10 days in and around the Vancouver area

F

Frwinkley

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Looks like we are going to be canceling our Alaskan cruise in mid June . We are in good health and not afraid of the virus—just not willing to take a chance on being quarantined.

With that in mind, our airfare at this point is non-refundable. We’re ok with that. Now we’re looking for some ideas on our to spend our 10 days.

We like quaint towns, beautiful scenery, hiking, shopping and are avid photographers. We lovegetting in the car and driving to new places.

Can someone suggest how best to spend our time? We’re not at all adverse to moving hotels multiple times—we’ve done it often!

We are traveling from Pittsburgh, so it’s a long time. Having been to Montreal, Quebec, Banff and Jasper, we’re looking forward to seeing much more of Canada.
 
Thanks very much for this. How would we recommend we split the days? How many days in each place?
 
I would start with a night or two in Vancouver then head over to Victoria for a couple nights then drive up island stopping in a couple places for overnights. Parksville is beautiful and a must do. You could also drive out to Tofino on the west coast. There is some good hiking/walking out there. Then back to Nanaimo and catch the ferry back to Vancouver. If you need a couple more nights, I'd probably head to Whistler.

Vancouver - I'd suggest going up Grouse Mountain - there is a tram and the view from the top is spectacular. There is a restaurant up there too.

If you go to the island, here are a few thoughts.

The ferries will run every hour or every two hours depending on day of the week at that time of year. You can make a reservation for a fee ahead of time if you like.

Victoria - I'd stay downtown - lots of neat stuff to walk around look at. The Ogden Point Breakwater is neat to walk out on. If you like pasta, go to Pagliacci's. It's an institution in Victoria. Also I'd make a trip out to Butchart Gardens to see the gardens. You could also go wander around Sidney while you are out that way. (1/2 hour or less from downtown).

Leaving Victoria, I'd stop at Goldstream Park just to look around on your way up island. There is a trail out to the interpretive centre - not a long walk (10 minutes maybe) but really pretty - old growth trees etc. There are eagles there certain times of the year.

Duncan has a cute downtown if you want to get out and stretch your legs.

Parksville - definitely go walk out on the beach in Parksville Bay at a couple different times of day - when the tide is out you can walk far out - it is such a relaxing place to be. We've stayed at the Parksville Beach Resort right on the bay before - very nice accommodations but lots of other places around too.

Coombs has a super cute market with goats on the roof.

Qualicum Falls has some great (not too challenging) hiking trails to see the falls.

If you go out to Tofino definitely stop at Cathedral Grove on the way and see the HUGE old growth trees. I'd probably do two nights in Tofino or Ucluelet if you drive out there. Wild Pacific Trail is supposed to be amazing (according to my mom : ) ).

That's all I can think of for now. If I think of anything else, I'll post. Or feel free to ask questions. My parents live in Greater Victoria and my husband grew up there. We lived there for several years when we first got married before we moved to Saskatchewan.
 


This is awesome. Thank you.

Since I haven’t really researched yet, can you help me with where I might need a car.? I know I won’t need one in Vancouver.

Should we do Vancouver first or last?
 
You would more than likely need a car for everywhere but Vancouver. You could probably get away without one in Victoria but would have to book transportation from Vancouver to Victoria (there is a charter bus service that runs). You would have to weigh out cost vrs convenience on that one (it is a bit pricey to take a car on the ferry, but cost of the bus plus convenience of a car may outweigh that). I would suggest looking at something like this for 10 nights.

Vancouver - 2 nights
Victoria - 2 nights
Tofino - 2 nights
Parksville - 1 night
Whistler - 2 nights
Vancouver - 1 night

Or

Vancouver - 3 nights
Victoria - 2 nights
Tofino - 2 nights
Parksville - 2 nights
Vancouver - 1 nights

I would rent a car from and return to YVR as it is easy to get to and from with the Skytrain.

To get to the island I would go Tsawassen to Swartz Bay on the way there, then either Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay (if you are going to Whistler) or Duke Point (just south of Nanaimo) to Tsawassen if you just going back to Vancouver.
 


Prairiesarah: You've been a tremendous help! May I ask you a few more questions?

