Victoria
 

We are flying from Seattle to Vancouver and then on to Calgary. Need suggestion for charming, upscale hotel in Victoria for two nights. If we rent a car at the Vancouver airport, how long does it take to drive to Victoria? Thanks for any info.

The airport is not that far from the ferry, but the ferry ride will be probably at least 1 1/2 hours. That's assuming that you aren't waiting in a line-up to get onto the ferry. <BR><BR>But I'm confused - you're flying from Seattle to Vancouver, then on to Calgary. Where does Victoria come into it? It's kind of a roundabout way to get to Calgary!

Susan, I should not even have mentioned Calgary. That is just the next stop after visiting Vancouver/Victoria. before we head home to Portland, Maine. My question is really limited to Victoria. Maybe we can fly directly from Seattle to Victoria, but I thought that the most flights would go into Vancouver since that is a major airport.

If you rent a car at the airport, the drive to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal will take about 30 minutes. You'll then pay for your ferry pass, then wait in line for the next ferry. Chances are you'll only have to wait within an hour, but if it's a holiday or a long weekend, you may have to wait several sailings, and therefor might have your car lined up for longer. (In these cases, there is a little cafe and rest area at the terminal).<BR><BR>After the wait, you'll board the ferry. It takes just over an hour for the ferry to cross the water. You'll disembark in the town of Sidney, at the Swartz Bay terminal. From Sidney to Victoria takes another half hour drive.<BR><BR>So all in all, give yourself at least 2 hours after renting the car, before you set foot in Victoria. Chances are, it'll be closer to 3 hours.

The other possibility is to take the foot passenger ferry (I don't remember the name of it) from Seattle to Victoria. It docks right in the harbour area. If you don't need car, this might be the way to do it. I did that one year. That's if you're not interested in spending time in Vancouver. You could then fly from Victoria to Calgary. The other possibility is to fly into Vancouver and then transfer to a flight to Victoria. We've done that a few times when we've flown from Toronto to Victoria and haven't gotten a direct flight.

Alaska Airlines' Horizon Air flies from Seattle to Victoria (Sidney - about a half hour's drive from Victoria. The AKAL shuttle bus goes to hotels in town for $13).<BR><BR>Kenmore Air flies float planes from Lake Union to downtown Victoria.<BR><BR>Having not stayed at any of these places I can't vouch for their charm, but you could try Abigails, the Beaconsfield, Holland House, or the Magnolia. Perhaps also the Oak Bay Beach Hotel but you'd probably want a car if you stayed there.

Thanks Susan, Robyn and April. I wasn't sure you could fly directly from Seattle to Victoria and didn't know what airline to call. Because of our limited time, I think that's what we will do. Although we do plan to rent a car, I thought it might be fun to stay near the harbor. Robyn, thanks for the hotel suggestions. The Empress also sounds interesting.