Day Trip to Victoria from Vancouver?

[tinkerboo]

My fiance and I are ending our Hawaiian cruise in Vancouver and would love to visit Victoria. We'll be staying in the downtown Vancouver area and only have one day for Victoria. What's the best way to do it? Should we book a travel tour or try to rent a car and do it on our own? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Putterdude]

My fiance and I are ending our Hawaiian cruise in Vancouver and would love to visit Victoria. We'll be staying in the downtown Vancouver area and only have one day for Victoria. What's the best way to do it? Should we book a travel tour or try to rent a car and do it on our own? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

There are a number of options, you can use a float plane service, there are 2 companies that fly the route on at least an hourly basis...cost just under $250 pp. There is a helicopter service which is even more expensive or you can do as you have said and rent a car and drive. The Tsawwassen ferry terminal is about a 50 min drive from downtown Vancouver, the ferry trip is about 1hr 35 mins and you have about a 35 min drive into Victoria...reverse the time coming back to Vancouver and depending upon the time of year you should be at the terminals 30 min to and hour before sailing or pay for a reservation. There is another alternative and that is to go via Pacific Coach Lines. Here is are links to BC Ferries and Pacific Coach Lines.

http://www.bcferries.com/

http://pacificcoach.com/

[yyjguy]

Forget the car-too much time spent waiting for ferries. Try an all day coach tour with Sightline or West Coast Tours. For more time in Victoria, try Harbour Air for a quick 40 minute float plane journey.

[scottbee]

Easiest thing is simply catch your return flight from YYJ/Victoria. It has direct service to YVR/Vancouver, SEA/Seattle, SFO/San Francisco to name just a few.

[YoPhilly]

I just used Pacific Coach Lines for a roundtrip to Victoria. It was easy, easy, easy. They picked me up at my Vancouver hotel, drove to the ferry terminal and was the first to drive onto the ferry. You exit the bus while on the ferry, then re-board the bus when the ferry arrives at Swartz Bay, where the bus was first-off. Then they drive you to Victoria and drop you at the bus terminal which is located directly behind the Fairmont Empress Hotel on the Inner Harbor. You can do your own sightseeing and pick up the bus pretty much every hour for the return trip to Vancouver. The round trip fare including the ferry was $83. No stress and no hassle. Much easier than driving yourself.

[DreamTeam]

For one of our 3 days in Vancouver, we have organised a day trip to Victoria.

 

We understand it would take up a large chunk of the day to do the return trip by ferry so we have booked a floatplane from Vancouver airport to Victoria Harbour (approx 30 min flight). Returning via ferry later that evening.

 

In Victoria we have booked a whale watch cruise and a city bus tour which includes Butchart Gardens.

 

Cheers

Col & Sue