Seattle / Vancouver / Victoria in October

Hi -

I live in the Seattle suburbs (born and raised) and spend time downtown. Seattle and Vancouver have a lot of similarities. They both have a lot of natural beauty - with the waterfront and mountains nearby. Since they are so similar, I wouldn’t do option 2.

I would recommend Option 1. Victoria is charming and has a very European/English feel to it. It’s been a number of years since I’ve been to Vancouver and I know it’s changed but so has Seattle.

If you wanted to do Seattle rather than Vancouver (not that I necessarily would), you could always take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Victoria. It’s a couple of hours and a very scenic ride.

So either Option 1 or a new one, which would be pairing Seattle and Victoria.

October is usually a lovely time around here. Yes, weather will be fairly comparable in all spots. Of course it’s the PNW so rain is always a possibility.

Are you planning on renting a car or not? This makes a difference. Downtown Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria can all be accessed without renting a car. Your ONP and North Cascades can not.

I just priced a roundtrip to Victoria with an overnight hotel stay for a family of 4 in October at $484 according to the Victoria Clipper Website.

We would only rent a car if we stayed exclusively in WA or on Vancouver Island (and only for daytrips / overnights). Definitely not for city-hopping.

I did see that October 10 is Canada's Thanksgiving, so I would have to research if any of the sights in BC would be affected by that.

We live in Seattle and travel frequently to Vancouver and Victoria as well as the Olympic Peninsula and the North Cascades. I agree with Dana that Seattle and Vancouver are similar in many ways and combined may not offer the most variety. For a trip with variety and sheer natural beauty, I too like the Vancouver and Victoria combo. Victoria really feels like a different country, with lots of interesting things to do and a great contrast to the big city vibe of Vancouver. Separately, we have done Victoria and Vancouver without a car and it is doable. To do both in the same trip, we prefer a car. If you are driving, the car ferry trip to the island is lovely. And no back and forth over borders.

If you can get a good deal on the clipper from Seattle to Victoria, I like Carol’s itinerary as well and as she says, this option can be done without a car.

I also like the Seattle combo with either the Olympic Peninsula or the North Cascades, but not both - too much distance to cover for the time you have. Weather wise, I might bet on North Cascades over OP for that time of the year. We were in Leavenworth for a long weekend in mid-October last year and the weather was glorious.

While I kind of think that Vancouver is maybe a bit prettier than Seattle (sorry Seattle, the mountains there are right up against the skyline and Stanley Park is spectacular), here’s what I think Seattle has going for it - museums. We have several decent art museums, the very unique Museum of Pop Culture, the Museum of Flight, Chihuly Garden and Glass, as well as a very good zoo. You can get your ferry fix with a day trip to Bainbridge Island - on foot or drive on.

Seattle, OP, North Cascades

Presumably "OP" is Olympic Peninsula?

For the time you have, OP and N Cascades would be a rushed stretch.

That time of October the mountains can have very nice Fall colors.

If you chose N Cascades you could do a loop e/b over Hwy 20 ( N Cascades Hwy) ; perhaps stay in the Methow Valley (Twisp/Winthrop); perhaps include Grand Coulee Dam and return to Seattle via US 2 through Leavenworth ( spend a night there)

I would not take pre-teens to downtown Seattle

I like the idea of Seattle + Victoria in your timeframe, connected by the Victoria Clipper. You can get a package including a night or two in Victoria. It's faster and easier than the ferry between Vancouver and Victoria, which requires a car or bus at either end, while the Clipper takes you from downtown to downtown. Both are very scenic. Flying between Vancouver and Victoria would cost a lot more, though you could save time with a seaplane.

I also agree that Vancouver has a better natural setting than Seattle, though both outperform at least 95% of North American cities on this score. And I agree that Vancouver + Seattle would be sort of redundant and take quite awhile to get between.

The Olympics and North Cascades are both great national parks, but I wouldn't try to see both in a week -- they are far apart. You could get great fall colors, especially in NCNP, but you could also get a rainy washout.

Your previous post drew so many comments (including one of mine) that you already have a great deal of information. You can keep looking for opinions, but the only ones that matter are your family's. But thanks for the nostalgic link to the now-lost pre-Covid world! ;-)

Thinking about what JenS said about Seattle's museums, and looking at my original research for this trip ...

Fair to say that during a first-time, 4-5 day stay, you might spend more time outdoors in Vancouver than Seattle? Most of my notes for Vancouver were about parks, neighborhood walks, bike rides and outdoorsy/scenic daytrips, whereas Seattle had 1-2 days' worth indoor attractions.

If I'm onto something, seems like Seattle might have more "Plan B" options, given that October would be wetter (statistically) and darker (factually) than our original June dates? Or, as per usual, I could be overthinking this.

One thing is certain: Based on your advice about Seattle and Vancouver redundancy and current airfare deals, the trip would definitely involve flying to or from Victoria. So that would save any R/T logistics with either SEA or YVR.

If you choose to stay on Vancouver Island for a few days, you'll definitely need a car.
There is no "hopping" between towns by efficient public transport.
I would pick your option of Vancouver and the Island.
Leave Seattle for another time.

Hi Jake
To answer your question re Thanksgiving, this might impact cost of your accommodations as a lot of us travel to see family that weekend. Airports will also be busier over it. Shouldn't be too big an impact for you as you are leaving later.

Also, you may want to look at the price of a car rental in your decision making. I am going to Victoria in May and they are quite expensive for then. We have decided to just stay in Victoria and rent a car if we want to enjoy the island for a day or two.

I don't know Seattle well enough to compare. We enjoy both Vancouver and Victoria. Vancouver is a bit more stunning in it's setting, but I think with pre-teen kids Victoria might be easier to navigate and feels more family friendly.

Victoria would be great for a family visit, but if you are going to travel on Thanksgiving weekend with a car, you absolutely must make reservations for the ferry. Just Google BC ferries reservations. Even walk-ons will be busy. October 7 & 10 will hit peak traffic.

I'm wondering if Butchart Gardens in Victoria is beautiful in the fall?

We booked flights!

We decided to fly into Victoria and out of Vancouver. We are bargain hunters, and figured that although prices to Seattle were only slightly higher, deals to BC are rarer. Also, the Canadian airlines are offering flexible booking and that was a big advantage for a trip seven months away in today’s world.

Thanks again for the input. I’ll be back for itinerary feedback when the trip is closer. And I’ll consider Thanksgiving logistics sooner rather than later.

On that note, we will have 7 full days in between our travel days. I assume 2.5 in Victoria and 4.5 in Vancouver is about the right balance?

Good choices Jake!
You are coming from Atlanta it looks like, so you will be tired on arrival.
Perhaps make it 3 nights in Victoria, and 4 in Vancouver?
Now you can get your accommodation booked.

Great choice! The open-jaw is a real plus. Depending on your touring agenda, 3 full days in Victoria might be good. There’s could be enough to see and do in Victoria proper to fill 2 days, plus a day trip out to Butchart Gardens (maybe adding the Victoria Butterfly Gardens).