I am visiting Vancouver & Victoria from Seattle. How many days do I need to cover major tourist attractions? (Butchart gardens, Stanley Park, suspension bridge etc.) Is there any better option than staying in Vancouver downtown area? Is using public transport recommended than driving car around? Which border crossing should I use to avoid long lines?

Justin, Welcome to Flyertalk

If you do a search for Vancouver, 26 different threads will come up which will probably answer many of your questions.

The search function is in the upper right hand corner of the page, I entered "Vancouver" and came up w/the 26 threads.

I also did a trip report that comes up.

You could also use search words such as Victoria, gardens, etc.

I know the information on Flyertalk helped me plan my trip.

When are you coming up, and presumably from SEA? Border line ups depend on day of week and time of day. You can find links from the WA state DoT website.

If it's your cup of tea (sorry, couldn't help myself ) you might try going for high tea at the Empress Hotel. It is quite a formal affair. It can get a bit pricey, but I am told it is excellent. We opted for a less expensive/less formal high tea at a tea house just down the road from the empress. I forget the name, but i seem to recall that there are a few places in Victoria that do high tea. The one we went to was about $10 per person, versus about 3-4 times that amount at the Empress. It is a pleasant way to spend part of your afternoon. Price typically includes tea plus an assortment of snacks such as fancy cookies, scones, finger sandwiches, etc.

Thanks for all the replies.
I've decided to start early morning from Seattle. Stay in Vancouver that night. Catch ferry to Victoria next day morning. Does it make sense to stay in Victoria that night or return to Vancouver? I am getting pretty cheap rates @ Vancouver DT hotels.
If I stay in Victoria, I believe I 'll have to catch another ferry to re-enter into WA state.

To me it does. Victoria at night is beautiful and has a decent bar scene downtown.

My wife and I got turned around on our way out of Victoria at night, I was surprised to see ladys of the evening strolling the not so heavely traveled streets.

Border crossing to avoid lines.

Either the truck customs just east of the Peace Park-follow signs off I-5 in Blaine or White Rock (southbound), or if you want a longer drive, Sumas. Sumas is reached by taking the Guide Meridian just north of Bellingham.

Peace Arch is normally impossible during the summer particularly Southbound.

Definitely stay in Victoria for at least a night if you can afford it. I agree that it is a fabulous city in the day and night. The Unionclub is a great hotel and wasn't too expensive. It is a gentleman's club (not strip club, but rather think billiard room and library with dark wood walls) that also rents rooms out. The rooms were very nice and the hotel is very centrally located. About a block or two from the Empress. The hotel does have a dress code if you plan on going anywhere besides your room or the lobby, so ask about when/where jeans/sneakers are appropriate/inappropriate. However, it kind of classes up the place. www.unionclub.com We had the room with the windows just over the porch roof, so we could go out on the roof and have a drink while enjoying the view. A very charming place. They have a spectacular dining room and the food is to die for. Top notch gourmet, and not too pricey for the quality and service.

I am not very clear on your itinerary, your constraints or your interests, justinlanger. I would recommend at least one full day and night in Victoria, also. It is a friendly little city and you can stroll the downtown and Inner Harbour area for a pleasant evening.

If you take the BC Ferries over from Vancouver with a car, you might want to visit Butchart Gardens on the way into town - they are very near to the ferry terminal, but you might already realize that. (Personally, I think the Gardens are a bit overhyped, but I can hear the howls of protest from thousands of others already...!!!) You don't need a car for Victoria, though, you can walk around downtown and there are lots of ways to get to Butchart via bus or limo, etc.

If you are worried about getting from Victoria back to Washington state, you have some choices.

1) If you have a car, you can take Washington State Ferries from Sidney (north of Victoria again) to Anacortes (near Seattle). But you might be able to include some visits to the San Juan Islands (I think Sweet Willie has posted some info on the San Juans....

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

2) If you don't have a car, you can take the Clipper (which is passenger only). I think they also do some San Juan Islands tours... check the web site at:

http://www.victoriaclipper.com

3) One of my favorite ways of travelling between Victoria and Seattle is taking the seaplane! Kenmore Air flies small Beavers and Otters and you take off from the Inner Harbour in downtown Victoria and land in Lake Union, near to downtown Seattle. The flight is beautiful and Kenmore sometimes has Web specials for only $59 or so one-way.

http://www.kenmoreair.com

But don't shortchange your time in Vancouver! You need at least 2-3 days in Vancouver, there are lots of things to do. I can easily spend the better part of a day in Stanley Park, alone. And again, you really don't need a car.

