# Trip to western Canada



## Janette (Jan 10, 2011)

We plan to fly to Seattle in July, spend two nights and then drive to Vancouver(have 7night certificate for Marriott in Vancouver). We plan to turn in our rental car, do walking tours and take tours to Victoria, Whistler, and Grouse Mountain. We then plan to drive to Revelstoke for one night before heading on to Columbia Icefields for a night. WE then have a timeshare near Banff for a week and will fly back out of Calgary. We are in our 60's and like to travel. Does this sound reasonable? Flights to Seattle are cheaper than to Vancouver and we want to see a little of Sesttle. The only thing booked so far are hotels which can be cancelled.


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## John Cummings (Jan 10, 2011)

Having lived in British Columbia ( Victoria, Vancouver, and Windermere ) and visiting there several times, I have traveled all over both British Columbia as well as most of Alberta.

Yes, your trip is reasonable. However, I would do it a little differently. I wouldn't bother renting a car. Instead, I would take the Airporter from the airport to your hotel in Seattle or some other shuttle service. Seattle is a great city and we like it better than Vancouver. I would then take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Victoria. Spend whatever time you want there and then take the BC Ferry from Sidney to Vancouver ( Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen ). In  Victoria, you can take the bus from the Inner Harbor in downtown Victoria to downtown Vancouver. The bus takes the aforementioned ferry from Victoria - Vancouver.

Did you check if you can drop off your rental car in Vancouver? I would be very surprised if you can.

We did this in August 2007 but in the reverse direction from Vancouver to Victoria to Seattle. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Seattle which I highly recommend and the Airporter bus stops right at the door. We were picked up at our hotel in Vancouver for our bus trip to Victoria so I imagine the reverse is true.

You can also stay the night in Kamloops rather than Revelstoke. It all depends on whether you want the longer drive on the first day or second. I prefer Kamloops but it is not a big deal.

Here is a link for the Victoria Clipper:

http://www.clippervacations.com/ferry

Make sure you allow some time to visit the Butcharts Gardens while in Victoria.


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## Karen G (Jan 10, 2011)

I like John's suggestion to skip the rental car in Seattle and go to Victoria on the Clipper.  The scenery you'll experience going through the San Juan Islands is far, far superior to what you'll see on the drive up to Canada from Seattle.  Plus, you won't have to deal with high parking fees at a downtown Seattle hotel or driving in Seattle.

Check out the new link light rail from the airport to downtown. It was finished and opened after we moved from the area, so I haven't ridden it yet. It looks cool, though. 

You might enjoy   this website & video as you plan the Seattle portion of your trip.

Your plans sound great & I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip however you do it.

Added info:  I'm not sure if the link light rail goes all the way to downtown yet--you may have to switch to a bus. Here's  some info.


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## Janette (Jan 10, 2011)

The link light has a stop at pioneer sq and we are staying at the Courtyard in the next block. We can get a car as we leave Seattle and return it in Vancouver. We plan on taking a tour of Victoria from Vancouver. Since we will have luggage, we didn't know what to do with it if we stopped by Victoria on our way.


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## John Cummings (Jan 10, 2011)

Janette said:


> The link light has a stop at pioneer sq and we are staying at the Courtyard in the next block. We can get a car as we leave Seattle and return it in Vancouver. We plan on taking a tour of Victoria from Vancouver. Since we will have luggage, we didn't know what to do with it if we stopped by Victoria on our way.



I assumed that you would spend at least one night in Victoria. A day trip is definitely not enough time to see very much.


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