One week in Seattle and Vancouver

I think you may be mixing things up - Kitsilano (very nice neighborhood by the way) is in Vancouver (city), not Seattle. When you say you want to go to Vancouver, do you mean Vancouver City or Vancouver Island, where Victoria is? One week is not that much time - you can easily spend one week in either city. You can get from Seattle to Vancouver via rental car (that's the easiest most flexible option), you can take a train, or you can take a cheap bus like Bolt (goes from downtown to downtown). Ferries only go to Vancouver Island (Victoria) as far as I know, which is not the same as Vancouver City. Clipper Ferries provide this service.

http://gocanada.about.com/od/vancouver/qt/seattle_to_vancouver.htm

You don't need a car once you're in either city as long as you aren't going to outlying areas. They both have nice, easy public transport (light rail, buses, even a short monorail in Seattle, etc.) Parking in both is not cheap and a car if often a hindrance. With your limited time, maybe you should stick to Seattle with a side trip to Victoria for a few nights. If budget is an issue, then Vancouver and Vancouver Island have much less expensive lodging, and the exchange rate is very good right now between USD and CAD. I personally like Vancouver more than Seattle, but both are beautiful. The draw is the outdoors, so I'm a bit surprised that you would pick these if the outdoors aren't a draw for you. There are far better "museum" cities.

There is a bus service that goes from Seattle Airport to Vancouver.

We spent a week in Vancouver prior to our Canadian Rockies tour and later Alaska Cruise.

Vancouver is a wonderful city, we loved it. There is a lot to do and see there.

Here is my review of our trip and cruise.
Alaska, Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=547125&et_cid=2764671&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

There is also another Vancouver besides the island and Vancouver B.C. It's Vancouver, WA close to Portland OR. I don't think you mean that one. Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. are two of the best outdoorsy cities surrounded with gorgeous mountains, lake and sea scenery. July and August are the best months there. From Seattle you can go by Victoria Clipper (fast boat) to Victoria - capital of British Columbia. It's located on Vancouver Island. It's like a little London - double-deckers, parliament, hotel Empress, Butchards Gardens, etc. From there go by ferry to Tssawassen which is connected by public transit to downtown Vancouver. Then by train back to Seattle - scenic ride.

From Victoria on Vancouver Island, you'd have to go to Schwarz Bay first (to the north) before boarding the ferry to Tssawassen, from which you can get to Vancouver (city). I know this because I'm going in a few weeks, and had to figure out the logistics of getting from Vancouver (city) to Vancouver Island and then back to Seattle for a flight home. I am taking the Clipper Ferry from Victoria to Seattle instead of going through Vancouver (city)...it is more expensive but quicker.

http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/mainland/tssw-current.php
http://www.clippervacations.com/clipper-ferry/

There are plenty of good guidebooks on Seattle and Vancouver region right in the library - that's where I got all my planning info from, as well as the respective websites.

As others have indicated, be sure you're clear about which "Vancouver" you're targeting. Probably the City on the mainland of BC, I'll assume that.

There is no ferry between Seattle and Vancouver BC. There are other ferries and it's possible to make enough connections to get there, but none are a practical way to go with limited time unless you're determined to have a ferry adventure.

I live in Seattle and I've never heard of "Kitsilano" - sounds like that's in Vancouver BC.

Yes, you can take a train between Seattle and Vancouver BC. It's a moderately scenic trip and fairly relaxing. The drive is less scenic and less relaxing but easy enough (except driving or parking in either city - driving in Seattle is miserable and expensive, an intentional policy). I wouldn't call Seattle's public transportation either "nice" or "easy" ("gritty", "inconvenient" and "barely functional" would be my description), but as a tourist, if you remain confined to the downtown tourist areas, how much public transport do you really need? FWIW, much of Seattle's public transport seems to be designed for the benefit of cruise-ship passengers and other tourists, not for locals (you're welcome), so it should meet your needs as long as you want to follow the dictated norms.

Yes, hotels are expensive here. Everything's expensive here now (and crowded, and a hassle). Popularity has ruined a once-nice place to live.

Rick Steves does not do guidebooks for places outside of Europe, so no, there's no no Rick Steves Seattle book (thank god, the city is already overwhelmed with too many tourists...). That said, you could stop by at the Rick Steves HQ in Edmonds (a town just north of Seattle) and say hi.

