Seattle-Vancouver-Victoria
 

I am beginning a trip to Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria. Would it be best to fly into Seattle and travel by bus or Amtrak to Vancouver and then the ferry to Victoria? How do we get a tour of Victoria? And, what method should we get back to Seattle?

Thanks.

Just curious--is driving not an option? We took a similar trip and drove to all these places. You can take a rental car on the ferry, and we had no problems taking our rental car from Seattle into Canada.

Hello...are you suggesting that we fly into Seattle, rent a car and drive to Vancouver, ferry our car to Victoria, and drive to Seattle?
Is the driving difficult?
Would you suggest staying a night or so in Vancouver?
Do you get a good insight of Victoria in a day's time?
I know I have several questions but we have no idea of this are.

It's not too hard to do this itinerary without a car. You can do this as a triangle, and if you live in the US, it's most likely to be cheaper flying into SEA rather than Vancouver (YVR).

Between SEA and Vancouver, you can take a bus or AMTRAK. Your choice. Make sure if you buy a AMTRAK ticket, it's actually for their train service, as they also have a bus on this route.

Between Vancouver and Victoria, take the Pacific Coach Line bus. The bus will get on a ferry, but you don't need to mess with ferry ticket or schedule. Or take a seaplane or helicopter if you want to try that and don't mind the extra cost. www.pacificcoach.com www.harbour-air.com www.helijet.com

Between Victoria and Seattle, there's a ferry service (no vehicles onboard). www.victoriaclipper.com

If you want to use a car, that's fine too. There are frequent passenger-vehicle ferries between Tsawwassen (just south of Vancouver) to Sidney (just north of Victoria). That's the same ferry which Pacific Coach Line buses use.

Between Victoria and Seattle, there's a passenger-vehicle ferry from Sidney to Anacortes, WA. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/sche...rent/index.cfm There's another ferry that goes to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula. www.cohoferry.com

Thanks rkkwan and also P_M
rk...I like your idea of flying into Seattle, bus to Vancouver, and ferry back. How long would you suggest in Vancouver and would you get an insight of Victoria in one day. I am watching cost so I want the most for my dollar. Thanks so much for sharing.

It's not particular cheap to go to Victoria. The Pacific Coach from Vancouver is C$35 per person each way. The Victoria Clipper between Victoria and Seattle is like US$66. Slightly higher during summer season.

So, at least spend two nights in Victoria to make it worthwhile.

For specific sights about Vancouver and Victoria, and you should post this on the Canada board.

Another quick question rk...what about Seattle to Vancouver's bus fare?

You have helped tremendously. I will post on Canada and see what advice I get there as per your reference. THX

greyhound.com $29

Interestingly, the AMTRAK "Thruway" bus is $26 on amtrak.com

The train "Cascade" is about $34. Since this train is a shorthaul that runs between those two cities, it should be pretty punctual. Should be more comfortable than the bus.

rk...you are such a dear. :)

rkkwan is like an encyclopedia of travel knowledge. :-) Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance, but I hope you enjoy your trip.

Don't sell yourself short. An attitude of wanting to help has great value. And...your input was quite valuable. Another view is always beneficial. Thanks and hope to chat with you more.

Good morning...
Any suggestions as to a budget hotel in Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria? Also, what airport should I fly into?

Thx a mil

oOOPS... I forgot to ask for any help getting rooms in Victoria, Vancouver, and Seattle. Any helpful hints before I begin my searches?

You don't say when you're traveling, so specific advice on hotel searches etc. is tough.

In general, peak season hotel prices (June-Sept.) tend to be very high in Seattle proper, driven in part by the many cruise passengers passing through. Similarly, Victoria and Vancouver prices spike in the mid-summer, so "affordable" or "bargain" is a relative thing. Priceline is usually a good route to take for Vancouver; less successful by far for Seattle and Victoria.

I believe you will find that flying in and out of Seattle is considerably cheaper than Vancouver; again, the cruise business (this time in Vancouver) drives prices, along with high BC airport taxes.

If you can afford an overnight in Victoria, then I think you might find some of the overnight packages offered by the Victoria Clipper (on their website) are decent value.

Another fun option is flying to the Inner Harbour in Victoria on a float plane from either downtown Seattle (www.kenmoreair.com) or downtown Vancouver (www.harbour-air.com). More expensive, obviously, but a lot more time on the ground in Victoria, plus a lot of fun in the flying. Both companies also offer flight/hotel packages in Victoria that are good value. One overnight is ample in Victoria.

The train between Seattle and Vancouver is much more preferable than the bus. But it is Amtrak, and their on-time performance is dicey at best. One train per day each way - 7:45am northbound, something like 6pm southbound, so don't plan same-day air connections to/from Seattle in conjunction with the train. Border delays in cars and buses in summer can be severe, plus the drive is not especially scenic.

A Word of warning about passing through Customs/Immigration at Victoria if you travel by ferry from Port Angeles or Victoria Clipper from Seattle...expect long delays, standing in single file. Picture 300 or so people all filing through a small building while trying to find their luggage. Fly in or take the bus from Vancouver, much less hassle.

Take a Grey Line tour of Victoria or catch a bus out to Butchart Gardens. Downtown Victoria is very compact and walkable.

Bob Gardner

We've taken this trip twice, flying into Seattle, spending a couple of nights, driving to Vancouver, staying three nights and then ferry to Victoria with 2 nights there. Victoria is our favorite part of the trip, Vancouver second. The driving is extremely easy, except once we got caught in Seattle's 5 o'clock traffic - big mistake! Highlights of the trip include: Seattle - Pike Place Market, Ballard Locks, Pizza at Pegasus. Vancouver - Fireworks over English Bay, Stanley Park. Victoria - Butchart Gardens, whale watching, Museum, Pagliacci's restaurant. Favorite hotel is in Victoria - Royal Scot Suite Hotel - within walking distance of everything. Black Ball ferry back to Seattle is right there in the harbor across the street from the hotel. Park your car there at night to be the first in line and walk right on in the morning. Have fun. This is one of my family's favorite vacations and we've lived in Europe and travelled everywhere.

