Janie

During our BC trip in August, we will be staying for two nights in Victoria. We then will be going to Whistler. As far as a route goes, should we drive up to Nanaimo and then cross on the ferry and head to Whistler? We have never been to Nanaimo. Or, should we cross back over to Vancouver and then up to Whislter? I assume from what I am reading here that a reservation on the ferry is a good idea, especially since we will be leaving the island on a Friday. Forgive me for being geographically challenged if this is a dumb question.
Since we have two days in Victoria, any suggestions as far as how to spend our days? I hear mixed things about Victoria from "I can't believe you are spending 2 whole days in Victoria, are you crazy??!!" to "you will absolutely love it!" We are travelling with 3 kids ages 10-16. Your comments are welcome. Thanks.

Janie

OOPS! That's Whistler, not Whister!!!!

Paula

It has been six years since last we were in Victoria. My husband and I fall into the "not big fans of Victoria" category. However, during our stay we took a great day trip from Victoria along the west coast of the island to go "tide pooling". (At low tide, pools of water remain on the beach. These pools are full of wonderful sea creatures eg. star fish, etc. Wonderful to view up close in their natural habitat.) We first drove to Sooke where we stopped in at their "Museum and Travel Infocentre" (250-642-6351). They provided us with info re: the best tide pooling areas and tide schedules. They directed us to Port Renfrew (about 2 hours from Victoria). The tide pooling was a wonderful experience - fun and interesting for all ages - I highly recommend it. Along the way we stopped at "Point-No-Point" for a casual lunch. I will never forget the enjoyment of lunching on their wonderful salmon sandwiches while looking out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca - truly breathtaking.

Check out Point-No-Point at: victorialodging.com/pointnopoint/index

Also, if the Sooke Travel Infocentre still sells "Moss Cottage Blackberry Jelly", buy as many jars as you can carry - delicious!

As for Nanaimo, it isn't a city that I would go out of my way to visit.

I hope this helps. Have a great trip!

Cindy

To answer your first question first: I think it might be wise to drive up to Nanaimo and cross over to the mainland from there. The drive up the Malahat highway is gorgeous, and I think you'll all enjoy it. I would agree that a ferry reservation is a prudent idea. In terms of Victoria itself - there is lots to explore on Vancouver Island. The previous poster's suggestions about Sooke and Port Renfrew (where Point-no-Point is) are good; you could also travel up to Chemainus, which is an interesting small town not far from Victoria, and then cross over to Saltspring Island from Crofton, a short distance away. I personally love Victoria and expect to move there before too long; if you can tell me what sorts of things you and the kids are interested in, I could perhaps make specific suggestions about what to do. Have a great trip!

Janie

Thanks Cindy and Paula,

janie

Thanks Paula and Cindy, Your suggestions about Victoria and surrounding area are great. We will certainly take you up on your suggestions. As for what the kids like to do. They are pretty active and love the outdoors. We are not really into the museum thing but the pooling sounds really neat. I think we will take you up on the suggestion of crossing over at Nanaimo. I assume that there is not much to do there so we won't have to allow extra time there before we board the ferry. Is this correct? How much time should we allow for getting to the ferry in Nanaimo from Victoria, assuming that we will be doing the sightseeing thing in the two days prior to our leaving. Are there any islands in the area that we should check out othe than Saltspring? I don't want to spend too much time driving so we decided to save Tofino for our next trip out west. As for liking Victoria or not, it sounds like it's one of those places that appeals to many and not to others and we will have to wait until we experience it before we make any judgement calls. Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks again.

Anne

Hi Janie: We've just come back from there, having spent 2 nights in Victoria. We spent half of one day (a Saturday) at the market on Salt Spring, and it was well worth it, but not for teenaged boys (we left ours at the inn). I would recommend going back to Vancouver, and taking Highway 99 (the Sea to Sky) from West Van to Whistler -- an amazing drive, and I think the ferries are more frequent between Vic and Van, although I may be mistaken. Also, you can wander around the residential areas in West Van along the way -- gorgeous homes in stunning settings. Re ferry reservations: We decided not to drop the extra $15 to reserve the ferry on a Friday night from Van to Vic, as we were driving from Revelstoke that day and didn't know exactly when we'd be arriving. As it turned out, the Nan to Horseshoe Bay ferry had broken down that day, and messed up the rest of the runs, so we had a three-hour wait, eventually getting on the 9 pm boat. They did take people with reservations ahead of those of us who had been waiting forever. And even though we did arrive in time for the 6 pm boat, assuming we had reservations, we couldn't get through the traffic back up in time to get on it. But the family in line behind us had a reservation for the 7 pm boat, and ended up on the 9 pm with us, so who's to say what's the best method.

