gheyer

Hello:
This is my first post to these boards--hope I'm posting correctly.

I am planning a 9 or 10-night trip this July to Seattle, the San Juan Islands, Victoria, and Vancouver and would like some help in planning the itinerary.

1. How many days in each destination would be appropriate? My husband and I will travel with our 15-year-old daughter who enjoys the city experience (shopping etc.), and we also enjoy historic/cultural attractions and some scenic natural beauty.

2. How can we get to Anacortes for the Washington State ferry? And does it make sense to then take a ferry from San Juan Island to Victoria (and then on to Vancouver)?

3. Would it be better to omit Vancouver entirely? (too packed of an itinerary?)

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

ALF

1. I would spend less time in Victoria and the San Juans, because they are smaller and will take less time to check out. How many of the San Juan Islands do you want to visit?

2. It is possible, but tough to get to Anacortes from Seattle by public transportation. One thing to consider is the Victoria Clipper (www.clippervacations.com), which sails once a day from Seattle to Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island. From there, you could take a WA State ferry on to Sidney, which is a short bus ride from Victoria.

3. I wouldn't skip Vancouver, which is a fantastic city. You can take a ferry from Swartz Bay (near Victoria) to Tsawwassen (near Vancouver). Vancouver has great public transportation, and when you are done, grab the Amtrak back to Seattle.

gheyer

Thank you so much, Alf!

I will check out the Victoria Clipper.

So do you think that we should allocate the nights as follows:

1. Fly into Seattle and stay two nights.
2. Take the Clipper to Friday Harbor and stay one or two nights. I'm not sure how many islands I want to visit--perhaps just that one for this trip.
3. Take the W. State Ferry to Sydney and overnight in Victoria.
4. Take the ferry to Vancouver and stay two (or three?) nights.
5. Take Amtrak back to Seattle for one more night and then fly home.

I had heard that the there is an evening train back to Seattle from Vancouver that has a scenic route. I think it leaves at 6 p.m. or something like that.

Please let me know if you think this plan makes sense, or if it would be far simpler to skip Friday Harbor and just do the three cities.

Thanks again, and I'd be grateful for any further suggestions.

Gheyer

cbmsmath

I went to the San Juans last July. If you are only going to go to one island, go to San Juan. Friday Harbor has lots of fishing, restaurants, art galleries etc... You can take a bus tour around the island, which takes you to historical places and whale watching park. You can also rent mopeds and go yourself. Also, the next time we go, we want to take a kayaking and/or fishing charter.

suze

Does the Clipper go to Friday Harbor on the San Juans? I thought it just went Seattle/Victoria and back?

NWWanderer

I wouldn't skip the San Juans or I'd at least substitute another place that isn't a city (e.g., go out to the Olympic Peninsula and then on to Victoria)--I don't think coming here and just seeing the cities gives you a good sense of the NW.

You could rent a car rather than taking the Clipper, etc. While it can be a pain to take a car on the ferries, with planning it's not that bad (for example, don't go to the islands on a Friday afternoon or Sat morning), and I think having a car is important to really be able to see the San Juans--for me, much of the pleasure of being there is driving the back roads and seeing things that you wouldn't be able to if you just stayed in Friday Harbor, for example.

gheyer

I wanted to avoid renting a car if possible. But the public transportation sounds a little complicated (or maybe I just need to learn more). Also, I really like this idea of getting from place to place by ferry and train.

Yes, I think we will go to Friday Harbor, by Clipper if that works. I know there is so much natural beauty to see in the area (such as Olympic National Park), and it is hard to choose how to allocate our time.

Thanks, all!

April

I think you need some sort of transportation for San Juan Island because, as far as I'm concerned, Friday Harbor just isn't the highlight of the island. Take note of the charming road names as you drive through/by forests, coastal shores and beautiful farmland, and be sure to visit Roche Harbor and the American Camp and English Camp.

As to how to get to Victoria from the Washington State ferry dock in Sidney without a car, I don't personally know of a handy method. Does one have to wander into Sidney to catch a city bus?

NWWanderer

I agree, April--so I'd at least look into renting a car on the island--or mopeds, I suppose but I'm not sure a 15 year old would be able to do that.

There is a private passenger ferry that goes from Friday Harbor right to downtown Victoria in the summer--I think it's called the Victoria Express. So without a car that would be your best bet.

gheyer

This information is so helpful.

So I'm starting to think that we had better rent the car in Seattle, drive to Anacortes to catch the ferry, then use the car while on San Juan Island. After that, it seems we could rely on public transportation for the remainder of the trip.

Is it hard to take a car over on the ferry? Overall, do you think this is the best plan?

Thanks again.

ALF

In the summertime, you will definitely need to make a reservation in advance to get your car onto the Anacortes ferry; and another one to get you from Friday Harbor to Sidney.

If you do decide to rent a car, I would recommend that you first take the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry to Whidbey Island, then drive up Whidbey Island to Anacortes. Deception Pass alone makes it worthwhile to take this route. Also, right near Anacortes is a little-known but spectacular viewpoint called Mt. Erie.

In any event, the problem with the Anacortes-Sidney ferry is that it leaves at something like 7:45am, and you need to be there at least an hour ahead of time, so you either need to stay overnight nearby or leave Seattle well before dawn.

I'd still make a pitch for the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Friday Harbor. It is a beautiful ride and I think you'll save money over renting a car and taking it on the ferries. You will still probably save money even if you take a taxi from the Sidney dock into Victoria. Victoria itself is so small you will not need a car there.

To be sure, a car would be handy on San Juan Island to drive out to places like Limekiln Point. You may also want to consider a day on Orcas Island, which is less-developed and prettier than San Juan Island. The view from Mt. Constitution on a good day could be the best view in the State.

Also, if you do get a car, I'd suggest driving along the pretty coast of Vancouver from Victoria to Nanaimo; and then take the ferry from there to Horseshoe Bay, which is just north of Vancouver.

April

Thanks for reminding me of the Victoria Express, NWWanderer. That is an option I'd like to try myself.

Gheyer, there seems to be no easy way of travelling in these parts. In your shoes, I might rent a car for the whole trip but then you're looking at ferry reservations. Another option - if there is a Clipper trip from Seattle to San Juan Island then you could do that and just rent a car on the island. Taking the Victoria Express to Victoria would eliminate the problem of how to get from Sidney to downtown Victoria (if you took the Washington State ferry). I see on the Victoria Expresss website that they operate from June 14 to Sept. 1, leaving Victoria at 9:30 am and San Juan Island at 3:30 pm. From Victoria you could take the bus across on the ferry to Vancouver. That's the easy part as they run usually every hour in the summertime, and the bus terminal in Victoria is right by the harbour next to the Empress hotel. No reservation is required for the bus either.

gheyer

Thank you so much, everybody!

I have discovered that there is a Clipper vacations package that will handle all of the reservations for us. This package allows you to stay in Seattle, then take the Victoria Clipper to Friday Harbor for one or more nights. Then on to Victoria via the Washington state ferry and a bus transfer to the city center. After an overnight there, you take the bus/ferry to Vancouver and stay one or more nights. Finally, you take the Amtrak back to Seattle.

This sounds like a good bet, though I haven't priced the package in comparison to handling all these arrangements ourselves.

The more I read about Vancouver, the more I think we should stay longer there!

So I'm now thinking that we will spend two nights in Seattle, two nights in Friday Harbor, one or two nights in Victoria, and three or four nights in Vancouver.

April

Well that sounds dandy and it takes care of the problem of how to get from the Washington State ferry dock to Victoria. They seem to have a good selection of hotels too.