I have been searching the ferry sytem on WSF website. I thought there was a ferry that went from Seattle directly to Victoria. The only one I see is from Seattle to Sydney or Port Angeles to Victoria. Also we will have a car in Seattle and most likely be spending the night in Victoria and or the SanJuan Islands-should we bring our car or should we leave it in a lot?? in Seattle

There is a privately-run passenger-only ferry from Seattle to Victoria, called the Victoria Clipper (www.clippervacations.com). It is a very scenic run, with good odds of seeing whales (in season). Only downside: you are in pretty much open ocean during the crossing of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the water could get rough. If you take the Clipper, you obviously won't have the option of taking your car - but Victoria is quite compact. You can walk around most of central downtown, and there are buses to places like Butchart Gardens.

You have already identified the other ferry options from WA to Victoria. The only other choice would be from Vancouver to Victoria, via the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay or Horseshoe Bay-Nanaimo routes. These would be good options if you also intend to visit Vancouver.

Funny coincidence, I'm wearing my Victoria Clipper t-shirt now!

I took the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria last November. I made my reservation online and picked up the tickets at the terminal (which is very easy to get to).

I went by myself (husband was at conference in Seattle), but I had a great time chatting with the other riders. There were many locals on my trip (it was one of the flu shot ferry trips to Canada) and they pointed out the sites along the way and shared restaurant recommendations for both Seattle and Victoria.

I only stayed the day in Victoria but you could easily walk to downtown and several of the hotels, including the Empress Hotel (quite grand). The British Columbia Museum was right there too. I wish I could have stayed longer!

I agree with ALF, if you do take the Clipper be prepared for rough seas. Our trip took an hour longer because the big waves caused the ferry to slow down to a crawl.

Enjoy!

Taking the car is always a difficult question with regard to Victoria. If you are content to stay in the inner harbor/shopping district walk on is fine. You can take a bus to Buchart Garden with no trouble, but you give up some scheduling flexibility. If you are really going to stay in the San Juans, you would want a car. The islands can be toured to some extent by rentals like mopeds, but you'll be carrying luggage quite a ways, and if it rains, you'll not be comfortable traveling or touring around.

I highly recommend a loop. Drive to Vancover B.C. first thing and spend the remainder of the day visiting that splendid city. Spend the night and leave first thing for Tsawwassen and the BC ferry to Vancouver Island. Stop at Buchart Gardens straight away because it's near the ferry landing. Continue on to Victoria and visit as long as you like. If you don't have time for the overnight in Vancouver, you can go straight to the Tsawwassen ferry.

When you are ready to leave Victoria, just pop your car onto the Coho ferry dock right on the inner harbor. The 90 minute trip to Port Angeles leaves you about two hours from Seattle. A short drive into the mountains will take you to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park too, a worthwhile trip by itself. The loop gives you a lot more coverage, and I think more total value from your trip.

I also got seasick on my last Clipper trip, so you can discount my opinion accordingly. Any way you go, this is great country for touring, particularly in the fall when the weather is fine. Enjoy.

We took the ferry from Sydney to Port Angeles a few years ago. It's very convenient - you can take your car aboard and that makes life a whole lot easier. Sydney isn't far from Victoria; in fact it's in the greater Victoria area. You can get downtown in 20 minutes or so.

When we took that ferry, we heard an announcement about halfway across that we had to stop for a pod of orcas that was nearby. Everyone went out on the deck and watched these amazing creatures play and jump and dive for the better part of half an hour. Fantastic experience! And you're spared the likelihood of seasickness on that one, too.

Meesthare, that doesn't sound quite right...the Sydney ferry goes to Anacortes (through the San Juans Islands) not to Port Angeles. There is another ferry that goes from downtown Victoria to Port Angeles.

To the OP, I like sgorces' idea of doing the loop. The Coho (the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles) just started taking reservations this year, btw, so that's something to consider.

If you're starting in Seattle, I'd recommend taking the car ferry from Anacortes to Victoria Island. I'm not sure if it goes directly to Victoria or some other place such as Sidney or Swartz Bay, neither of which is very far from downtown Victoria. I'd recommend taking your car since you then have the opportunity to see some of the pleasant communities (such as Oak Bay) outside of the downtown area.

We have done all the others described and I prefer "sgorces"method.
The ferry you were trying to find was the Princess Margarette- It was retired long time ago and it was a grand lady...It was Canadian and had luxury interiors and carried only a few cars and took 5-6 hrs to get to Victoria..
Love the memories...

joolleeb, lots of good suggestions here, but it sounds like you might only have one night, from your post. If you do have only one night, I'd suggest you take the Clipper if you are concerned about time. You can leave your car at a lot nearby. On a one day trip, you won't need your car. There is plenty to do around the harbor, and, as others have said, you can take the bus to Buchardt Gdns.

If you are concerned about money and have the time, drive to Pt. Angeles and take the ferry from there. You can leave your car or take it with you. I think you can get on faster without a car.

Not all rides on the Clipper are rocky. We went on it once and it was smooth. The Coho, from Pt. Angeles, is bigger, but it, too, crosses the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which is the area that can be rough.

thank You all for the input! We are leaving this Sat -I will post my "spare of the moment" trip report when we get back

NWWanderer, you're quite right. The Washington State ferry goes between Sydney and Anacortes, not Port Angeles. Sorry!

Victoria is on Vancouver Island - not Victoria Island. Very confusing because the city of Vancouver is on the mainland and not on an island at all. The Washington State car ferry goes to Sydney, which isn't far from downtown Victoria, and the BC ferries go between Tsawwassen (near Vancouver) and Swartz Bay, which is only a couple of miles past Sydney. The distances there are pretty small and if you have a car there's no need to land or even stay in downtown Victoria.