Several car-rental firms have desks at the airport, including Avis (tel. 800/879-2847 or 250/656-6033; www.avis.com), Budget (tel. 800/668-9833 or 250/953-5300; www.budgetvictoria.com), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 or 250/656-2312; www.hertz.com), and National (tel. 800/227-7368 or 250/656-2541; www.nationalcar.com). If you're driving from the airport, take Highway 17 south to Victoria; it becomes Douglas Street as you enter downtown.
The Akal Airporter shuttle bus (tel. 250/386-2525; www.victoriaairporter.com) makes the trip downtown in about a half-hour. Buses leave every 30 minutes daily from 4:30am to midnight; the fare is C$15 (US$13/£7) one-way; C$10 (US$8/£4.50) per person for groups of three or more. Drop-offs are made at most hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, and pickups can be arranged as well. A limited number of hotel courtesy buses also serve the airport. A cab ride into downtown Victoria costs about C$45 (US$38/£20) plus tip. Empress Cabs and Blue Bird Cabs make airport runs.
