Vancouver/Victoria
 

Hello Everyone!
My husband and I will be going to Vancouver for a *VeRy* short stay. We will arrive Tuesday evening @ 6:45PM and depart Thursday evening @ 6:00PM. Being that we don't have much time, we want to make the most of our stay.

How much time does it take to get to Victoria from Vancouver?

Our interests include sightseeing, boating, water/beaches, sunsets, museums, eating/shopping. We are in our thirties, and would love see Victoria and Vancouver.

Can anyone recomend what we can do and see in such a short time to make the most of our trip.

Thank You :)

If you must include Victoria, float plane or helijet would be the fastest way to go.
http://www.harbour-air.com/
http://www.westcoastair.com/

Hi Sinseregirl,

Yes, the helijet is the fastest way to get to vistoria, but you can also go on a ferry which only takes 1 1/2 hours.

If you want a budget hotel in Victoria there is a place called The James Bay Inn, and they are amazing, it's a small hotel. We were just there about 2 weeks ago and had a wonderful stay.

These are my favorite restaurants in Vancouver...

Brix - tapas bar... amazing food

Cardero's (on the water) amazing
seafood

Earls... for good casual food

One afternoon I recommend going to Granville Island. Open market with fresh fruits local art and fresh fudge! And if it's a nice day then rent a boat right next to a restaurant called Bridges and take a boat ride. I love doing that!

Let me know if you need anything else... I used to live there so know a lot about Vanocuver.

The ferry ride itself is 1.5 hours each way. Then there is travel time to and from the terminals on either end.
There is a bus that'll take you from downtown to downtown via ferry. it's very convenient but takes 3.5 hours total. The website is www.pacificcoach.com
But I would recommend flying at least 1 way if you're doing it in a single day.

In Vancouver, a stroll down Gastown is pleasant, and a drive out to Grouse Mountain gives one an awsome view of the greater Vancouver area from atop the mountain, about a 30-minute drive north of the city.

Cramming a visit to Victoria when you only have one full day in Vancouver is really a stretch. While Victoria is a popular day trip from Vancouver, you won't be seeing much of Vancouver if you spend your only full day travelling to another city. While I too love ambitious iteneraries, I'm thinking you're really going to be missing out if you cram both cities into your visit. Victoria and Vancouver have totally different atmospheres, so I'd gear towards one or the other, but not both.

Regardless, travel to Victoria takes at least 3 hours one way if you were to take the ferry, eating up 6 hours of your time if you decide to go. If you decide to fly, while it's faster, it's drastically more expensive, obviously.

If you were to spend some time in Vancouver, here's my advice:

Vancouver's a foodie's heaven - you can get any kind of cuisine. There are hundreds of restaurants all within a short walking distance downtown. The local speciality focuses on seafood and Asian cuisine. Japanese food is the preference - it's everywhere!

The seawall that surrounds Stanley Park, False Creek and all of downtown offers a good afternoon stroll for sightseeing of the city's views.

Granville Island (located under the Granville Street Bridge) gives you excellent art shops, boutiques and the city's best public market, with locally-grown produce, bakeries, florists, fishmongers, butcher shops, candy shops, etc.

English Bay, at the foot of Denman and Davie Streets, or Kits (Kitsilano) Beach on Cornwall and Arbutus offers spectacular sunsets.

You can rent boats at Granville Island on the docks next to Bridge's restaurant. We wented a 17 foot motorboat 2 weekends ago between 2pm and 6pm and were able to go north-east, under the Lions Gate Bridge to Burrard Inlet and up to Indian Arm. Beautiful.

Generic brand-name shopping is on Robson Street (as are many popular restaurants), but a trendier neighbourhood for shopping is Yaletown, in the south-east corner of downtown. Gastown is more touristy but has some good shops in the side streets.

That's only the beginning of course, but you'd need at least a full day to experience this. Keep in mind that the airport is south of Vancouver, and once you get your bags, go through customs/immigration (if you're travelling international), then you'll likely arrive in Vancouver between 8-9pm. Likewise, depending where you're travelling from, you'll have to be back at the airport by 4pm, which is generally best to leave the city by 3pm.

Hope this helps!

Much appreciation for all the valuable information. It is really helpful!
:)
Thanks!

Definitely take a float plane to Victoria if you only have one day. Flight is only 20 minutes and they will dock right in the middle of city center. The bus station to Buchart Gardens is only a few blocks away and they have buses every hour in the summer. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there and saw most everything (plus had a quick lunch).

I suggest West Coast Floatplanes - they have twin engines.

OK, here's an add on question.
If staying in Vancouver, how about a trip up to Whistler (in the summer). Should one spend a night or two? This is after spending some times in the Canadian Rockies.