# Questions about planning a trip to Vancouver and Victoria



## Liz Wolf-Spada (Nov 15, 2007)

We are going to Canada this summer and want to spend a few days in Vancouver and at least one day in Victoria. How far (in time) is it to take the ferry to Victoria from Vancouver? Would we want to rent a car for Victoria? (We aren't planning on renting one for Vancouver.) Would Victoria be a good day trip, or should we plan on spending the night there?
Thanks,
Liz


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## Chrisky (Nov 15, 2007)

*Visiting.*

Hi. The ferry trip from Vancouver to Victoria is approx. 1 hr. & 35 min. Check out www.bcferries.com. 
As for how long to stay in Victoria and Vancouver Island it depends on what you want to see and what interests you. The Inner Harbour in Victoria is nice to visit with alot of shops as well. There is Butchart Gardens, The Royal BC Museum. 
Then up island are some quaint towns, but the drive from Nanaimo to west coast of the island is spectacular. You drive through old growth trees and there is a place to stop called Cathedral Grove. The towns on the coast are Tofino and Ucluelet. There is also the Pacfic Rim Park . Look at www.hellobc.com. You'll get some great ideas there.
Cheers


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## ricoba (Nov 15, 2007)

I would take an early morning ferry from Tsawwassen (south of Vancouver) to Swartz Bay (Victoria), spend a day and a night and head back to Vancouver sometime the next day.  If you want to do more on Vancouver Island, then spend two nights.


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## tim (Nov 15, 2007)

We went to Victoria and Vancouver in August (2007) with the kids.  We stayed 3 nights in each city.  I think that 3 nights (2 full days) in Victoria was enough for us.  The highlight for us in Victoria was Buchart Gardens -- it was great.  Here is a tip -- go to Buchart in the early evening so that you can explore the gardens when the sun is still out but then hang around until it gets dark as the gardens are also beautiful to see at night.  

With respect to Vancouver -- we felt 3 nights was not enough.  We could have easily stayed another night or two in Vancouver.  There is just so much to do.  We had a rental car and took the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver.  If you have a rental car, you must, repeat must, make an advanced reservation with the ferry line to ensure that you get a spot for your car on board.  Tim


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Nov 15, 2007)

I agree that Vancouver needs more than a few nights.  You can easily spend a week there.

I think you should rent a car and spend a couple of days on Vancouver Island.  If you're in Vancouver for a week, do a couple of day trips to Vancouver.  One day can be for Victoria, Butchart Gardens, and anything else you want to see on the south side of the Island.  

But reserve a day for a trip to the coast via Nanaimo and Port Alberni to Tofino and Ucluelet. In fact, I consider a day trip from downtown Vancouver to Tofino and Ucluelet as one the most beautiful trips in the world.  (Most beautiful place you have visited?). Of course you need a rental car for that trip.  You can probably do Victoria and Butchart Gardens via public transit or a tour bus.


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## Icc5 (Nov 15, 2007)

Liz Wolf-Spada said:


> We are going to Canada this summer and want to spend a few days in Vancouver and at least one day in Victoria. How far (in time) is it to take the ferry to Victoria from Vancouver? Would we want to rent a car for Victoria? (We aren't planning on renting one for Vancouver.) Would Victoria be a good day trip, or should we plan on spending the night there?
> Thanks,
> Liz



Liz, we just came back from a week in Vancouver (we had a rental car) and a partial day in Victoria.  We made the mistake of taking an afternoon ferry and the city bus to Victoria and ended up with only a few hours there.  It really wasn't that bad for us because several years ago we we spent a week on the island and this was really just to see how the ferry ride was and if much had changed in Victoria.  I wouldn't bother renting a car in Victoria unless you are going to have lots of time.  The roads around the island don't let you move to fast so you can't see much.
Bart


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Nov 15, 2007)

Are there places to rent a car (there must be) in Victoria and are they way expensive? Now I'm thinking maybe rent a car from the airport and go to Victoria and Vancouver Island for an overnight and then take the car back and come back to Vancouver on the shuttle....I don't think we're doing it as a timeshare, unless something from SFX turns up at the right time, so we'll use Sheraton points with cash to do hotels.
Those sites are awesome. I bookmarked them both.
Thanks,
Liz


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## asp (Nov 15, 2007)

