ronradio

I've searched the boards to find out how to do this without success. 2A flying into Seattle end of June with 7 days to see S-V-V. Several fodorites report parking is difficult and expensive in both cities. One fodorite suggested a train from Sea to Van. Another said it's possible to take a bus/ferry from Van to Vic, then another bus to Burcht Gardens on Vic. Passenger ferries sound like fun but not the queue time for cars. Float planes? My wife is a white knuckle flier on anything under 50 passengers. So, dear fodorites, am i attempting the impossible or the impractical? Thanks in advance for sharing.

annabelle2

1-From Seattle, you can take the passenger-only Victoria Clipper to Victoria. You can walk to some of the Victoria hotels from the Clipper dock, or take your hotel shuttle or a cab.

2-I've only taken the car ferry from Victoria area over to the Vancouver area, so not sure of the best way for you to do this part; have you checked the BC ferries websites? There's got to be a car-free way, there is so much tourist infrastructure in BC. By the way, the ferries are a great way to get a feel of the Pacific Northwest.
(And the BC ferries are really nice).

3-Once in Vancouver, you can take an airport shuttle bus (I believe it is called "quick shuttle" and they have a website) from various Vancouver hotels or the Vancouver airport or the ferry terminal down to Seatac airport. You get through customs pretty quickly this way, too. It's a pretty painless and economical option!

Just to be on the safe side, don't forget your passport; I used to go back and forth with just my driver's license, but a passport is preferred these days on both sides.

Gardyloo

I would use Seattle as the hub. Use the Victoria Clipper to get to and from Victoria, then Amtrak to and from Vancouver. The ferry ride from Victoria to Vancouver, while scenic, is inconvenient without a car because of lengthy bus rides on either end.

Note July 1 is Canada Day so things in Vancouver and Victoria will be very busy. Fireworks over Canada Place (Van.) are usually excellent, though.

Gardyloo

Meant to add, while Butchart Gdns in Victoria are lovely, you can get a near-Butchart experience, at much less cost, at the Queen Elizabeth II Park and/or Van Dusen Gardens, right in the middle of Vancouver.

rkkwan

I think a circular trip Seattla-Victoria-Vancouver-Seattle is better than coming back to Seattle and up to Vancouver again.

There are frequenty buses from Victoria-Vancouver. Whole trip takes 3.5 hours, including the 95-minute ferry ride. That's about the same time it takes on AMTRAK from Seattle to Vancouver, so you save time doing the triangle.

WillTravel

Here's the site for bus transportation to simplify the Vancouver/Victoria ferry/bus transport:

http://www.pacificcoach.com/

April

I think taking the bus between Victoria and Vancouver is a most pleasant, stress-free way to go. In Victoria, you can catch the bus at the depot right by the Empress Hotel. Get on, sit back and relax until you get to Vancouver. Just make a note of your bus number when you go to the upper decks on the ferry, so you know which one to get back on. The ferries have places to eat and a gift/magazine shop.

At the same bus depot you can find out about taking a tour bus to Butchart's. You could also take a taxi but the cheapest (but maybe not most convenient) way is to take the city bus. The gardens mentioned in Vancouver are also nice, if you don't make it to Butchart's.

norskie

I live in Seattle and visit Vancouver frequently and Victoria once every few years. Just want to confirm that all three cities are very "walkable" and work great without a car.

P.S. A great activity in Vancouver is taking the water taxi on the 10 minute trip to Granville Island -- which is to Vancouver what the Pike Place Market is to Seattle. Fun place.

DB

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http://www.bcferries.com/
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
http://www.kenmoreair.com/
http://www.victoriaclipper.com/seattle-victoria_daytrip
http://tripplanner.metrokc.gov/

http://www.tourismvictoria.com/

Shar

Just returned from a weekend in Vancouver. First time and didn't have a car. It is a walkable city with great neighborhoold walks and Stanley Park is a jewel and fun to ride a bike in. We rented bikes outside the park and had them for 5 hours. Aquarium in Stanly Park is very nice. Recommend two good restaurants. CinCin (Italian restaurant) right on Robson and River Grill (?) down on English Bay. Taking the bus from the airport however was an experience. Since it wasn't summer yet, we had to transfer in the middle of the city to another bus so it took quite a long time to get from airport to our hotel. We opted for cab on the way back.