Getting to Victoria from Vancouver & Seattle: BC Ferries, Harbour Air Seaplanes & FRS Clipper

Because Victoria sits at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, getting there from Vancouver (BC) or Seattle (USA) is one of the most scenic journeys on the Pacific Northwest coast. Here is an honest comparison of time, cost and logistics for every route.

1. From Vancouver to Victoria: 3 Options Compared

• Option A — BC Ferries (Tsawwassen ↔ Swartz Bay: 95-Minute Sailing): there are several sailings a day in each direction; check the current timetable and fares on bcferries.com. Halfway through the 95-minute crossing, the ship threads the narrow S-curve of Active Pass between Mayne and Galiano Islands (stand on the outer sun deck to spot eagles, seals and sometimes orcas!).
  • How to Do It Without a Car In downtown Vancouver, ride the Canada Line SkyTrain south to Bridgeport Station, transfer onto TransLink Bus #620 straight to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. Walk onto the ferry as a foot passenger. When you dock at Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island, walk straight off the ramp onto waiting double-decker BC Transit Bus #70 or #72, which drops you in downtown Victoria in about 55 minutes. (Total door-to-door time: 3.5 to 4 hours. Driving a car onto the ferry? Vehicle fares are much higher than foot-passenger fares, and you should book a vehicle reservation online at bcferries.com weeks ahead in summer!).
• Option B — Harbour Air Seaplane or Helijet (Downtown to Downtown in About 35 Minutes): if you want to skip the 3.5-hour bus-and-ferry transit AND get a breathtaking low-altitude aerial tour over the Gulf Islands, check in 25 minutes before departure at Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver (or Richmond near YVR Airport) and splash down right in front of the Empress Hotel in Victoria's Inner Harbour 35 minutes later!
• Option C — Direct BC Ferries Connector Coach: a luggage-handling coach from downtown Vancouver or YVR Airport that drives right onto the ferry and drops you behind the Empress Hotel.

2. From Seattle & Washington State (FRS Clipper vs Black Ball Coho Ferry)

• From Downtown Seattle (Pier 69) — The FRS Victoria Clipper Catamaran (2h 45m): a high-speed passenger-only catamaran that sails straight through Puget Sound into Victoria's Belleville Inner Harbour terminal (remember your passport!).
• With a Car from the Olympic Peninsula (Port Angeles, WA) — The MV Coho Ferry (90 Mins): carries both cars and foot passengers directly from Port Angeles (gateway to Olympic National Park!) into downtown Victoria's Inner Harbour! (Flying into Victoria International Airport — YYJ? It sits 26 km north near Sidney—take a taxi or YYJ Bus #88 + #70/#72 into downtown!).