We arrive in Vancouver 6/10. My thought is to explore the city for 2 days without a car. Head back to the airport and rent a car for the duration of our trip. Take the car with us on the ferry (haven't yet priced that out) and than go exploring from there. Does this make sense? I'm not sure where to fit Whistler in there. Do we go from Vancouver to Whistler with the car, than ferry to Victoria etc. (with car) and than back to Vancouver?
 
You can also look into the Gulf Islands (which are the islands you pass on the ferry between Vancouver and Victoria). Salt Spring is the largest and has a wonderful market every Saturday, and a vibrant art community (along with wineries and their famous cheese!)

Ferry fares can be found here: https://www.bcferries.com/travel_planning/fares/ I would recommend making a reservation, which costs $10/vehicle if reserved more than 7 days in advance. You will need to arrive at the terminal 60-30 minutes in advance to claim your reservation. Otherwise, you can be looking at multiple-sailing waits. The ferry terminals on both ends are outside of the main core of the city you'll be visiting/staying in, so a car can be handy. Otherwise, you can look at the BC Ferries Connector bus service which goes from downtown-downtown on both ends: https://bcfconnector.com/
 
Seems much more convenient to actually have the car on hand, rather than trying to locate transportation.

I just made a dummy booking for 2 one way trips (Tsawassen to Swartz Bay, than Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay) so that we can go to Whistler. Didn't think the price was too bad--slightly over $200. Just trying to wrap my mind around the logistics of this trip. Do I have this right--Vancouver to Victoria, etc. (with car via ferry), Victoria and surrounding areas all by car, back to ferry from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay with car, than onto Whistler, than back to Vancouver?

We've never driven a car onto a ferry before--simple enough to do? How long does it generally take the ferry to unload?
 
I was just curious how much the connecter bus (Vancouver to Victoria) was now as I haven't take it in a few years and it's about $80 each person (downtown to downtown) each way so car rental would definitely win in my opinion.

The ferry is very easy to drive onto - they direct you - its a very well organized operation (much like WDW parking). The ferry would get into each terminal at 35 minutes after the hour and be unloaded and loaded back up by the start of the next hour (so 25 minutes total). Once they are docked, it goes really fast. Say for a noon ferry, you'd dock at the other side at 1:35pm and probably be off by 1:45pm barring any issues (timing is for the Swartz Bay/Tsawassen route).

I'd really suggest doing some research into all the suggested stops - Vancouver, Victoria, Saltspring (great suggestion too by @Where's Wall-E), Parksville, Qualicum, Tofino, Whistler and get an idea of where you'd like to go and what you'd like to see then come back and we can help you figure out which is the best circuit to do that and which ferries to take. Or feel free to send me a message if you want anytime too.
 
Frwinkley said:
Seems much more convenient to actually have the car on hand, rather than trying to locate transportation.

I just made a dummy booking for 2 one way trips (Tsawassen to Swartz Bay, than Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay) so that we can go to Whistler. Didn't think the price was too bad--slightly over $200. Just trying to wrap my mind around the logistics of this trip. Do I have this right--Vancouver to Victoria, etc. (with car via ferry), Victoria and surrounding areas all by car, back to ferry from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay with car, than onto Whistler, than back to Vancouver?

We've never driven a car onto a ferry before--simple enough to do? How long does it generally take the ferry to unload?
Click to expand...

Yup, you got it! Victoria to Nanaimo is about a 2 hour drive north on the highway. Then over to Horseshoe Bay via the ferry, and up to Whistler on the Sea to Sky Highway. There's lot of little places to pull over and enjoy the view!

Driving onto BC Ferries is extremely easy. You'll be in a specific lane at the terminal, then your lane will be directed to go. Follow the car directly in front of you and the directions of any crew. You'll be placed on the upper or lower deck, depending on balance needs. Make sure you park less than 2 feet from the car in front of you to maximize space. (They actually announce this.) There's crew on board the car decks who help direct cars. (Again, it's a balance thing - so you might not follow the car ahead of you once you're on the car deck.) Important tip: remember where you parked! The ferries are a good size! You'll be near a door which leads to stairs/elevator up to the main levels. So just remember if you parked near seal, starfish, etc. :)

The ferries from Vancouver-Victoria have a lot of options for seating and eating. There's a buffet (about $25 CDN for dinner, less so for breakfast and lunch), a cafeteria, a quick-service cafe and a paid "quiet lounge" with access to snacks, drinks (non-alcoholic) and newspapers and magazines. The scenery is really gorgeous, so if it's a nice day, you may wish to stay outside the whole time. You can find seating on the outer decks.