As for accomodation in Victoria, if you are comfortable with Priceline bidding, I would try bidding in the 3* level at about $50-$70, which includes some nice hotels. (4* is too pricey for what you get, usually.) Otherwise, it is hard to recommend a hotel without knowing what is most important to you....

Save time and money: avoid the suspension bridge.

On the other hand, do not avoid Granville Island or Stanley Park.

Thanks everyone!
I am reaching Seattle on 7/2 night & leaving Seattle on 7/6 eve. To cover 3 cities in this time, I've to pick & choose most imp. attractions & save on travel time (driving car/border crossing) as much as possible. I am going to book hotel in Victoria for 7/4. I've already booked Hyatt regency in Vancouver downtown on 7/3.

I checked the ferry schedule & fares. The Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay ferry runs every hr. & takes 1 1/2 hrs.
The Sidney B.C. (Victoria)- Anacortes ferry takes 3 hrs. & there is only one ferry scheduled in the morning. Will I save time taking ferry back to Swartz bay & drive down to Seattle on I-5?

Arggghh! You are going to be traveling on a very, very busy weekend. You are hitting both national holidays -- Canada Day on July 1st and Ind Day on July 4 and the border crossing will be busy and potentially very slow. That is the biggest problem with driving back to Seattle from Vancouver. You can make a reservation on the BC Ferries run from Swartz Bay (and if you do decide to take this route, you absolutely must make a reservation or potentially sit in the parking lot through several sailings).

There is one other option.... I assume you want to travel with a car? You can take the MV Coho from Victoria to Port Angeles and drive down the Olympic Peninsula to Seattle. I think this will be your best bet, to be honest. This is very convenient because it leaves from Victoria's Inner Harbour, basically right in the heart of downtown, so no long drive to Swartz Bay. The drive through Port Angeles and Port Townsend etc is very nice, also. And the Customs and Immigration clearance will be faster than at the highway border crossings.

Let me check on a couple of details further and I will update more....

OK, here is the Coho web site.

http://www.cohoferry.com

(By the way, I love the Coho -- I think it is a bit of an old boat, but it is the Energizer Bunny of ferries, it just keeps going and going and going....)

For your dates, these are the departure times from Victoria to Port Angeles (about 90 minutes crossing time):
6:10 am
10:30 am
3:00 pm
7:30 pm

I know that sometimes they add extra sailings, but don't know if they will for that weekend or not. They do NOT accept advance reservations, but all you have to do is get your car parked on the lot early (if you phone the day before, they will give you a pretty good idea of when you should get your car there) and then you can walk around the Inner Harbour, etc. as you don't have to stay with your car. And they will give you a pretty good idea of when you need to be back for Customs and Immigration, etc.

Here is information and maps for Port Angeles and Olympic Peninsula.

http://www.olympicpeninsula.org

However, the Washington State Ferry from Sidney to Anacortes may still be a good option. Check their site again, I believe they add a sailing during the summer, so one leaves at 11:20 am and another at 6:00 pm. They DO accept reservations, but you have a longer drive to the ferry terminal from downtown Victoria.

I would go with either the Washington State Ferry (WSF) or the Coho -- and make the decision based on most convenient departure time and preferred drive back to Seattle (maybe you would like to see Port Townsend -- then take the Coho, or if you would like to sail through the San Juan Islands, take the WSF).

Edited to add:
You might wish to take a look at this map. If you take the ferry to Port Angeles, you will have some choices in the route you take back to Seattle, whether you take another ferry or not, etc

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/info_desk/route-maps/

[This message has been edited by Abby (edited 06-12-2003).]

Would agree that the Capilano Suspension Bridge is an overhyped tourist attraction. It must be on nearly every Vancouver tourbus itinerary so it can get crowded.

But there is a much better and FREE alternative to the Capilano Bridge. The Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver (not very far from Capilano) is the place to go. There is an Ecology Center (oops, I mean "Centre") and hiking trails. Spectacular views from the bridge too. When I visited last April, there were only two other couples there.

See http://www.findfamilyfun.com/lynncanyon.htm
for more information and driving directions.