Transportation Options
 

We are going to fly into and out of Seattle to take advantage of SW points. We want to visit Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria - we will have nine or ten days (still calculating hotel points). What is the best mode of transportation to "get around" between these three and then within the areas? What is the suggested sequence of these places? We are on a budget and we don't mind using public transportation. My kids actually think it is kind of neat since we live in a small town and don't really have that as an option. Thank you in advance for your help.

To get between the three cities, you'll need a car, especially given that you're travelling as a family. In Vancouver itself, you can easily walk or use the bus or SkyTrain. Victoria is also an easy city to walk in, but you'd probably need a car for day trips (if you have time for them).

Agree with pavfec about the car.

Theoretically you could use the Pacific Coach Lines bus / ferry combination to get between Vancouver and Victoria and a variety of shuttle buses to get between Vancouver and Whistler. However, when you multiply the fares by, say, 4 people, a car becomes more economical.

As pavfec said, public transportation in Vancouver and Victoria is good. However, that’s helpful to you only in theory, because you pretty much need to rent a car for the duration of your trip. It would be cheaper to drop the car off in the same place that you pick it up. That means keeping it for the whole trip.

ONE HUGE CAVEAT. Make sure you can take the car across the US-Canada border. Another poster recently encountered a problem when Thrifty changed their minds and no longer allowed their cars to be taken from Seattle into Canada. Fortunately there are rental companies that do allow their cars across the border.

When you go through immigration and customs formalities in either direction, you may be asked for proof that the car is registered in your name or that you have authorization to take it across the border. Therefore you must have a notation to that effect on your rental agreement.

You could travel in a clockwise or counter-clockwise circuit. I favour the clockwise direction for one reason and that is that your final sprint to the airport for your homebound flight does not depend on a ferry’s punctuality. Ferries usually ARE punctual, but I don’t like to leave myself vulnerable.

If you accept my advice, you could catch a ferry from Seattle to Victoria. In reality you would use Washington State Ferries to get from Anacortes, WA to Sidney, BC or you would use BC Ferries to get from Tsawwassen, BC to Swartz Bay, BC.

After seeing Victoria, you could drive north to Nanaimo. There you could catch the ferry from Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, and then drive to Whistler.

Then you could drive back from Whistler to Horseshoe Bay and on to downtown Vancouver.

Finally you could drive from Vancouver to Seattle.

The British Columbia Coast section of my website may be of some assistance:

http://tinyurl.com/lq4sg

On my Vancouver page I have a link to the Find Family Fun website:

www.findfamilyfun.com

I highly recommend that website, which was created by a real life Vancouver family with 3 children.

While I also would suggest a car, remember you will probably take the ferry (car/passenger) from various points in Wash. (such as Anacortes, even Seattle though this is much longer) through the San Juan Islands to Victoria where you really don't need a car.

One suggested sequence is Seattle, then ferry to Victoria, then Vancouver (where I also don't think a car is necessary). You could also drop off car in Vancouver and take train or shuttle back to Seattle (although I have relatives that have done the later, I don't have personal experience with how difficult it may or may not be to rent car in Seattle and drop off in Vancouver).

Try the Greyhound Canada website,they go from Vancouver on the ferry to Victoria. Look for whale and sealife from Victoria excursions.Use Island Link for local transport between cities. FLying into Seattle? Take Quick Shuttle from SEATAC airport to Vancouver.Or for some the ferry from Seattle to Victoria on the Clipper,they have excursions to other places too.Check the Clipper website for packages.

Even with one kid, taking public transit is an awful lot of trouble for a trip of this magnitude.

In Vancouver, there are some fun options, though. Seabus across to North Vancouver is fun, as is the motorboats to and from Granville Island.

Otherwise, a car is really useful.

BAK