such as waste to go all the way and not see Victoria. Is is too much to do a day trip from Vancover to Victoria??How long is ferry etc?
Also what are your thoughts on doing the 'chuckanaut' scenic drive to Vancouver? Although your point about less time in car is better- is well take.

Thanks again.

If you want to see Victoria (where I live) I'd suggest you do an overnight trip, although theoretically a day trip is possible. In order to spare yourself long, long waits in the ferry lineup, though, I would splurge for a reservation. You can do that on the BC Ferries website.

On the plus side in terms of the ferry trip: the ferries have play areas for kids, as do the ferry terminals. When you're on the ferry you aren't sitting in the car; your little girl can run around, go outside on the deck, etc. You will have to sit in the car without much going on, while you're waiting to board and again to disembark. She might get restless during those times but it shouldn't be more than about 15 minutes at either end.

The crossing itself takes about an hour and a half. But the trip from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria, in total, is about 4 and a half hours. If you did a day trip that would mean 9 hours of travelling. We've done it, it's not impossible, but I don't think I'd want to do it with a toddler.

If this is you first big trip with your little one, regardless of your final itinerary, I have one suggestion. PRACTICE!!!

What you are suggesting as a first long trip is a LOT of sitting in cars/on ferries for a little one who is not accustomed to it. Then you are planning on a minumum of 3 different 'homes' in the same space of time. This is pretty disruptive of routine for a toddler.

If you really are contemplating 4 days out of a 7 day trip in the car and three different beds, you will need to have your child on a couple of weekend runs, or this is not going to be fun for any of you.

Just sign me, Been There, Done That...

Hi again,

Less than a week ago I met some people from Arizona who were about to head for Vancouver for the first time. Upon quick glance at the (very obvious, largely unneeded-by-me) MAP, I DID direct them to Chuckanut Drive.

The best part of doing so was that EVEN IF there was nothing at all that appealed to them in the way of scenery, it didn't add much at all to the Seattle-to-Vancouver trip.

There are pleasant views along that path, and if you just want to mix-up your lengthy interstate drive, then it fits the bill.

As for Victoria... I have lived in Seattle for decades, and have only been to Victoria TWICE. (it is just 85 miles from here or so)

I know it might seem alluring given what you probably read of it online... but it is quite awkward to get to, and the ferry from Vancouver even takes a couple of hours each way. If I could merely snap my fingers and put you there, then of course... but as even Seattle and Vancouver must seem a long, loooooong way from your home, I just don't know that you'd be enhancing your trip by adding that extra arm.

I just think that Vancouver is so unique and so impressive that you would do best, both for yourselves and for baby, to plant yourselves there for 4-ish days and really get a deep breath of the place.

And geez, WHAT IF baby is sick for much of one of those days, and you're inclined to stay-in with her... then you have a 4-day 'window' in Vancouver to allow for that, and still have time to get around and see things.

NOW IF there are particulars about Victoria that someone has told you about, that you REALLY find yourself charged-up about seeing... then by all means... go for it... as I suspect you'll get as much out of fitting your upcoming reality into your mind's eye as you would from some of what Vancouver has to offer.

I just think that a reasonable vactioner coming across the country could get plenty enough from 2 days in Seattle and 4 days in Vancouver... that even if he/she were traveling alone and calling his/her own shots... much less having hosts in both places who will also have ideas for you.

Granted Victoria is NOT quite the west coast version of Newfoundland in terms of being remote but, in some ways, it might as well be.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and warnings!! I def do not have much time to practice anything with my kid so we are going to have to wing it

I think I will, albeit with a slightly heavy heart , take the suggestion and skip Victoria- I guess this is not the last time in life we visit...I hope.
Will let you all know how it went.
Thanks