It depends on volume, but typically you'll be asked to go down to your car about 15 minutes before the ferry docks. Once docked, they unload cars in a specific order for balance. The buses and trucks on the lower decks tend to go first. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes for you to start driving off - quicker if you're closer to the front.

I grew up in Vancouver and now live in Victoria, so I am happy to help with any planning! :)
 
I would suggest choosing 3-4 places max to visit. Victoria to Tofino is over 4 hours drive, from Tofino back to Nanaimo is 3 hours plus then a ferry back to Vancouver.

Personally I'd suggest Vancouver, Whistler, and maybe Victoria/surrounding area or Nanaimo/surrounding area. Otherwise it is a lot of driving.

In terms of the car, true that you don't need one in Vancouver itself, although depending what you want to do in Vancouver it can be really handy to have a car. Parking in Vancouver itself does often come with a cost, but not necessarily in some of its surrounding cities. You could look into car rentals away from the airport itself too if you don't want to head back there, but the Tsawwassen ferry terminal is south of the airport (on the way to the US actually).

If you decide you want to do some kayaking and hiking for example, Deep Cove is a beautiful area for that, less convenient by transit. The Steveston area in Richmond is a super quaint area of the city (Once Upon a Time was filmed there) and you can do whale watching tours and eat some great seafood. Richmond is also home to a ton of Asian restaurants and a few Asian malls, the eats are cheap and delicious. Beaches in Vancouver can be a worthwhile visit (Kits Beach, English Bay, Jericho Beach, Second Beach just to name a few), and at the very tip of downtown we have Stanley Park, I highly recommend biking around the seawall.
 
I really like the idea of seeing as much as possible and we’re not opposed to lots of driving. We’re not really beach/water sport people though, so I’m not sure if the Tofino area would appeal to us. We love the look of beaches and have been to many of them where the topography allows for lots of beautiful scenery (Hawaii, St Lucia). Opinions?
 
Frwinkley said:
I really like the idea of seeing as much as possible and we’re not opposed to lots of driving. We’re not really beach/water sport people though, so I’m not sure if the Tofino area would appeal to us. We love the look of beaches and have been to many of them where the topography allows for lots of beautiful scenery (Hawaii, St Lucia). Opinions?
Click to expand...

You'll get a lot of "beach time" in both Vancouver and Victoria which are ocean side. If you're not into beach/water sports, other than scenic views (which you can get again in both Vancouver and Victoria), I agree to leave Tofino off the list. They're known for storm watching (fall/winter) and surfing (summer). In Victoria, a popular walking spot is Dallas Road (downtown), which leads over to Beacon Hill Park which is lovely to walk through. It's right on the ocean, with views of the Olympics in Washington State. (On a clear day you can see some of the small port towns in Washington). In Vancouver, the Sea Wall is where to go. It snakes through Kitsalano (a really fun neighbourhood) and Stanley Park. You can even drive it if you wish and stop at the various points along the way.

I would also consider areas like Lynn Canyon or it's more popular cousin, Capilano and check out their suspension bridges. You can take the gondola up Grouse Mountain (or hike it - it's a thing!) for some pretty awesome views of Vancouver and well beyond. It's best to have a car to access these places as there are in North Vancouver, which is a separate city from the City of Vancouver itself.
 
I would agree with @Where's Wall-E that if you are not that interested in the beaches, I would skip the drive to Tofino. I would still do Vancouver, Victoria, then up island to Parkville/Qualicum area and see Cathedral Grove (I grew up in BC and lived on Vancouver Island for a decade and I still enjoy stopping there). Then I'd consider going to Whistler for a couple nights. It would make a nice loop as you could go Vancouver to Victoria on the ferry, then Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay which is convenient to drive to Whistler.
 
That sounds like a perfect plan. Is the North Vancouver area as suggested above en route to Whistler?
 
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