transportation between Seattle and Vancouver, BC

There's a couple of busses that run daily from Seattle to Vancouver. I've never taken one, but they're apparently run by Flixbus, which could make for an interesting trip.

Good luck on your travels,

-- Mike Beebe

Mysticamper:

Greyhound bus: https://www.greyhound.com/

FlixBus: https://www.flixbus.ca/bus-routes/seattle-wa-vancouver-bc

If you use this transport mode, your arrival in Vancouver is at Pacific Central Station, which is also home to VIA cross-country and Amtrak international trains. The station is only 250 metres to Skytrain station “Main Street-Science World” on the Expo line, providing easy access into downtown Vancouver.

You can catch the Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver

You can catch the Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver

the OP said the Cascade train is fully booked. As noted there are bus options but you're going to be on the bus most of the day - shortest ride is 3.75 hours one way. Have you considered meeting each other half way? Bellingham is a good option, university town on the water.

Do you have a Passport or Enhanced Drivers license? Necessary for Crossing Border. A round trip in a day can be done, but you have to worry about getting back to train station or bus station ahead of time to go through Customs. Where does your friend actually live? "Vancouver" can include many other small towns. Maybe you can rendezvous if he is a Canadian used to crossing the Border. We see lots of Canadians shopping at our Costco.

Could you meet your friend in Victoria? The Victoria Clipper takes just as long as the train or bus, but it's a beautiful ride. It's the most expensive option, short of flying.
Bellingham, where I live, is an excellent place to visit. Getting here from Seattle without a car isn't as easy as one might hope, as we are limited to the same trains and buses previously mentioned. If you decide to meet here, DM me for recommendations on what to see and do and where to eat.

If you can tell us which area of Vancouver your friend is from, that would help.
It’s a very big area!
Meeting in Victoria is a good idea, as is Bellingham if your friend is happy to cross the border.
If your friend drives, could they come down to you?

Remember that border crossings may take up a bit of time nowadays.

Remember that border crossings may take up a bit of time nowadays.

Drove to BC in Jan. Took maybe 5 minutes each way. Depending on when you cross and which crossing you use, the line may be a bit longer.. The Canadian 'boycott" has had the benefit of making the crossing quicker.

Do you have any flexibility on the travel day to find a train ticket?

Meeting in Bellingham is a good alternative and is somewhere that you could drive to with out having to deal with Vancouver city traffic.

Even renting a care and driving will take at least 3 hours without considering traffic or border crossings, so everything else will take longer.

If it were me, I would take the Flixbus which takes between 3-4 hours and I would plan on spending the night in Vancouver to take the bus back the next day.

I went to Vancouver for the day on Thursday. We were in line for about 5 minutes going up, longer coming down (15?). Each time, there was only one booth open. "These days," this is typical.
If it's an option to stay overnight, I would take the train over the bus every time. What I understood was that the trains that are scheduled far enough apart to make it workable as a day trip are sold out. These will be the same trains that stop in Bellingham. IME, the Flixbus schedule is worse than Amtrak for same-day travel between Bellingham and Seattle, but maybe OP will have better luck going in the other direction.

I agree with other suggestions that you might want to stay at least one night in Vancouver. That would give you more time to visit with your friend and provide a more "relaxed" pace for the trip. There are some great hotels and restaurants in downtown Vancouver.

You might have a look at Harbour Air, which offers flights from Lake Union in Seattle to Vancouver Harbour. You'll have to be a bit more "adventurous" as the aircraft are smaller. You could book a hotel in the vicinity of Burrard & Georgia streets, or perhaps on Robson street. There are lots of choices. Take a Cab from the harbour to your hotel, as the harbour is reasonably close to the hotel area.

Good luck!

I wasn't aware of that flight from Lake Union. Only goes in the morning. If an afternoon train was available, that might work. Expensive.

Limited Harbour Air flights every day are one of the issues, which is why an overnight visit would be better. Smaller aircraft don't always have the same instrument capability as larger versions, so they may not be inclined to fly after dark. While the cost might be a bit steep, I tend to be somewhat "goal oriented" when travelling so if I have to spend more to accomplish my goals, I'm willing to pay more (within reason).

If you decide to meet your friend in Bellingham, or Ferndale, consider the Bellair shuttle. I used it several years ago from SEATAC, and also E WA, to Bellingham. There were stops in downtown Seattle, too. I have not checked current status.

I agree, if your friend is comfortable crossing the border, that would probably be the best. Perhaps your friend's address is "Vancouver" but I also agree with others that you need to determine the location in the Lower Mainland before deciding on transportation. "Vancouver" is often the catchall for many surrounding/adjacent cities. I grew up in Richmond, home of Vancouver International Airport.

Updated: sorry, I'd missed where your friend was coming from

The Belair shuttle to Bellingham- https://airporter.com/shuttle/schedules/bellingham-to-seatac/

The train/bus station in Vancouver is not in a very good neighbourhood; there are hotels across the street but nowhere you'd want to stay. However, Main Street/Science World station on the elevated "Skytrain" is very close to the train station, which means you could stay in one of the many downtown hotels and get to your hotel easily by Skytrain (assuming you stay near a Skytrain station). Transit in general is excellent and very extensive downtown. The Sylvia is a lovely, older seaside hotel on English Bay (near Stanley Park) and in a great neighbourhood with lots of good restaurants. You'd have to take a bus to get there though; downtown hotels would be easier but have less character.

Does your friend drive?

If so, it may be easier to meet in Bellingham and you ( and your friend) could spend the night there.

Bellingham would be much easier to get around in than Vancouver.

A few additional comments.....

If you decide to meet your friend in Vancouver, you could take a flight from SeaTac to Vancouver International. There's easy SkyTrain service direct from the airport to downtown (I use the station near Granville & Georgia Streets). From there you can walk to a number of good hotels, and there are lots of wonderful restaurants in that area. I usually stay at either the Sutton Place or the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

If you decide to arrive by train, it's easy to take a Cab from the station to the hotels near Burrard & Georgia or other hotels in the downtown. While the Pacific Central station isn't in the "best" part of town, it's a busy and well used station by both Amtrak as well as Via Rail and others. The elegant old building is beautiful. I would have no hesitation in going to that area if I was using the train.

You're not getting much help here on your original question, which was where to stay in Vancouver. I agree that the area around the station isn't a great choice, nor is the "downtown east" area, but there are good hotels along Granville, others around Robson, and others in the West End. I can recommend the Chateau Granville, the Grand Park, and the Hotel Le Soleil, all in the downtown area. The Sylvia is legendary and I liked the nearby Best Western Plus Sands, but they're farther from the station. See what you can find on booking.com. Vancouver is expensive, but keep in mind that $100 CAD is about $75 USD.

Amtrak has daily service between Seattle and Vancouver, leaving Seattle early evening and arriving Vancouver at 10 PM. The train back leaves Vancouver at 7 AM, so if you take the train you'll need two nights in Vancouver. However, Amtrak also offers nonstop (except at the border) buses several more times daily. Check Amtrak's website.