Seattle to Vancouver
 

It's much cheaper (by 50%) to fly to Seattle than to Vancouver, but we might want to spend Thanksgiving weekend in Vancouver. Is the drive from Seattle to Vancouver particularly nice/scenic, or would it be really silly to fly to Seattle if Vancouver is our ultimate destination?

No. The drive is not particularly scenic. It's straight up the I-5 freeway. I'm not sure about "silly" coming to Seattle, but it might be worth the higher plane fare if Vancouver is where you want to be.

I love Seattle, I live here, but if Vancouver is the goal, I'm not sure the saving of flying into Seattle, having to then rent a car, make the drive, border crossing, etc. would pencil out to your benefit.

suze, we love Seattle! But we would make this trip (like we did to Edmonton last Thanksgiving) because our beloved San Jose Sharks are playing in Vancouver (and I haven't been in Vancouver, although my DD and DH have, separately) in 30+ years). Hmmmm, maybe we should do it, and spend a day in Seattle at the beginning or end....

We took the Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful ride, mostly right along the edge of the coast with Puget Sound on one side and the countryside on the other. It wasn't too long, maybe 3-4 hours at the most. Getting through customs at the train station in Vancouver was simple and I would highly recommend taking the train. Sorry, but I don't remember the price range.

dgarland, we'll look into that -- we love train trips!

Unfortunately, on the days we can go, Amtrak only runs a bus between Seattle and Vancouver -- I love trains, buses, not so much!

That's what we did a couple of years ago. Not particularly scenic, but we were going to rent a car anyway, so the 3 hr.(?) drive was worth the savings to us. As I recall, it was about half the price of flying straight to Vancouver.

~Liz

elberko, it's EXACTLY half the price, and there are three of us!

With three people, sounds like it's probably worth coming into Seattle and renting a car. Just don't count on big scenery from the highway/drive up to Vancouver is all. It's not a hard drive, just a straight shot north on the freeway. Sure if you like Seattle maybe put one day here at the beginning or end of the trip (maybe the end would be better so you'll be nearby for your flight home?).

Be sure to have your passports ready!!

bobmrg, our passports are always at the ready!!

The border crossing could take hours on US Thanksgiving weekend, even going into Canada during the holiday. What is your time worth? If you are talking Wednesday evening (or Thursday morning to Sunday night, I'd seriously suggest you fly into Vancouver or take the bus up.