Air and Ferry Information

From Vancouver :	Car Ferry	from Tsawwassen, BC
B.C. Ferries
Air Canada / Air BC	1-800-565-9513	airport to airport
Victoria Helijet	1-800-665-4354	downtown to downtown
Pacific Coach Line Bus/Ferry	604-662-8074	downtown to downtown
Harbour Air Sea Plane	1-800-665-0212	harbour to harbour
West Coast Air Sea Plane	1-800-347- 2222	harbour to harbour

From Seattle:
The Clipper Jet Catamaran	1-800-888-2535	to Inner Harbour
Horizon Air/Alaska Airlines	1-800-547-9308	airport to airport

From Anacortes, WA
Washington State Ferries	Car Ferry	to Sidney

From Port Angeles, WA:
Black Ball Transport Car Ferry	206-457-4491	to the Inner Harbour
Victoria Express Passenger	1-800-633-1589	to the Inner Harbour

From Bellingham, WA:
The Victoria Star 2 Passenger	1-800-443-4552	to the Inner Harbour

BC Ferries - View Timetables

Tsawwassen (38 km south of Vancouver) - Swartz Bay (20 mi (32 km) north of Victoria)
Crossing time: 1 hour 35 minutes; 8 sailings per day in the fall, winter, and spring and more in summer)
Tsawwassen - Duke Point (8 mi (13 km) south of Nanaimo)
Crossing time: 2 hours; 8 round trips daily.
Horseshoe Bay (12 mi (19 km) northwest of Vancouver) - Departure Bay (2 mi (3 km) north of Nanaimo)
Crossing time: 1 hour 35 minutes; Sailings every 2 hours with extra sailings during the summer and holidays.
Powell River - Comox
Crossing time: 1 hour 20 minutes; 4 round trips daily.

Washington State Ferries:

Anacortes, Washington - Sidney
Crossing time: 3 hours (not counting stops in the San Juan Islands)

Black Ball Transport :

Port Angeles, Washington - Victoria
Crossing time: 1 hour 30 minutes; 1 or 2 round trips daily

Passenger-only service

In addition, there are three passenger-only ferry services from the Mainland to Vancouver Island:
Victoria Clipper (Seattle, Washington - Victoria)
Crossing time: 2 hour 45 minutes; 1 to 3 round trips daily
Victoria Express (Port Angeles, Washington - Victoria)
Crossing time: 1 hour (operates May through September)
Victoria San Juan Cruises (Bellingham, Washington - Victoria)
Crossing time: 3 hours (operates one trip per day May through October)

Road:

There is one major north-south highway system on the island, which runs along the eastern side. It begins as Highway 1 in Victoria, merging with Highway 19 in Nanaimo, which terminates at Port Hardy. East-west routes are:

Highway 4 between Parksville and Tofino;
Highway 14 between Greater Victoria and Port Renfrew;
Highway 18 between Duncan and Youbou; and
Highway 28 between Campbell River and Gold River.
In addition, Highway 17 connects Victoria with the Saanich Peninsula, terminating the Vancouver Island portion of its route at the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal.

Vancouver Island is well served by secondary routes, and a numerous active and decommissioned logging and forest service roads provide access into the back country.

Many communities are served by public transit. Greater Victoria is one of the few places in North America where double-deck buses are used in the regular public transit system.

Proposals have been made for a "fixed link" to the mainland for over a century. Because of the extreme depth of the Georgia Strait and potential seismic activity, a bridge or tunnel would face monumental engineering, safety, and environmental challenges at a prohibitive cost.

Airplane Vancouver Island

Air:

Victoria International Airport is the major airport on Vancouver Island. In 2005, it was the 9th busiest airport in Canada in terms of passenger movements (1,280,420).[11] Five major carriers (Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Horizon Air, Pacific Coastal Airlines, and WestJet) offer a variety of flights of short and medium distance including to and from Seattle, Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto. The only other international airport on the island, CFB Comox, offers direct flights to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on a weekly basis.

Other smaller airports on Vancouver Island include Nanaimo harbour and Campbell River. In 2008, WestJet starts direct flight three times per week to Las Vegas, and United Airlines will begin direct flights to the San Francisco Bay Area; these will be seasonal flights.

Floatplane and helicopter traffic to and from Victoria's inner harbour accounts for approximately 300,000 additional passengers per year,[12] making it the second busiest airport on Vancouver Island. Much of the floatplane traffic is downtown-to-downtown services from Victoria harbour to Vancouver harbour or Nanaimo harbour, most of which is carried by the operations Harbour Air, West Coast Air, and Baxter Aviation. Harbour Air also flies to other areas around Vancouver. These carriers make several daily scheduled flights, weather permitting.

