I'll be in the Vancouver area with a rented car during the first week of June. On June 8th I'll be staying in Gibsons (north from Vancouver) and the following day I would like to do the following:
Drive to Langdale to take the ferry to Horse Shoe Bay.
Take the ferry from Horse Shoe Bay to Departure Bay in Victoria Island.
Drive south to Victoria and after visiting the city go to Swartz Bay.
Take the ferry to Tsawwassen.
Cross the border and get to Seattle.
I looked up all ferries schedules and it seems doable in internet, but I would like to hear from a local or ferry-expert if my plan is OK in the real life or I'm a little insane trying to do that.
loscar
1
zosu
First of all, I hope you mean Vancouver Island! It may be doable if you get on the ferry, if there are no traffic problems holding you up and all that...June 8th is a Friday, and timing may be important to avoid lineups or rush hour traffic on the Pat Bay highway between Victoria and Swartz Bay. I personally think it would be quite crazy trying to squish seeing Victoria and Vancouver Island this way. Save this trip for another time when you have a few days.
2
veronica_inheels
it will take you half a day to get from langdale to victoria
Half day to see something, eat something etc.. in Victoria
this is ASSUMING that there is no ferry wait time... there always is. sometimes one sailing sometimes two. and you are taking TWO ferries which means that it can take you practicaly all day to get to Victoria.
If you are in tsawassen by night. It is about 2.5 to 3 hours to seattle... IF THERE IS NO border traffic. usually there is traffic on the weekend.
I you could stay overnight in Victoria, take an early morning ferry to tsawassen and you will end up in seattle by late afternoon next day.
3
loscar
Yes zozu, I meant Vancouver Island.
So, for what you and veronica say I should allow more time than just a day to do that.
Hmmm I have to re-organize all my trip back then.
Thank you people.
4
j_bone
It'd be too rushed a day. I reckon you wouldn't enjoy it much.
It'd be much better if you overnighted in Victoria.
5
canayjun
if you want to avoid a possible long lineup at the border crossing, you might want to take the ferry from downtown victoria to Port Angeles, and drive to seattle from there...
6
loscar
canayjun,
I was not worried about lineup at the border until you mentioned it. But you option sounds good because of that and because it will take me to a different area I was not going to visit coing the other way. I'll check the schedules of that ferry.
7
aubo23
You can reserve places on at least some of the Vancouver Island ferries so you could remove the long wait worry that way.
The Victoria - Port Angeles ferry doesn't take reservations and is infrequent, but is still worth considering
8
spongeg
the ferries sound great but the timing is slow - and when an unannounced break down happens and a sailing is cancelled it really fouls up plans
so whatever you do be sure to call ahead before you are ready to sail - conditions change daily and you could be prepared for a 1 pm sailing an end up getting there at say 12 noon only to find the sailing was cancelled and you know have to catch th 3 pm sailing and have a 3 hour wait - there isn't a lot to do near the ferry terminals
9
pangea
hey,
if you can plan it out, i would suggest walking on the ferry at langdale. that way you pay much less, and can easily transfer over to the ferry to swartz bay, from where there are local buses down to victoria. i would stay there overnight and then do your other connections (or i believe there is a ferry to washington state - though i think not to seattle). if you are mainly interested in ferry rides then do it walk on. the costs are SO much less. probably 500% more to take a car that you will only drive for a short period, plus you have to line up! if you walk on you can do exactly that - just walk on. much better.
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