ahje

We are 2 active seniors coming from NJ to visit the Canadian Rockies, followed by Victoria BC on 9/24-26, going to Whistler for 1 day and then spending about 5 days in Vancouver prior to heading back to NJ. What is the best way to get from Victoria to Vancouver? Ferry (4 hrs total, $60 US/pp) or Flight (25 Min, $77 US/pp) Does the Ferry provide a more interesting trip to Vancouver vs a quick hop on a plane. The cost difference is minimal, but the time involved is much longer. Also if Ferry where is the best point to pickup the Ferry in Victoria and stop in Vancouver to get a rental car and drive to Whistler for 1 day? Any information or suggestions on what to do/see/visit in Victoria/Vancouver during our trip would be much appreciated.

elberko

Absolutely the ferry! Scenery, fresh ocean air, maybe a whale sighting...

My trip was too long ago to recall the logistics.

thursdaysd

I took a bus from Victoria to Vancouver, pick up was central - the main bus station, I believe.

See: http://bcfconnector.com

There is also a bus from Vancouver to Whistler.

http://www.pacificcoach.com/bus-vanc...r-to-whistler/

Southam

The Whistler tourism office says there is one shuttle bus daily between Victoria and the mountain resort town. I haven't used it but presume it includes the ferry ticket and would save you getting into and then back out of Vancouver on your own.
https://www.whistler.com/getting-her...ncouver-island

mdinbc

Agree with above posters.. there is a bus from downtown Victoria to Vancouver which includes cost of the ferry.
It is a lovely trip. Ditto for Whistler. The Sea to Sky highway from North Vancouver to Whistler is busy, and parking in Whistler is not very convenient. The town is very walkable. We spent a whole week there without a vehicle.

volcanogirl

We stayed in Victoria for a couple of days last year and loved it. We went whale watching, had tea at The Empress, and went to the beautiful Butchart Gardens. It's a beautiful city - loved all the blooming flowers and our hotel had a pretty view of the water.

ahje

Thank you so much for all your comments and tips. They are much appreciated.

live42day

You could also do the ferry one way and sea plane the other way. The views from the air are also spectacular.
you can travel from victoria harbour to whistler for $278 and only takes an hour. Harbour air seaplanes.
Then take the bus back to vancouver to see the view from the road.

Cjar

Hi, Ahje. We just got back to the states from a Vancouver/ Victoria trip. We had a great time. We used BC Ferries from Tsawassen ( Vancouver) to Swartz Bay (Vancouver Island). It was only 1 hour 40 minutes and cost us just 66 cad for all four of us. Going through the islands was particularly beautiful. I should note it's about 40 minutes to Tsawassen ferry landing from Vancouver and about the same from the landing to Victoria. You may want to factor in transportation to and from these points in your plans. I don't know if flights are more direct. We also saw a company Vancouver to Victoria which seemed to pick up near Canada Place on Vancouver and deposit people right at the inner harbor in Victoria. I don't know what the cost is. I was told that service just started this year and they bill themselves as a luxury passenger only ferry.

I hope you have a wonderful time.

ahje

Grateful for the additional tips and to get them from people who have been there or are in-the-know about the area. We are excited and looking forward to our trip.

willit

I'm a little confused because I'm not sure whether it is a trip from Victoria to Vancouver or Whistler - and is there a car involved.

We were in BC in early May, and among all the splendid things we did, the ferry trip from Tsawassen to Swartz Bay was one of my favourites (even though it rained for most of the outward trip).

In terms of cost, in May the breakdown was as follows (give or take a couple of CAD)

Central Vancouver to Tsawassen (Canada line to Bridgeport station, change to 620 bus to ferry terminal) - about $3.50
Walk on passenger to Swartz Bay about $17
Bus from Swartz Bay to Downtown Victoria $2.50 (although we bought the $5 all day ticket).

So total outlay per person <$25

willit

Whoops, missed the part about car pickup, which accounts for why I was confused.

ahje

Thank you willit. We will be in flying into Victoria and then need to find our way to Vancouver to rent a car and go to Whistler. I contact BC Connector (bus to ferry in Victoria, ferry transport and then to bus station in Vancouver), and they quoted me a price of $66.58/person. I will now try to get more information on the Canada line to see if that is an option we want to take.

willit

The Canada line is one of several Metro railway lines. I found public transport in Vancouver really easy to use.
Trains from central vancouver to the airport ran about every 7 minutes. The only issue with the Downtown to Tsawassen trip was the bus change - there are only two buses an hour, and they depart within 15 minutes of each other.

The translink site is very useful for journey planning
https://www.translink.ca