Local tip: The rain usually stops precisely on July 5th (some say this is god's way to mock the new immigrants who foolishly decide to go camping for the 4th of July holiday, then spend their time drenched or sitting underneath a blue tarp in the steady rain). More often than not this axiom about the timing of the arrival of summer weather holds true, so if your trip is scheduled for after July 5th you should be OK. If before July 5th, bring the goretex.

Agree with other commenters that you could easily spend all that time in one city or the other. But if your heart is set on seeing both, some combination of train/public transit might make more sense than a car.

Another very Northwest thing to do would be to take a floatplane from Seattle to Vancouver (or Victoria). There's a regional carrier called Kenmore Air that has regular departures from downtown Seattle (Lake Union) and the north end of Lake Washington (Kenmore) that take off and land on the water and drop you right into the inner harbor. Public transport or Uber from there to see the city, then take the train back to Seattle if that's where you need to return.

If you're thinking of taking ferries anywhere, I wouldn't advise taking a car on the ferries during the summer. Walking on ferries is no problem, but if you have a car, the lines (even with the reservation system) during the summer are awful, and the logistics for catching the right ferry can be daunting even for locals.

I live in Victoria and work for BC Ferries. You have good info here from previous posters.

Note there is a BRAND NEW service offering direct harbour to harbour ferry service between Vancouver and Victoria - starts mid May. It's called V2V Vacations, not associated with BC Ferries. While it's pricey, it is directed at tourists who want to see both cities and enjoy a beautiful ferry trip between them.

If any travellers would like more info on Victoria, please PM me.

When taking a bus between the US and Canada, everyone on the bus goes through immigration at the same time. So if there's one person on the bus who gets pulled aside for further questioning (not unusual where Canadian entry is concerned), the whole bus must wait until they're finished.

On the train, in contrast, immigration (in both directions) takes place in the Vancouver train station, so nobody has to wait for anybody else. (Vancouver is the only Canadian stop on that train, so everyone who's making an international trip is getting on or off in Vancouver.)

Not a deal breaker for one option or the other, in my opinion, but maybe worth keeping in mind when choosing a mode of transportation.

For affordable accommodation in Seattle, have a look at the Moore Hotel. Their lowest priced rooms have shared bathrooms, but even the rates for en suite rooms are pretty good. I stayed there in 2012 and had a good experience.

Excellent chance for proper Seattle summer weather in early July. Dad always took last 2 weeks July/first two weeks August for family vacays at small Cascades lowlands lake, hour and half north of Seattle, and they were consistently optimum dates for fab-you-luss and sublime Pacific Northwest climate. Native Puget Sounders know, to expect and receive (with certainty) sunny days and warm Jun-Jul-Aug temps, one must head 'east of the mountains'. When you come, stay conveniently near downtown in Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Eastlake neighborhoods, etc., for ease to city action, our waterfront and water transportation. Uber or Lyft work well here, plenty of perfectly great taxis, too. Consider option of Amtrak Cascades train to Vancouver, B.C. Road traffic north on I-5 is getting more and more miserable; I hate doing it and know what to expect (delays, poor drivers, congestion). Border crossings can be frustrating at Blaine. Things are getting pricier as Seattle is enjoying its resurgence and popularity and we have way more people everywhere than what you'd expect of a city of less than 700,000 residents. Pike Place Market, Volunteer Park, Golden Gardens, Shilshole, the Chittenden Locks in Ballard, ferry rides just for the fun of it, Lincoln Park in West Seattle, terrific Olympic Sculpture Park; there are many pleasant ways (and too numerous to include here) to spend time outside featuring all the best this very beautiful area has to offer. When the sun is shining, the air is warm and it's a 'bluebird sky day'; the water, greenery, floral, mountains are all exceptional and truly match up with the finest worldwide locales. I hope you have a great visit and time in the region.

Kitsilano is indeed located in the City of Vancouver, on the west side of the city. It's a very nice area, very popular and often just referred to as "Kits". The area along West Broadway from about Balsam to Alma Street is especially nice, with lots of restaurants, Starbucks, etc. Unfortunately there aren't too many hotels in that area. Houses along Point Grey Road are among the most expensive in the Canada, such as this one - http://globalnews.ca/news/3155464/chip-wilsons-point-grey-home-now-worth-over-75-million/ .

