Victoria/Vancouver - How and What??
 

1. I want to travel from Seattle airport to Victoria and then to Vancouver to my cruise ship. How would you suggest we best get around? Do I need a rental car or is there transportation you can suggest?

2. What are the things that are a "must" in Victoria? Is it worth not being able to do things in Vancouver if I only have time and $$ for 2 days?

A few years ago a friend and I flew into Seattle and took a shuttle to the dock where we could a boat to Victoria. We stayed at a B & B near downtown so we were able to walk down hill into town. There are taxies and the bus station was within walking distance. We took a bus tour to Buchart Gardens and went to the museum in town. We took a bus to the BC ferry dock and headed to Vancouver where we boarded the cruise ship.

I don't know what time of year you are planning your trip but if it is next summer the weather should be good for the gardens, sightseeing etc. Two days isn't much time and if money is an issue you might want to forego Victoria and spend time in Vancouver.

From Seattle - the Clipper (boat) will take you to Victoria. From there you can catch get tickets on the Pacific Coastal bus or Greyhound which includes ferry and transportation to downtown.

To clarify the above responses. You can take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Victoria. You will arrive right in the heart of the touristy area. You do not need a car and can walk to everything. (except Butchart Gardens if that is in your plans) Right behind/beside the Empress Hotel is the bus depot. From there you can get the bus which will take you on the ferry and to downtown Vancouver. They also have a drop at the cruise ship terminal. http://www.pacificcoach.com/Schedule/Cruiseship The Terminal is right downtown as well so you can drop your luggage at the ship and walk around the area if you so desire. Also, if you want to see Butchart Gardens while you are in Victoria there is a bus (don't get the tour bus) that leaves on a regular basis from the bus depot (Pacific Coach)

The "must do" in Victoria is the Royal BC Museum - world class natural history museum. Also, just walking around the area you arrived in on the clipper. See the Empress Hotel and the Legislative Buildings. You can easily spend the day doing that. There are lots of hotels right there if you are planning on spending the night. Enjoy your visit and cruise.

Hi
Rent a car at the airport if you only have a short time it will be cheaper than trying to figure out the who what and wheres of getting around. The Ferry trip to and from Victoria can be time consumming make sure you go to wwwBCferries.com and get a reservation so you do not end up in a 4 hour wait it is worth the extra $15 . Victoria is just a great place to wander around in the downtown area, there are lots of things to see and if some attraction really grabs your eye do it but with such a short time and cash you will be plenty amused wondering around. If I were to do one thing that would be fairly unique depending on where you live I guess I would get on one of the hovercrafts and go whale watching, other than that a wander around would give you a great day!
Here is some info on Victoria

Cheers Rick
http://www.greatervictoriahotels.com

Curious - last time I checked about renting car in Seattle and dropping off in Vancouver (or vice versa) it was terribly expensive with the dropoff charge (and a couple of companies wouldn't consider it). Is that no longer true?

dfr. It is still true. I would not advise renting a car for this trip.
The shuttle / clipper / pcl is the way to go. The pcl does not get stuck in ferry lineups, it already has a reservation. I can taxi to the bus depot and bus to Vancouver faster than I can drive there. It is a timesaver, not a timewaster. The clipper is passenger only, so one would have to drive to Port Angeles to catch the Coho, which leaves every few hours in summer.

You can fly from Victoria Harbor to Vancouver Harbor.

I went the other way, from Vancouver to Victoria. Got a package that included a hotel pickup, ferry and bus to Victoria, and a couple of nights at the Empress. The usual package is a roundtrip but I got a discount by making it one-way. (you have an option of returning to Vancouver city or to YVR airport.

I chose to buy a one-way ticket and fly to Vancouver airport from Vic harbor. I used Harbour Air. Price is reasonable, esp. considering that it is a scenic trip.

This is the company I used for the flight:
http://www.harbour-air.com/

The tour package wass from Pacific Coach.

If the original poster has only two days, it just doesn't make much sense to spend so much of them on a boat!!!

Depending upon where he/she is from, it is probably wisest to skip Victoria for it being too remote. (it's only 85 miles from Seattle, but quite the drawn-out process to visit)

Perhaps fly to Seattle and take a train to Vancouver, spend your remaining 1 1/2 days there in a thriving city that features plenty to see and do. Then have an easy path to your cruise ship.

An update: I am taking the clipper to Victoria for a couple of days and then going to Vancouver for a couple of days (one day isn't counted - it is the day we arrive in SEA). Then after the cruise, traveling to SEA for overnight and leave the next day for home. Thanks to this post and another, I now have all the transportation issues resolved and no rental car unless I need a day or two in the spot we are in. Haven't settled on lodging yet but with this economy we will wait and use Priceline - or work off other leads all of you GREAT fodor folks give me. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Sounds like a great plan! Enjoy!!

Wow, it really does sound as if you're in a good spot with all of this.

I don't THINK we know what time of the year you're coming, but if it is at all off-peak, you should have zero problem securing lodging that will make you happy, at a price that will keep you that way (via Priceline).

For peak summer vacation times, just keep your nose to the task and get it done well before travel time. (OR, make a reservation you can CANCEL without fees, and then try Priceline during the final few days before you travel).

We are traveling the weekend before labor day weekend and cruising during labor day but vacationing after we get back. Aug 31 to cruise day Sept 2 will be in Vancouver and that is not booked yet. We have our Victoria booked for Sept 9-11 but not our Seattle hotel for the 11th. I had to rework our trip itinerary because we could not leave as planned on Aug 28 but it seems to be a better plan anyway.