Mountainous, remote, culturally diverse, and immensely beautiful, Canada is an expansive and scenic country to visit and explore. With over 10 provinces, this North American country is a favourite destination for travellers of all ages. Canada has so much to offer that it’s worth fully exploring on its own. Perfect for ski adventures, scenic railway journeys, wildlife, and historical city exploration, it’s diverse in its terrain and culture. Canada is a comfortable and exciting destination to visit.

Accommodations, Things to do, Places to go

Vancouver Island Vacations Tourism Information Guide that has been designed to assist all visitors vacationing on this beautiful island of ours. We would like you to experience an enjoyable vacation..

For the camping enthusiasts there are over twenty provisional campgrounds available and literally dozens of privately owned RV parks on the island. Vancouver Island offers something for every one on vacation. There are many outdoor experiences you will be able to enjoy, fishing, golfing, horse back riding, parks you can trail walk and of course grizzly and black bear tours just to name a few activities.

Accommodations on Vancouver Island

We have hundreds of various types of accommodations listed from Victoria to the top of the island Port Hardy and every city and town in between on both the east and west coasts to suit all budgets, tastes, needs and desires.

For instance there are bed and breakfasts, cabins and cottages, campgrounds, condominiums, chalets, farms, guest houses, hostels, hotels, houseboats, inns, lodges, motels, resorts, rv parks and villas to suit all tourists.

We have made it as easy as we can for you, just select the location you intend to visit and then select the lodgings of your choice from all the listings It is easier to look at the Vancouver Island map we have on the website so that you can plan your trip making your bookings in advance. You may decide to stay at a water front inn or bed and breakfast with the sound of the waves lulling you to sleep, or a vacation rental home that can accommodate families or groups.

Activies on Vancouver Island

There are more than 50 golf courses for the avid golfer to experience. Most of these courses are set in the most beautiful surroundings near the sea, by lakes or surrounded by great mountain ranges in evergreen forests. Vancouver Island also can boast of having some of the best championship courses.

Fishing charter guides who are ready to give you the Vancouver Island Salmon and Halibut fishing charter experience of a lifetime!

Guides who know the waters here well and are ready and committed to serve you individually, ensuring a personalized and rewarding fishing charter. You may be fortunate enough to land a halibut , now that would be a vacation to remember. It is all here at our front door. Unbelievable fishing on Vancouver Island for those seeking the finest saltwater fishing getaway. Grizzly bear watching is always a tourist attraction at Knight Inlet about 80 kilometers north of Campbell River. During a vacation on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, be sure to book a whale watching tour to see whales, eagles, dolphins and other marine mammals.

Outdoor Recreation

Enjoying winter skiing on Vancouver Island

Mt. Washington is only minutes away from the Comox Valley and offers world class skiing, snowboarding and Nordic sports. In the summer season Mount Washington is a hiking and mountain bike haven.

If you're looking for activities beyond alpine, all snowbound tastes are catered for. Mount Washington provides guests with one of the top-rated Nordic experiences in North America.

Outdoor Activities Fly Fishing

Get inspired by the province’s natural beauty and make plans for your next outdoor adventure, by taking advantage of the many recreation opportunities available across the diverse landscape of mountains, rivers, lakes and coastlines. You will experience excitement and adventure on either a fishing, whale watching, bear watching or hunting trip. Vancouver Islands rugged wilderness, fresh lakes and rivers offering excellent opportunities for gaming and fishing enthusiasts. Kayaking is a very popular sport as the island has many bays and inlets with calm waters. Here is The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Kayaking

Vancouver Island offers a host of exceptional recreation opportunities. While some of the island’s most spectacular recreation features are located in parks, many more recreation resources are found in the rugged backcountry.

Outdoor Activities Sailing the coast of Vancouver Island

Alternatively, if you are planning a more relaxed type sailing holiday and intend to explore the shores, bays and the hundreds of inlets surrounding Vancouver island, then you can also look forward to sun tanning, beach combing, waterfalls, beautiful anchorages, great scenery, swimming, hiking, photography and the many species of wildlife.

There are over 18 marine parks in our area.

Desolation sound is extraordinarily beautiful sailing area with many safe anchorages and beautiful locations… mountain waterfall and forest lakes only minutes walk from snug anchorages. The waters are calm, sheltered and warm. Desolation Sound is a world famous sailing destination or longer trips to the many other marine parks like Princess Louisa, Toba Inlet, Bute Inlet or the Broughton Archipelago.