Trip to Seattle & Vancouver
 

We will be flying into Seattle on July1, 2011 and flying out on the 10th. We are two adults and 3 children ages 14, 11 & 9. We have never been to the Pacific Northwest. We will spend the first 5 nights in Seattle and would like to visit Vancouver and maybe Victoria later. We have 4 additional nights. Is is enough time to visit both Vancouver and Victoria or should we just do Vancouver? What type of transportation do you recommend?

Thanks,

Clau

4 Amtrak buses and 2 Amtrak trains per day between Seattle and Vancouver BC. 3 to 4 hours enroute including the border crossing. Be sure you have passports, birth certificates don't cut it anymore. There were a lot of hotel rooms built for the 2010 Winter Olympics. My 2 favorite areas of Vancouver are Gastown and Stanley Park.

I've never been to Victoria, but I think four days is enough for at least a trip to Vancouver.

Because of your dates, I'll chime in to recommend including seeing the fireworks on the 4th of July. We have a very spectacular display each year.
Yes I think 4 days is enough for Victoria (1 day) and Vancouver (3 days). You can do it by ferry, rental car, train, bus or a combination of those.
suze (in seattle)

With that many people I think a car will really be your best option. While the train is convenient for one or two people traveling from Seattle to Vancouver, the logistics will get complicated with five - taxis to/from train stations and hotels, getting around town... just IMO but the car will solve a lot of problems without costing appreciably more.

I'd recommend looking at the Residence Inn on Lake Union for your accommodations. They have 2-BR suites that are priced considerably less than two separate rooms, have full kitchens, and have a daily breakfast - perfect for families. In addition, the Residence Inn's location is simply perfect for seeing the fireworks on the 4th of July - the show is over Lake Union, directly in front of the hotel. You won't have to fuss with traffic on the 4th (the whole Lake Union area is wall-to-wall humanity.) Plus, the South Lake Union Streetcar, which travels to downtown Seattle, stops at the front door, so you can leave the car while you hit the sights downtown - Pike Market, etc.

The car will allow you to see things beyond the downtown area, including some sights the kids might find interesting - our great zoo, the Lake Union locks and fish ladders, the Museum of Flight... lots of options.

With four days (I assume that doesn't include going-home day?) You could include Victoria and Vancouver, but it would be a pretty hasty trip. What I'd recommend would be to take one day to go to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula - ferry to Bainbridge Island from Seattle, then visit Hurricane Ridge outside PA before spending the night there. Next morning, take the Coho (car) ferry from PA to Victoria and spend the afternoon around the Inner Harbour. Next morning take the BC ferry to Tsawwassen (on the BC mainland) and spend two days around Vancouver - Stanley Park, the fabulous Vancouver Aquarium, then return to Seattle (which would take around 5 hours given typical border congestion entering the US.) As you can see, doable but rushed.

An alternative approach might be to go to Port Angeles, but just do a day trip to Victoria using the Victoria Express passenger ferry from PA, then return that evening (remember, long days in June) and spend the rest of the time exploring the Olympic Peninsula and Pacific coastal strip of Olympic National Park. For example, in June the Hoh Valley rain forest is (IMO) at its best, as the Roosevelt Elk that over-winter at lower elevations have eaten all the underbrush, leaving a totally spooky scene - big distances with nothing but trees and Spanish moss disappearing into the mist 'cause all the lower stuff has been eaten. (Plus the elk will still be around - amazing animals.) For any Twilight/vampire fans, it's simply perfect - you can stop in Forks en route to load up on souvenir schlock from the movies.

Vancouver is a wonderful city, but not one that should be rushed IMO.

Meant to say July, not June in a couple of places. Sorry.