Bear Mountain Resort is the only Starwood Hotel in Victoria, and it is 8 miles from the cnetre of Victoria - but the trip can be time consuming as the traffic can be really congested for several miles.  It is a beautiful resort, but not, IMHO,  the best location to see downtown Victoria.  You may be better off to stay in one of the  hotels right on the harbour, and then you wouldn't need a car.  These hotels come in every price range.  If you land in Seattle, you could come to Victoria carless on the Clipper, then go on to Vancouver.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Nov 16, 2007)

That sounds like a good plan also. How long would that take to get from Seattle to Victoria?
Thanks,
Liz


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## John Cummings (Nov 16, 2007)

Liz,

We spent 4 nights in Vancouver, 3 nights in Victoria, and 2 nights in Seattle and did the 7 day Rocky Mountaineer Classic Circle train tour this past August. We took the bus from downtown Vancouver to Victoria via the BC Ferry. The bus picked us up at our hotel, the Fairmont Waterfront and took us right to the Inner Harbor in Victoria. It was very convenient. We then took the Victoria Clipper from the Inner Harbor Victoria to Seattle.

We stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver. In Vancouver we did the 2 day pass on the Hop On/Hop Off bus tour. I highly recommend this as a great way to see the city. We also took the ferry to Granville Island which is part of the bus tour. I also recommend doing that. We felt that we saw everything we wanted to in 4 days. We also stayed one night and day in Whistler which was part of the train tour.

We stayed at the Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel in Victoria. It is neither inner harbor nor has a view of the harbor. In retrospect, I wish we had stayed at the Hotel Grand Pacific which does have awesome views of the harbor. We did the Hop On/Hop Off thingy in Victoria which I do NOT recommend. You are better off just taking a tour via the 2 story city bus. After we did it, the concierge at the hotel told us that the city bus is better and about $50 cheaper per person. I highly recommend taking the ferry tours of the Inner Harbor and The Gorge. They are 2 separate tours but you can just jump from one to the other. We did the tour of Butchart's Gardens and their Saturday night fireworks spectacular. I highly recommend visiting the gardens and the fireworks show but definitely do NOT Take the tour. It does not give you enough time at the gardens which are awesome. You can take a regular bus to the gardens. In retrospect, 1 night and a full day was enough for us to see all we wanted to. We walked all of downtown, did the tours etc. That could have been done in one full day, maybe 2 at the most.

The Victoria Clipper takes 2 hr 45 min from Seattle to Victoria except for the early morning ferry which takes 3 hours.

In retrospect, we wished we had spent just 1 night in Victoria and added the 2 nights to Seattle so we would have had 4 nights in Seattle. Seattle was really the most enjoyable and the highlight of our entire 2 week trip.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Nov 16, 2007)

Thanks, John. I appreciate the specific information on tours and hotels. So we can see some of Vancouver Island on tour and without renting a car? How does the cost compare? What we may do, after reading all these great responses, is take the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria and spend two days and a night there and then take the ferry back to Vancouver to check into a hotel for 4 nights there.
Liz


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## Laurie (Nov 16, 2007)

Liz, if you do decide to rent a car in Victoria, there are a couple of rental agencies right in the downtown area almost on the harbor, or should I say harbour. I think we used National. And they weren't very expensive a few years ago, but the exchange rate was better then.

We have stayed at the Fairmont, when they had some deals (the deal was for a non-view room, but they gave us a harbor-view room anyway! so it's worth checking )... 
www.fairmont.com/empress/

as well as here if you like a great view and a low price, and have a car or don't mind a short walk: 
www.surfmotel.net

and here, if you do have a car:
www.englishinnresort.com

We were satisfied with all of the above.

There was another inner harbour-front place that looked great, and if we couldn't get the Fairmont deal we were going to use that. Standing at the Fairmont, it's on the left-hand edge of the harbour. If I remember it I'll post, or maybe someone else knows what I'm thinking of.


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## calgarygary (Nov 16, 2007)

You may want to first decide what it is you hope to see/do before deciding whether to rent a car or not while in Victoria.  If you are content to experience just Victoria a car may not be necessary.  If you wish to explore the island, I would think a car is mandatory.  I know it's not part of your itinerary, but for others reading this thread, one of the most amazing trips you can experience in North America, while still using a vehicle, is the drive up Vancouver Island to Port Hardy, full day ferry to Prince Rupert and the drive along the Skeena River valley.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Nov 16, 2007)

I've emailed to ask BC tourism for some information so I can look at maps and things. I so loved Vancouver when I was there for a weekend a few years ago, I think I could plan on a month in BC and still be in awe.
Liz


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