ferry to Victoria
 

We're arriving in Seattle Aug. l6th. Hope to go to Victoria for a 2 day stay(l7th and 18th). Any suggestion for ferry connections? We will be taking a rental car. Also, need recs for hotel accomodations-3 or 4 star. I am confused-is it better to drive to Vancouver and have a reservation on bc ferries or try to connect on Washington side? Appreciate any help.

You do not need to go to Vancouver to take a ferry. The state ferry system runs car ferries from Anacortes WA, which is closer to Seattle than Vancouver (less time on I-5 and you avoid crossing the border by car - a double bonus!). Also, you could take the Coho ferry from Port Angeles. If you're willing to leave your rental car behind, you can go on the ferry directly from downtown Seattle. We've never taken a car for short trips to Victoria. The town is quite walkable, taxis are relatively inexpensive for short distances, and there are plenty of ways to get to Buchardt Gdns, if you are planning to go there.
Do an internet search for the ferries to Victoria and call re wait times to get an idea when you need to arrive. I believe the ferry from Anacortes arrives in Sidney, which is north of Victoria. Maybe the Coho goes right into the inner harbor - check it out. The walk-on from Seattle goes to the inner harbor of Victoria.

We've stayed in the Holland House Inn B&B. It's lovely, near downtown and in a quiet area. Don't know much about hotels. We stayed at the Royal Scot years ago. It was a good set-up for kids - had suites and a pool. I have no idea how many stars it is, but it was fine by us.
Have a great trip!

We enjoyed Victoria. Had a great room at Abigail's. Don't know if it's 3/4 stars.

Our large room was on the top floor, had a nice view and big bathroom. Very nicely decorated. Great breakfast.

If you consider cost of the car, gas, ferry tolls - one or more depending on route, then the same in reverse, and especially the 6-8 hours or more spent in transit, you might want to compare it to the float plane from downtown Seattle to the Inner Harbour - www.kenmoreair.com - which is gorgeous, takes around 50 min., and is tons of fun if you haven't been on a seaplane before. The cost will be a little higher than the Victoria Clipper, but IMO time savings offset it. Also look at Kenmore's package deals with several Victoria hotels.

Kenmore Air said you can bring on a maximum of 24 lbs. Travelling for more than a week, what do you do with your "excess baggage?" Thanks!

Another plug for the Royal Scott. It is especially great if you have children. The hotel is actually a converted condo, so the rooms and suites are HUGE!!! It's also centrally located to the main sites so you won't need a car to get to most tourist areas. We would definitely stay there again.

Kenmore Air will hold your excess luggage at their terminal until you return. Its a beautiful trip, and definitely the fastest way between Seattle and Victoria. I like the Victoria Clipper too, but sometimes the ride can be a bit rough. You should look into the cost-effectiveness of returning your Seattle rental car, and perhaps renting a car for a day in Victoria. If you are only going around the city and perhaps out to the gardens, you don'e even need a car.

The float plane companies that fly between Vancouver and Victoria will put excess luggage on the next available flight. All our luggage came with us last time because the plane wasn't full. I don't know if Kenmore works the same.

I live in Washington and one of my favorite things to do is taking the ferry ride through the San Juans, so the Anacortes - Vancouver Island run is great from my point of view. However, the wait for vehicles to drive on in the summer is typically several hours, so come early and be patient! The ferry terminal on Vancouver Island is about a 20 minute drive into Victoria, but you can take a bus from the ferry into the city if you walk on. The private ferry from Port Angeles goes directly to Victoria.

Another pretty ride is on the Canadian ferry route leaving from Tsawwassen on the mainland just over the Canadian border in B.C. to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island - again a bit of a drive to Victoria, but there is bus service. The ride though the Gulf Islands is spectacular! Here is a link to the B.C. ferry schedule: http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/schedules...w-current.html

The Tsawwassen ferry terminal is amazing - it's huge. We made reservations for our trip online, which really paid off.