The float plane is a fun experience - I have stayed at the Ramada Huntington Inn also in the Inner Harbor and close to the Black Ball Ferry - The room we had at the Huntington had a kitchen which was nice - its an OK hotel, beginning to look a little tired but the price was right and its in the middle of everything
There is a BC visitor information on a corner in the inner Habor who are helpful in booking tours/ tickets.
Willies Bakery in Victoria is a great place for breakfast -

The ferry trip from Vancouver to Victoria is very scenic, passing through islands and some wildlife viewing. The Black Ball ferry trip to Seattle is short and crosses open water - not so scenic after leaving Victoria Harbor.

Agree with sfg that the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver is the most scenic- its a beautiful ride and you you can buy Nanaimo bars on board - dont miss out on that treat.

Is that an ice cream bar?

A Nanaimo Bar is not icecream - it has a chocolate base, then a creamy yellow center and more chocolate on top - Its one of my favorite Canadian desserts.

I have found Clipper Vacation which consists of transportation from Seattle to Victoria and Vancouver and back to Seattle. You can either book your own hotel in Seattle or they will do it for you with shuttle picking you up for the ferry. I tried to check out rooming in all areas, ferries, shuttle or cab to hotel, etc. It appears to me that this is a good deal, I figure about 200 more if they do it for you and this was figuring three people's travel. Does this sound like a better deal for each individual? I tend to think it would be worth the $200 to not have to worry with any of it, what is your take?

Toll Free: 800-888-2535 Seattle: 206-448-5000 Victoria: 250-382-8100

Clipper Vacations

There is "tea time" at the Empress Hotel in Victoria. I don't think you have to be a guest of the hotel but I think reservations are needed. Has a nice British ambiance.
Also, there was a gorge just outside Vancouver that has a swinging bridge. Not for the faint hearted, but if you like adventure and not afraid of heights--I think it was called Grosse Gorge.

Does anyone have a take on the Clipper Vacations versus self planning? It appears to be close in cost and I am thinking it will be better because of less stress on schedules and time.

I have used the Amtrak Cascade roundtrip from Seattle to Vancouver. It was a four hour trip that was delayed by two hours on the return trip. Going through customs was a breeze. Driving a car across can be a drag. The train was scenic and relaxing. They have a dining car as well as a snack bar. Once in Vancouver, you can catch the sky train (or whatever it's called) across the street from the station.

You can take a sky train in Vancouver, then catch a bus to the ferry, then a bus to Victoria. Much cheaper, but can be a logistical headache.

Both times I've been in Vancouver, I used Priceline to book hotels and was able to stay in very nice downtown hotels for about $50 U.S. If you dare to use Priceline you can save a lot of money in Vancouver. (Seattle isn't a great city for Priceline.)

I am planning an almost identical trip in May...with some time constraints...you might want to check out my "Vancouver/Victoria" posting under a British Columbia/Canada destination...I got many helpful tips (and am still working on the trip).

The Nanaimo Bar is a yummy dessert. Here's a recipe http://www.dorchesternanaimo.com/Nan...imo%20bar'
The suspension bridge is called Capilano suspension bridge, not Grosse gorge http://www.capbridge.com/

Sounds like "sfg" has a good plan. Agree that you should post on BC/Canada for more info on Vancouver & Victoria. 2 sites to find lots of info http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/ and http://www.vancouver.hm/vanframe.html

Yikes! I just opened the link to that Capilano--I can't believe I crossed the bridge. That was before I had kids.

I am always partial to having a car at my disposal - so I would do that rather than taking a train or bus. You never truly get the feel of a place unless you drive it yourself and you have the freedom to change you schedule or stop at interesting places along the way. We found scheduling for the ferries easy, some allow reservations, and we breezed through customs without much of a wait, both trips. Do go to the Capilano suspension bridge in Vancouver, it's so much more than just a bridge - really beautiful place and fun for all ages.

We are doing something similar this summer. We are flying into Seattle from Detroit and arriving at 4:40 and then taking the Amtrak the next morning into Vancouver and renting a car and then driving to Calgary.

Remarkably this was our cheapest route and we are Canadians! Flying into Vancouver is unreal for price!

I have already booked our Amtrak tickets and they were only $100 for my family of 6.

For those of you that know the Seattle area - are we best to get a hotel downtown for the night so we are close to the trainstation? And if so, do you have any recommendations for any hotels that offer suites?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

At the risk of making enemies among Seattle hoteliers, the train station is located in an area where I would not like to spend the night. On the bright side, there is a free bus zone that encompasses the nice hotel district and extends to Jackson Street, which is a hop, skip, and jump from the train.

I've never spent a night in a Seattle hotel so I can't recommend any....isn't this true of most of us? How many have stayed in a hotel in their home town?

Most of the hotels are downtown, which is very close to the train station-that would be much better than staying near the airport. There are also some less expensive properties on south Lake Union, and that is still only about a mile from downtown and a very quick cab ride to the station.

Just to follow-up from christy1, we stayed at a Courtyard by Marriott last summer that was right by Lake Union and a short walk to the Space Needle and the monorail, or they offered a free shuttle to downtown. The Courtyard was nice and they had reasonable rates as compared to downtown hotels. (I would catch a taxi to the train station rather than take a bus.)