My husband and I are planning a trip to Seattle at the end of April. We would like to see Seattle, Orcas Island, Vancouver and Victoria. We have 8 nights. While this is a lot to squeeze in, could someone help me with how much time would be sufficient in each place and the best order in which to see? We will be able to go back to our favorite places next year for a longer visit. Thanks for any help

Depends on whether you plan to do traditional sightseeing to the various attractions or whether you just want to see as much scenery as possible or whether you're going to do some hiking and such.

If you're only doing attractions and highlights, I think 2-3 days in Vancouver/Victoria is plenty. But if you want to hike and such, that won't be enough time.
I'd roughly do 2-3 days Victoria/Vancouver, 2-3 days Orcas/Whidbey, 3-4 days Seattle.

As Ellie says, it's a matter of priorities. That said, though, I'd recommend one night on Orcas, two in Victoria, two in Vancouver and three in Seattle. One concern is travel time between the destinations. Of course that's part of the fun - the ferry rides from Anacortes to Victoria via Orcas and Victoria to Tsawwassen (for Vancouver) are stunning in themselves, nevertheless they're time consuming.

Late April is also the peak of flower viewing time, too - Butchart Gardens in Victoria and the Queen Elizabeth Park gardens in Vancouver are stunning, but also the tulip fields in Skagit County (WA) - en route to Anacortes - are incredible, with matching crowds on weekends, too.

Give us an idea of your travel preferences and we can provide more suggestions.

Thanks for the quick response! We are looking to see the sights-not planning to hike. We are planning a day of kayaking at Orcas Island. We land in Seattle around 11 am. Would you suggest staying in Seattle and seeing the sights, then heading out, or go ahead and head out and then save the last few days for Seattle? Any hotels or B & Bs you would recommend? We are looking to stay under $125 US dollars per night-maybe could splurge a night or too.
thanks SO much!

The Rhodies and several trees are in bloom this time of year as well--in Seattle suggest a trip to the Arboredum near University of Washington --especially the Japanese Garden (UW campus quite nice too).

Hotel-wise, try the Eliot Grand Hyatt downtown. Location is very good. If the rates are decent (check their website--find it via Hyatt.com--for internet specials) this is the best value in Seattle. Hotel's less than 2 years old and extremely well done. Much nicer than most Hyatts, which aren't bad hotels to begin with.
Search the archives here and you'll find several highly complimentary posts about this place.

I would recommend you look into the Victoria Clipper for your trips to the San Juan Islands, as well as Victoria and Vancouver. They travel to all of these spots on a speedy boat directly from the Seattle waterfront. Do this first and then spend your last few days checking out Seattle. It's best to stay downtown where you can walk to everything. Check out hotels.com for good rates. I can help you narrow down the choices if you'd like. I've lived in Seattle most of my life and it's a great city!

I recommend staying a night or two on both ends of your trip in Seattle. I went to Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula last summer and stayed the first and last nights in downtown Seattle. Tried Priceline for the first time and got a room at the Westin downtown for $65 or so per night.

On the Olympic Peninsula I stayed in Sequim at the Dungeness Lodge B&B (http://www.dungenesslodge.com) for about $115/night. It is a nice, small B&B located in a residential neighborhood on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It's a log lodge style house with an A-frame front with a three floors high glass window overlooking the beach and water. The owners are nice, live on the property and give you plenty of privacy. The breakfasts are homemade and very good - we were served coffee, juice, yogurt, fruit and baked goods each morning. Some rooms offer a mountain view and some a water view. Located in Sequim and convenient for trips to Olympic National Park and Victoria, B.C., it was a good place to stay as a home base for our Olympic Peninsula vacation.

Enjoy your trip!