Julia

Hello!

I have made hundreds of trips to visit relatives in Victoria and Nanaimo and I've spent so many weeks in Whistler that I think it is my hometown! You must, must, must make a reservation with BC Ferries at http://www.bcferries.ca - you could wait for 2 or 3 sailings in the summer otherwise - with a reservation you drive right onto the ferry.

I would definitely suggest driving the Malahat from Victoria to Nanaimo - it is a beautiful drive on a nice highway, which is very well-maintained by the province. The ferry terminal is south of Nanaimo - do watch the signs on the highway, they are a bit confusing.

You will want to go to Horseshoe Bay, which is just north of Vancouver. From Horseshoe Bay, you can sneak around a couple of corners and pop right up to the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler - it takes about 2 hours to get to Whistler from Horseshoe Bay. You will get to miss the Vancouver traffic!

As far as Nanaimo and islands, Nanaimo is a working class town - lots of float planes to watch! There are some good restaurants in the downtown, but it is a nice working-class Canadian town. Consider Gabriola Island - it is a true Canadian experience - several bed and breakfasts, many artists and writers and it is largely untouched by tourists. It is about a 20 minute ferry ride from downtown Nanaimo.

Best Regards,
Julia

darlene

I would drive to Nanaimo for 2 reasons: one, you will avoid a long drive through Vancouver (friday traffic is always busy). Instead, you will have a scenic drive up the Malhat. Second, you can stop in Chamainus, great little town with nice shops, lots of murals on the walls, horsedrawn carriage (much cheaper than Victoria's) etc. Great place for lunch or ice-cream. Then head right to Nanaimo, no reason to stop there other than to get the ferry. And you will have passed all the bad traffic going from the Tsawwassen ferry, through the burbs to West Vancouver where Horseshoe Bay is.

cindy

Sounds like we're all pretty much in agreement, doesn't it? If you and the kids enjoy the outdoors, Galiano and Saltspring are both enjoyable; when I was on Galiano a few years ago I went horseback riding on Bodega Ridge; I think the place was actually called Bodega Stables. Perhaps that would be fun for your family; you don't have to be an expert rider, and the view from the ridge is gorgeous. I agree that Gabriola is beautiful as well; there's a very interesting sand formation there (somebody can help me out with the name of it; I've forgotten - but it's quite something to see, carved entirely by wind and water). I'd check Gabriola's website and see when their sand castle competition is on. It was in August the year before last and some of the entries were amazing. If you were to drive straight to Nanaimo from Victoria without stopping in Chemainus or taking a side trip to any of the islands, you could get there very easily in under two hours. The highway is well-marked in terms of where the ferry terminals are, but Julia is right in that it can be a bit confusing. There are a number of ferry terminals in the area. If you're going to Gabriola, be sure to follow the signs specifically for that ferry. The ferry to Horseshoe Bay on the mainland goes from Departure Bay; you have to drive through a bit of Nanaimo to get to it. The ferry from Duke Point is just south of Nanaimo but it goes to Tsawwassen - not where you want to end up if you're going up to Whistler. I hope I haven't made you even more confused! Oooh - I'm so jealous - I just got back from there and I'm already planning next year's trip. Do tell us how it all went, when you get back.

Nanaimo Fan

Don't let the negativity (of those who have never stayed in Nanaimo long enough to know better) to Nanaimo stop you from stopping and enjoying yourself. There are many things to do, we also have tide pools, nice beaches (both fresh water and salt water, paddle boat/canoe rentals up at Westwood Lake). Many trails for hiking, fishing/crab pier (your kids will love that), horseback riding, walk the seawall downtown - check out Maffeo-Sutton Park (summer concerts). Affordable accomodation is another plus.

Have any questions I'll be glad to help.

NF

Julia

No one is being negative about Nanaimo! I've spent a lot of time in Nanaimo and on Gabriola Island and I have a beloved aunt and cousins living there right now! There is a great little corner restaurant downtown that does a really bohemian menu with live music on Saturdays - best potatoes I've had in a long time. There is a Four Points Sheraton off Rutherford Road. Just down the hill from the Sheraton are some great beaches and marine views. But, Nanaimo is a working (fishing and logging) class town with lots of malls and the usual stores. If I only have a limited time on the island, I would limit my time in Nanaimo.