Before the summer comes to an end and Tri-City families settle into a new school year and getting back to focusing on work, a trip to Victoria, B.C. would be an exciting and interesting vacation for the entire family. The first in this series of two blogs describes the manner of transportation for this journey and an activity that is a must; the second recommends hotel stays and additional popular activities.
Of course, flights from Pasco through Seattle to Victoria are available, but there are more exciting ways to get to this pearl of a city. If a few days to a week are available, it is recommended to drive to Seattle to take the Victoria Clipper or drive to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula to take the Coho ferry across the waters of the Puget Sound and the Salish Sea to Victoria on Vancouver Island, Canada.
A roundtrip fare on the Victoria Clipper is expensive, costing more than $100.00/passenger for the three-hour crossing. The ship departs at 7:30 a.m. from Pier 69 (near the Edgewater Hotel) and arrives in Victoria at 10:30 a.m. The return trip leaves at 5:00 p.m. and gets you back to Seattle at 7:45 p.m. Less expensive is to drive to Port Angeles, Washington and take the M.V. Coho. You can walk on board and arrive in Victoria in 90 minutes. Roundtrip fares are under $25.00 for adults and $12.00 for kids ages 5-11 and free for children 4 and under. Besides being more cost effective, this ferry departs from Port Angeles to Victoria four times daily. Specific information on fares and schedules can be found at https://cohoferry.com. Both ships take visitors right into the bay of the city so they can walk right off and begin touring the beautiful city of Victoria and take part in its water activities.
Prepare for an exhilarating entrance to Victoria. When you pull up to the dock, you’ll see a city that was once the trading post hub for Hudson’s Bay Company and later was established as the capital of British Columbia. The Fairmont Empress Hotel, with its castle-like appearance, greets those arriving by ship at the front of the bay. It’s like arriving in Venice at St. Mark’s Square…beautiful buildings lining the walkways from the water.
Going whale watching tops the list for many tourists. Captains will take whale watchers out for a few hours to see the beautiful whales of the Pacific. There are several companies that take tourists to see the whales that make the local waters their home. Tickets and reservations can be found at https://bcwhalewatchingtours.com, as an example. The goal of each captain is to get you as close as is legally possible to the Orcas (otherwise known as Killer Whales). Sometimes tourists will also see Humpback and Grey whales, sea lions, dolphins, and otters. The narrators on the boats often know the names of the Orcas, their habitats, their new babies, and the personalities of the whales. Tours on whale watching boats cost about $100.00 a person and children need to be four years old. These tours load and depart within walking distance of where the ferries from the U.S. arrive.
Whale watching is just one of the exciting activities Victoria has to offer and the next blog will provide descriptions of more and diverse activities, along with suggestions for where to stay in beautiful Victoria, B.C.