I don't know about Seattle, but you can forget about using UBER in Vancouver as they're not allowed to operate anywhere in the Province of B.C. at this time. This is an election year, so that's expected to change by the end of the year.

Also: For an interest in arts and crafts, I recommend a visit to Portland, Oregon if you haven't been there already (though Vancouver, BC is also lovely, and a week is not enough time to see both and also Seattle). I was there for a few days last week and got a strong impression that the local artistic community is thriving and valued. The Saturday Market (also open on Sundays) brings many dozens of craftspeople all to one place to sell their wares. There are many other arts and crafts related shops all over town, as well as a lot of public art - from sculptures to murals.

Getting between Portland and Seattle is easy. Amtrak runs 4-5 trains a day, and there are many buses that run that route.

I totally agree with the Portland suggestion...Portland struck me as much more "artsy and craftsy" than either Seattle or Vancouver.

I have to disagree in part with David's comments on public transport here in Seattle. We use it quite a bit to go downtown without parking woes, and to get to and from the airport. While the metro (local) buses can be somewhat "gritty" as he says, the Sound Transit (Express) buses that cross Lake Washington, the Light Rail, and the Monorail are all fine.

The Light Rail serves from the airport on the south to the University of Washington to the north, passing through downtown and Capitol Hill. So if you stay near this axis you can get around pretty well with that (note it is more expensive than the bus). Or stay near Seattle Center (think Space Needle) and use the Monorail.

For less expensive hotels, the Mediterranean on Lower Queen Anne is often recommended. Use the Monorail to get downtown. Or try the Mayflower which is right downtown.

In Vancouver BC, we like to use the False Creek ferries to get around---lots of fun and great views of the city.

Many thanks to all of you! I'm getting closer to putting together my trip! It looks like I'll be spending one or two days at the beginning and end of my trip in Seattle. We'll also take the Amtrak train in one direction between Seattle and Vancouver. I'm seeking suggestions now for a Ferry/Island part of our trip.

Our plan had been to visit Victoria, and to go from there to Vancouver (or vice versa). One question is how much time to spend in Victoria. We'll take the ferry between Seattle and Victoria.

As Kathleen mentioned, there is nows a ferry that goes between Victoria and Vancouver. It leaves once a day in each direction, takes about 3 hours, and is approx. $120 CAN one way, for the lowest fare. It leaves Victoria at 2pm, and arrives there from Vancouver at 11 am. If several hours is enough to explore Victoria, that will work, but will mean 6 hours on the 2 ferries in one day. OR, we could stay over in Victoria for one night.

OR: We could fly between Victoria and Vancouver, therefore not needing to stay in Victoria overnight. That costs about $175 each, and there are 8-10 departures.

The extra $100 between the 2 of us is not a huge issue, especially if we wind up needing to stay overnight in Victoria. My main questions are: 1) if the two ferry rides will be very different scenically, or if the Seattle-Victoria ferry will give us a good feel for the Pacific NW Islands. If so, it might be very cool to fly between Victoria and Vancouver. and 2) Does Victoria merit staying overnight in any case? Or is that additional night better spent in Seattle or Vancouver?

If we go by air, should we do the helmet or the plane?

Thank you all so much! You've already been so helpful!
Best,
Lisa

How long is your trip again? If 7-8 days, be careful not to spend half of those days getting from one place to another and not having much time being somewhere (same advice as is often given to folks planning fast-paced trips to Europe).

Getting between Vancouver and Victoria shouldn't be difficult - besides the direct ferry, there are huge car-ferries that you can connect to via bus.

Is several hours enough to explore Victoria? I wouldn't think so. I can easily spend the better part of a day just in the museum there. The city is "cute" (purposely so) and I'd think worth more than a few hours.

I don't think it's reasonable to take a long ferry from Seattle to Victoria, just spend afew hours there, then take another ferry (3 hours+) then go to Vancouver....that's a lot of time in transit.

To your specific questions...

