Visiting Seattle and Vancouver, BC in August, 2016
 

Hi. My wife and I will be visiting Seattle and Vancouver, BC in August, 2016 for 7 nights. Our plan is to fly in and out of Seattle because that is where Jet Blue flies. Would appreciate advice on how to plan our trip. Want to see Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria during our vacation. Was thinking 3 nights in Seattle, 2 in Vancouver, and then 1 night on the return in Seattle before our flight back to Boston. Our child is in Seattle so we thought we would spend a few days there before we headed to Vancouver. Is there a scenic drive to/from Vancouver? Could anyone advise on where to stay/what to do in Seattle, where to stay/what to do in Vancouver, as well as best way to visit Victoria considering we only have a short time? Not keen on taking the water plane to Victoria. Was thinking the ferry. However I have no idea on the costs to get to Victoria from Vancouver and then back again. Again, we would really appreciate your advice on how to plan our time. Thanks.

The logistics become a nightmare trying to take a rental car into Canada and then trying to go to Victoria.
Take either the early train or the first Amtrak bus of the day from Seattle King St. station to Vancouver.
Leaving Vancouver you will have to take a ferry to Victoria (without a car).
If your child can meet you in Port Angeles WA and bring you back to Seattle or to SeaTac it might work out for you.

We've done this at least once a year for a long time, given family in the Seattle area and a love of British Columbia.

Scenic route - No... Just power up I-5 given your schedule.

Rental car - Confirm with the rental car company in advance, and make sure you remind them at the counter, so they include the Canadian insurance binder, it is routine. Some companies do not allow you to cross, but Budget has been fine.

Victoria - Yes, you can go on the ferry for a long day trip, just to visit Victoria and maybe Butchart Gardens. Consider going out the Horseshoe Bay terminal. Allow time in advance to line up. Www.bcferries.com

If you can stay the night in Victoria, you have a couple other ferry options, let me know if that might interest you.

We've taken the train as well, but normally just drive.

BTW, we take our car on the ferry.

If you want to include Victoria, a good routing would be Seattle, Victoria (via ferry from Port Angeles or Anacortes), Vancouver, Seattle. If you drive counter-clockwise, ferries to the US depart from Victoria or Sidney.

Verify that your car rental agency permits its cars to go into Canada, and make reservations on all ferry trips.

HTtY

PS The direct route from Seattle to Vancouver is not "scenic" by NW standards.

Good advice from happytrailstoyou. The Port Angeles ferry is the Black Ball Ferry Line (M.V. Coho): https://www.cohoferry.com/

Going that route one way can be fun, since you would have a chance to also ride on one or two of the ferries in the Washington State ferry system - a staple of the Seattle commuter experience. Since your child lives in Seattle, he/she may be able to provide a bit of guidance there. Here is a link for some more information on that: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

I do love riding on the ferry to/from Vancouver Island, both Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen terminals. Do keep in mind, though, that you are looking at a good 1-1/2 hour ride plus line-up time of probably an hour or more. So while doable as a day trip, it's good to consider a night stay in Victoria if you want to see much.

For the car rental, I double checked Budget's site, since I am in the process of planning another trip to B.C. and will fly into Spokane. From their FAQ section:

"Traveling from the U.S. to Canada
If you are a U.S resident, you may drive a Budget car into Canada. However, when you pick up a U.S.-registered vehicle in the U.S., you must advise us that you plan to drive to Canada so that, for insurance purposes, we may issue a Canadian Non-Resident Insurance Card. This card, to be kept inside the vehicle, is provided at no cost and it serves as simple documentation that the vehicle is insured in the U.S."

Staying in Vancouver - we normally have good luck using Priceline and bidding on a 4-star in downtown. Do a search on the forums here, and you will find lots of advice regarding places to stay and things to do (which are abundant). Public transportation is excellent, so you have little need to drive in the city itself; prepare to pay for parking, as is true with other large cities. Some info on getting around in Vancouver: http://www.translink.ca/

Thank you all so very much. Great advice. Based on the responses we are wondering if we are better off on this trip flying in/out of Seattle but instead of going to Vancouver/Victoria (do that on another trip) head south down the coast of Washington. Any thoughts on this? Thanks again. W

You might tour the Olympic peninsula (Olympic National Park). The northern part of the coast is beautiful, but as you get farther south, the view is more marsh/mud flats and not as dramatic.

Sure, flying in/out of SeaTac and going to the Washington (and/or Oregon) coast makes a wonderful trip in the summertime.

A week is a good amount of time to make a loop of the Olympic Peninsula something like this - https://goo.gl/maps/UjjgDDZ7o352

You get terrific and picturesque towns like Port Townsend, alpine scenery at Hurricane Ridge, awesome rocky seashore at places like La Push and Ruby Beach, and the unique rain forest valleys along the Hoh and Quinault rivers. Google some pictures of "Hurricane Ridge," "Hall of Mosses," and "Ruby Beach" (or Rialto Beach) to see what I mean.

Leave the car in Port Angeles and take an inexpensive day trip as foot passengers to Victoria on the Coho.

If you have an extra day, you can swing up to Paradise on Mount Rainier fairly easily on the return.

This would simplify logistics and reduce costs while still providing tremendous variety. If you go this route, booking accommodation along the Pacific coastal strip of Olympic NP is a top priority; it's limited and booked quite early.

Sounds great. Thanks so much!

There are some great places to eat in Vancouver check out this little video http://tikki-tikki.com/good-places-to-eat-in-vancouver/

That sight also has a few little drives you can do - you can rent a car by the hour at zipcar - every city has them and i think they are like $8 an hour. You just book them on the net and find them around town.

I too recommend the bus to Horseshoe bay and then ferry over to the Island but having said that the south ferry from Tsawassen is so much more beautiful. Have fun

Hi boredvancouver. Welcome to Fodor's!! This post is from last year so I'm guessing they alreayd took the trip.