Vancouver/Victoria what to see
 

Visiting with my wife in August. Is the train ride from Seattle to Vancouver a worhtwhile trip or should we drive; or ferry? Given that we have 5 nights (max) shold we try to fit in a night in Whistler?

If you like trains the train is a worthwhile trip but it's neither the fastest nor the most economical way of making the short trip. there are no ferries between Seattle and Vancouver - only through Victoria. Driving is alright if you are taking the car back to Seattle - otherwise cross border drop offs can be quite expensive. The trip is about 2 1/2 hours each way not counting border waits which could be anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour.

If you have five days in Vancouver it would definately be worth spending one day and night in Whistler which is quite lovely, (and busy), in Summer. There is regular bus service there and once there you don't need a car. The trip alone on the Sea to Sky Highway - especially the breathtaking vistas on the 'Sea' part is worth the trip by itself. Taking the bus allows both of you to enjoy the scenery without worrying about being distracted from driving.

In Victoria, I have one big recommendation and one large recommendation:
Butchart Gardens and the official BC museum of natural history.

Last year we lucked into into an exhibition of Egyptian artifacts, and we never got past it. It was so engrossing that we spent the whole time there. (It was a return visit, and we both lost ourselves in Egypt that day.)

Whistler is amazing, but tough to fit in on that timeframe. I would say, skip it, see Victoria & Vancouver and make the most of those places.

You can take a ferry directly from downtown Seattle into the inner harbour of Victoria, and if you ask me that's the way to go. It's a beautiful ride through the American then Canadian gulf islands, and lands you in the heart of the action in Victoria. Stay a couple nights in this gorgeous harbour city, then take the BC Ferry over to Vancouver. Or even better, take a harbour plane ~ it takes only 20 minutes to fly over, and leaves from Victoria's downtown harbour to land at Vancouver's downtown harbour (the ferry is a 90 minute journey, and requires bus or car to Sidney, 20 minutes drive outside of Victoria, then lands in Tsawassen, 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver). It is pretty inexpensive, and you will have an AMAZING view of the coast, islands, and mountains.

Vancouver has so much to see and do... only time will limit you. See my other posts in the threads about Vancouver for some ideas.

You can get back to Seattle by plane, bus, or train from Vancouver. It is approximately 3 hours driving time by car, so easily doable.

This route will make the most of your time and ensure you aren't retracing any steps. Have a great trip!

FYI ~ here are the links for the services I suggested.

ferry from seattle to victoria: http://www.victoriaclipper.com/

harbour planes from victoria to vancouver (3 choices):
http://www.westcoastair.com/
http://www.harbour-air.com/
http://www.helijet.com/*
*helijet can be bumpy unless weather is totally clear

ferry from victoria to vancouver:
http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/

Victoria's tourism website:
http://www.tourismvictoria.com/

Vancouver's tourism website:
http://www.tourismvancouver.com/

Rail travel, Vancouver-Seattle:
http://www.vacationsbyrail.com/vacat...vancouver.html

Bus travel, Vancouver-Seattle:
http://www.greyhound.com