1) if the two ferry rides will be very different scenically, or if the Seattle-Victoria ferry will give us a good feel for the Pacific NW Islands

Both ferry rides would probably be pleasant for someone who has never been here. Not what I'd call spectacular, though. You will see some coastlines in the distance. Some of which will be islands, some of which will be attached to the mainland. The coastal scenery, while certainly pleasant, isn't especially stunning. You will see more coastline (mostly in the distance) on the ferry between Seattle and Victoria (its a much longer distance). The ferry between Victoria and Vancouver is mostly open ocean (technically it's not "open ocean" but most of the time it's distant from any land - you'll mostly see water. Both ferries will thread their way among some islands, which are pretty, but it's not exactly the Amalfi Coast either. From a distance, most of the coastline/islands you will see will probably look pretty similar. Don't get me wrong: the ferry rides are relaxing and pleasant (if it's not raining), but they are not what I'd call breathtaking - its a lot of the same. A nice way to go, but takes some time.

1A) It might be very cool to fly between Victoria and Vancouver.

No, there's no "might" about it. It is definitely very, very cool to do this - THAT is the best way to see the beauty of the area and the view from a small plane is stunningly beautiful (I fly over this area frequently, did it last weekend, it's always great). Be aware that the planes used for this are very small - if you are skittish about such things. But there's no better way to appreciate views of the area's beauty. If you can manage the cost (and you're not spooked by tiny airplanes) this is the way to go. Really.

2) Does Victoria merit staying overnight in any case? Or is that additional night better spent in Seattle or Vancouver?

It seems crazy to me to go to Victoria and not at least spend a night (or two, actually).

Bonus question: If we go by air, should we do the helmet or the plane?

??? Unless you've found some new service in Seattle that will fire you out of a canon pointed north, I don't think you need a helmet for any flights to Canada. A barf bag, maybe, but no head protection required.

Thanks David!

This is just the kind of info I was looking for!

Damn that autocorrect! That was supposed to be "helijet" NOT helmet!

OK, so now I'm thinking about taking the fast ferry between Seattle and Victoria. And the helijet or seaplane between Victoria and Vancouver. Any suggestions about one or the other?

We'll have to do a bit more "deep planning" before deciding about staying over in Victoria for a night.

This forum is SO helpful!

Thanks again,
Lisa

Lisa-- no idea where you live or if you have been to this area before, but David in his narrative failed to mention The Olympic Mountains, the Cascade mtns, especially Mt Baker, which unless are obscured by clouds ( common in winter, but not in summer) should provide some worthwhile scenery as you transit Seattle to BC.

The "Light rail" goes from the airport to downtown and then on to UW campus. Other than the connection airport its useless for tourists. Mostly its a bazillion dollar jobs project.
The buses are utilitarian and designed to move the commuting masses in the morning and evening. The only thing Seattle likes about cars is they are a great source of tax revenue, otherwise they are as welcome as a plague as evidenced by the scarcity and expense of parking and the giving of the streets to bicycles. Conclusion, if you plan to stay in downtown Seattle, you do not want to have a rental car.

Early July is a good time to visit, but it does seem the sun stays in hiding until July5

A prime attraction in Victoria ( Vancouver Island) is the Butchart Gardens. If you like an afternoon English Tea, then the Empress Hotel another destination in Victoria.

Lisa,

I few additional thoughts......

If you'd like to take a Ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, there are two choices....

1. B.C. Ferries - if you don't have a car, the easiest solution would be to go by Bus. The Ferry terminal at Tsawwassen is a ways from Vancouver, and the Ferry terminal in Sidney (Victoria) is some distance from the city. If you take Bus, it will be downtown to downtown.
2. V2V Vacations - a newly implemented Ferry service between downtown Vancouver and downtown Victoria, but it's not cheap - https://v2vvacations.com/ . AFAIK, they're operating now.

If you'd prefer to fly, you won't have much time to enjoy the scenery as it's a very short flight from YVR. Travel via Skytrain from the downtown area to the airport is the easiest and quickest method.

There are also a couple of options when flying.....

1. YVR to YYJ - the airport is also located in Sidney so you'll need to rent a car or take a Taxi. I was there recently but didn't notice if there was a Shuttle.
2. Downtown to downtown - one of the easiest options will be Harbour Air but as someone else mentioned they typically use smaller aircraft so if you're not comfortable with that, it could be a problem. I believe they typically use Twin Otter on that route, and those are not too small. As you mentioned, Helijet is also an option but likely more expensive (I've never priced them).