Book a trip on the Washington State Ferry offering trips twice a day for both passengers and vehicles. The trip begins in Anacortes, Washington, about 2 ½ hours from Seattle and terminates in Sidney, B.C. which is 20 minutes from downtown Victoria. Check with the Washington State Department of Transportation website for the schedule and current fares.
Make a reservation for The Victoria Clipper, a fast-paced ferry, making trips between Seattle and Victoria. It only carries passengers and it offers three round-trips a day, lasting about three hours each way. Check with the Clipper Vacations website for a complete schedule for your trip.
Arrange passage on the Black Ball/Coho ferry. This ship sails between Port Angeles on Washington's Olympic Peninsula and Victoria's Inner Harbor. This ferry has accommodations for passengers and vehicles and the trip lasts about 11/2 hours. You can get to Port Angeles from Seattle via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge or by taking the Seattle-Bainbridge Island ferry. The Coho Ferry website has all the information you need to book the trip.
Catch a flight between Seattle and Victoria on a "floatplane," a special low-flying aircraft similar to a bushplane. Kenmore Air's lets you take in the snow-capped mountain ranges and seashore of the area. During the flight, a GPS-triggered narration system describes sites like Fisherman's Terminal, University of Washington's campus and Olympic and Cascade peaks. The 20-minute trip costs about $89.
Drive from Seattle to Vancouver. Take Interstate 5 north to the Canadian border at the Peace Arch at Blaine. Then take highway 99 towards Vancouver. If the Peace Arch is busy, take the Pacific Highway border crossing a few miles east (WA State Route 543 known as Highway 18 in B.C.) You can also take the east border crossing at Lynden on WA Route 539 or Aldergrove and Highway 13 on the B.C. side. The Georgia Straight separates Vancouver from Victoria so you then have to either fly or take a ferry.
Take an Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver and then cross the Georgia Straight by plane or boat. Amtrak offers two round-trip trans per day along scenic shorelines. You can get a complete schedule at Amtrak's website.
Take a Quickshuttle bus from Sea-Tac Airport and downtown Seattle to several Vancouver stops like the airport, hotels and the docks. Or try Greyhound which has four round-trip buses each day between Seattle and Vancouver. You must then cross the Georgia Straight to complete your trip.
