Victoria, BC

The harbor tour is very interesting. You catch it at pier 55. Seattle is a very active port and you get to see container ship operations up close, from the water. Not to mention great views of the skyline. If you'll have a car, go up to the Salish Lodge next to Snoqualmie Falls for their awesome breakfast. Only about a half hour drive from the city.

Hi Ross, it has been unusually hot , but for this weekend is supposed to dip down to about 20 ( 70-71 ) . Can't advise about Seattle, but for Victoria seems like you will just have enough time to wander around the Inner Harbour, walk through the old lobby of the Empress Hotel , ( pop into the Bengal room) for a drink or snack, perhaps choose to visit the British Columbia Museum( its pretty good) or if you want to stay outside then walk up to Beacon Hill Park , nice gardens , duck ponds etc. If you interested in beautiful gardens the Butchard Gardens ARE worth a visit, they really are wonderful( and I personally am not a huge garden person but I still enjoy a visit there every few years).
Eat at Pagliaccis or for lunch. AVOID Wharfside Restaurant, bad food , high prices, frequented almost 90% by tourists cause food sucks instead walk down down the stairs beside it and eat at Red Fish Blue Fish, yum. Both on Wharf street( Red Fish Blue Fish is down off street though) .

My husband and I were just in Seattle & Victoria & in May. All the sites in Seattle previously mentioned above are great. We really loved the Aquarium too. Victoria's Butchart Gardens is a MUST. While on the Ferry from Washington to Victoria, we booked a 2 hour Victoria tour. It was wonderful. The bus picked us up at the ferry terminal a few minutes after we docked. They took us (about 30 people total) and our luggage, through the city with a delightful narrative by the driver. Dropped us off at the Gardens where we wandered for 2 hours, had an ice cream at the end, got back on the bus and they took everyone to their individual hotels. Door to Door service is terrific.

Ross, Although one of my Sons lives there, I haven't spent a lot of time in Victoria lately. The sites that Pat mentioned are about what I was going to suggest. I haven't been to the Royal BC Museum in quite a few years, but I recall that it was an interesting place to visit. You might enjoy the very British afternoon Tea at the Empress (not sure if they serve the Scones and thick Cream?). The weather is supposed to be good this weekend (High 21C, Low 14C, perhaps a bit of cloud on Saturday) so it will be a nice time to visit Victoria. As a previous reply mentioned, the Bus tour might be a good way to cover the "highlights" in a limited period of time. I can't remember what the transportation options are from the Inner Harbour to Butchart Gardens, but hopefully someone else can provide that information. You mentioned that you'd be travelling on a "hydroplane". Are you referring to the Victoria Clipper, the fast boat that makes the trip from Seattle in ~2H:45M? As you enter the Harbour, you'll see the Parliament Buildings, which is where our Provincial Government resides as Victoria is our Provincial capital. Hope you have a wonderful time in Victoria!

@Ken. Yessir! I did book the Victoria Clipper. I'm up in the Northwest primarily to attend Abdi Sami's memorial service on Sunday, but I thought I'd do something upbeat too. Good to hear from you Ken! When's Sicily?

Pat is of course spot-on with her suggestions ;-) And I also highly recommend Butchard Gardens. We have family in Victoria and they even have season passes to go there regularly. As a non-gardener, I'm perfectly fine going once every few years but even for me it is a must-see. It is close to the airport so not accessible by walking from the historic city centre as most other sites mentioned here are. I do like the BC Royal Museum. It includes some great exhibits on the Native cultures of the Pacific Northwest. And some wonderful art by Emily Carr. For lunch I'd also love Red Fish Blue Fish, best fish-n-ships in town! The chef participated in "Top Chef Canada"! Or for a bit of a splurge go up to Vista 18, the rooftop restaurant at the Chateau Victoria Hotel. For lunch it's more affordable. We've been there a couple of times and always impressed by the truly best views in town and very good food. www.redfish-bluefish.com
www.chateauvictoria.com/dining/vista-18/

Second (third or fourth...)the advise for the Royal BC Museum here. Right now there is even an exhibit on dinosaurs (fun!!). The downtown area is lovely and you get a good feel for the city. I'm going to go ahead and recommend my favorite restaurants: The Mint (on Douglas Street between Johnson and Pandora) and Ferris' close to the bottom of Yates Street. Butchart Gardens is nice (lack of enthusiasm due to too many forced trips as a child...) but is a trek from downtown/harbour area, breakwater/seawall walk will take you to Beacon Hill Park (and the petting zoo, again, fun!! and don't even think about not getting an ice cream cone at the Beacon drive in), market square in the downtown area usually has local music or some type of event happening during the summer as well there is a market on sundays in centennial square and on Langley Street. Cafe Artigiano in the Bedford Regency makes a mean americano (Government Street behind the Bay Centre mall). Be sure to check out Chinatown (oldest in Canada), which starts at Fisgard Street. All of my recommendations are within walking distance of the seaplane terminal (which, I'm assuming is close to the Inner Harbour downtown).
Cheers!

Thanks to all for the great suggestions!

Ross, All the suggestions for Victoria are wonderful. Also, Rogers Chocolates is a must do for me when I am visiting. Love the Victorian Creams. It might be hot so you may just have to eat your chocolates while there. Gosh, that wouldn't be too bad a task. As for Seattle, Pike Place Market and the Seattle Underground Tour are wonderful places to visit, as is our waterfront. If you have teenagers, they would like the store called Ye Old Curiosity Shop, plenty of weird and freaky items to view. If you are hikers and have any extra time at all, there are fabulous day hikes in the Cascades, some just an hour out of the downtown Seattle core. If you don't have time to get out of the city, our parks and green spaces are also great. Enjoy your time here and in Victoria. Linda