tjhsu

I'm planning a vacation trip in mid-March, with Victoria Island being one of the desinations.

1. Is Victoria Island more fun on the weekends or weekdays?
I thought it would be better on weekdays when it's less crowded, but I've also heard that b/c it's geared towards tourists, it will be kind of dead and not as much fun during the week.

2. Should I take a ferry from Tsawwassen-Swartz or the ferry from Seattle?
I will be in both Seattle and Vancouver during my trip, so I can go from either place. If I went from Seattle, I'd have to park the car there and would be car-less in Victoria. If I go from Tsawwassen, then I would have a car and I believe that ferry is a lot cheaper. However, I've also heard that if you have a car, you have to get there very early and when all is said and done, the trip from downtown Vancouver to Victoria takes a very long time (5 hours or so?)

3. How long should I stay? I've heard 1 night is enough to see everything (assuming a morning ferry there and an afternoon ferry back). Would 2 nights be better with all the ferry waiting involved? Will I start to get bored? (I'm mostly interested in the gardens, walking around, eating - not really into shopping.)

THANKS!!

ALF

1. I assume that you mean to visit the city of Victoria, which is on Vancouver Island. Yeah, its kind of confusing. Anyway, in March, you don't have to worry about crowds. That is only a potential issue in the summertime. There will be more folks around on the weekend, but no so many as you need to worry about it.

2. Without a car, you could take the Victoria Clipper to Victoria, a bus/ferry/bus to Tsawwassen and Vancouver, then a train back to Seattle. If you are going to both Victoria and Vancouver on the same trip, then it is probably worth taking your car. You can get a reservation on the ferry to/from Tsawwassen at http://www.bcferries.com so you don't have to worry about waiting.

Sadly, the WA State ferry from Anacortes to Vancouver Island doesn't start up until the end of March.


3. Certainly the gardens are great, but there are some other cool things to do in Vancouver. The Provincial museum is great. Some interesting restaurants, and fantastic scenery. You can drive along the marine view road for fantastic mountain and water views (weather permitting!). I suppose 1 night would be OK as long as you made it almost two full days by getting an early morning ferry there, and an early evening ferry off.

Orcas

How long will you be in each city? As Alf says, you can do it either way. You don't really need a car in Victoria or Vancouver, but it is nice to have one to drive around in, especially in Vancouver, which is much bigger than Victoria.

Two nights in Victoria is good. You can visit the Museum of British Columbia and Buchardt Gdns without rushing. If you have a car, you can easily get to the Emily Carr House and Craideroch castle.

The ferries are part of the fun. Since you can get reservations on BC ferries, the wait isn't too bad. You need to be there 30 minutes in advance, I believe. They tell you. At Tswassessen, there are cool shops, so that's fun, too. You could return via Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula, so you wouldn't have to backtrack. I believe you can make reservations on that ferry as well. (The Coho) It is a shorter trip as it goes from downtown Victoria, as opposed to Sidney.

So, I suggest this rotation, and you start in Seattle or Vancouver, whichever works for you: Seattle to Vancouver by car; BC ferries to Swarz Bay, Victoria with car 2 nights; Coho ferry to Port Angeles and drive to Seattle via Bainbridge Island (another ferry but a short one). Obviously you can start in Vancouver, go to Victoria by BC ferries, then Port Angeles to Seattle by the Coho. Visit Seattle and drive to Vancouver. (or do an open jaw which is even better, so you don't have to do that leg on the highway between Vancouver and Seattle.)

Hope that's clear.

tjhsu

Alf and Orcas - thanks for the great info!

Orcas - your idea is fantastic! I didn't even know about the Coho ferry, and I hate the I-5 drive. I'm starting in Seattle, so...

Fri: drive from Seattle up to Vancouver in the afternoon
Sat: stay in Vancouver. I've been a few times, so I don't need to spend that long here
Sun: drive to Tsawwassen and catch morning ferry to Swartz.
Mon: stay in Victoria, including driving around the island as suggested
Tues: take Coho ferry to Port Angeles, drive back to Seattle.

I was thinking of doing this in reverse, but looks like the last Coho ferry leaves 2pm, which is too early for me on Friday.

Why do you suggest going back to Seattle via Bainbridge? Google maps says to take 104 and the Edmonds Kingston ferry. I've never been to Bainbridge - is it worth a stopover/visit, and does the ferry back take cars?

If I was feeling ambitious I could also take the long way around via hwy 101 and visit some oyster farms (http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=35107448)

Regardless, this route is so much better and makes my itinerary a lot smoother! Thanks!!

Orcas

Getting from Port Angeles to the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal is about 1 1/2 hours, and to Kingston is about 1 hrs 15 minutes. But, once you get to Edmunds, you have to drive into Seattle on I-5. Ouch! The ferry from Bainbridge Island takes you straight into downtown Seattle - very convenient. So, that's why we take the Bainbridge Island ferry. In the longrun, I believe it is faster, plus we avoid traffic.

All these are car ferries. There is a cute little town, Winslow at the terminal on Bainbridge Island, so you can visit it if you have time. It's not that special, though. Poulsbo, on the way, is a Scandanavian town with a cute, old downtown on the waterfront with lots of Norwegian stores. It's probably the most picturesque little town in the vicinity. I think you'll want to spend more of your time in the big three - Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria. Port Townsend is the coolest town on the Olympic peninsula, I think, but it is out of your way. The Olympic Peninsula has a lot of great things, but in March, it might be raining. (Read up on Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Pk. If you take the early ferry, it is clear weather, and you have a few extra hours, it is worth visiting - staggering views.)

Here's the Coho website:
http://www.cohoferry.com/

I believe the Coho has limited reservations, so you'll want to make reservations in advance, or get there with time to wait I notice there are only two crossing a day in mid March. You won't want to miss it.

BC ferries also has limited reservations, so again, if you're sure of your timing, making advance reservations will save you wait time.

Orcas

Couple of other things: Re Hurricane Ridge, I wasn't thinking about the weather and road conditions in March. It is over 5000 feet elevation, and the roads will likely be closed. Here's the National Park Service road info on that location:

http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisi...dates07-08.pdf

Also, when you call the Coho, ask them about the consistency of service on the date you plan to go. It is probably good, but the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a major body of water subject to gales, which might or might not affect the Coho. If it is at all iffy and you need to catch a flight, allow time for alterate routes (eg, the later ferry if the weather is supposed to improve, or time to go back to Swartz Bay and across to Tsawwassen.) I haven't heard of problems with the Coho, but it's good to be careful if you're on a tight schedule.

AndrewDavid

i believe unlike our overpriced and crash happy BC ferries, which are sometimes cancelled due to high winds ( Tsawwassen sometimes seems the windiest spot in the world as we know it) the Coho has never missed a sailing in all the years it has been in operation . Our city fathers and mothers r considering a lambrained scheme that would move the Coho dock out of the Inner Harbour to someplace less convenient. Hopefully commonsense not the strong suit of the council will prevail
cheers
AndrewDavid ( in Victoria)

tjhsu

OK - questions about the ferries:

1. For Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, how far in advance should I get to the ferry? I'd be leaving Sunday morning in March, which is not a peak departure time or peak month. 30 min? 1 hr?

2. Do I need to make a reservation for the Bainbridge ferry? I'd be travelling on a Tuesday with a car.

NWWanderer

1. I'd get there closer to an hour in advance than 30 minutes, since I believe the ferries only go every 2 hours this time of year so missing one would mean a long wait.

2. No reservations on the Bainbridge ferry (or any other WA State Ferries with the exception of sailings to or from Sidney BC).

dar

Sunday in March can be very busy, as spring break and easter both land in March.