Planning a trip to Southern Vancouver Island
Visitor Information
For general information on Vancouver Island, contact Tourism Vancouver Island, Ste. 501, 65 Front St., Nanaimo, BC V9R 5H9 (tel. 250/754-3500; fax 250/754-3599; www.vancouverisland.travel). Also check out www.vancouverisland.com.
Getting Around
While Vancouver Island has an admirable system of public transport, getting to remote sights and destinations is difficult without your own vehicle.
By Ferry -- BC Ferries (tel. 888/BCFERRY [223-3779] or 250/386-3431; www.bcferries.com) routes link Vancouver Island ports to many offshore islands, including the southern Gulf Islands of Denman, Gabriola, Galiano, Hornby, Kuper, Mayne, the Penders, Salt Spring, Saturna, and Thetis. None of these islands has public transport, so once there, you'll need to hoof it, hitch it, hire a taxi, or arrange for bike rentals. Most innkeepers will pick you up from the ferry if you've reserved in advance.
By Train -- Another charming way to get around Vancouver Island is on VIA Rail's E&N Railiner, also known as the Malahat (tel. 888/VIA-RAIL [842-7245] or 250/383-4324; www.viarail.ca), which makes a daily round-trip run from Victoria to Courtenay in period passenger cars. The Malahat passes through some of the most beautiful landscapes on the east coast of Vancouver Island, taking about 4 1/2 hours each way. Your ticket allows you to get on and off as many times as you'd like: You can stop at Duncan, Chemainus, Nanaimo, Parksville, or Qualicum Beach and catch the return train back, or take the next day's train north. Prices are very reasonable, especially with 7-day advance purchase. A round-trip between Victoria and Courtenay can cost as little as C$59. Note: The Malahat has no baggage car, and checked-baggage service is not available.
By Bus -- Island Coach Lines (tel. 250/388-5248, or book through Greyhound tel. 800/661-8747; www.greyhound.ca) runs buses between Victoria and Nanaimo with stops at smaller centers along Hwy. 1.
By Car -- The southern half of Vancouver Island is well served by paved highways. The trunk road between Victoria and Nanaimo is Hwy. 1, the Trans-Canada. This busy route alternates between four-lane expressway and congested two-lane highway, and requires some patience and vigilance, especially during the summer months. North of Nanaimo, the major road is Hwy. 19, which is now almost all four-lane expressway, a particular improvement being the new 128km (80-mile) Inland Highway section between Parksville and Campbell River. The older sections of 19, all closer to the island's east coast, are now labeled 19A. North of Campbell River, a long, unimproved section of Hwy. 19 continues all the way to Port Hardy. The other major paved road system on the island, Hwy. 4, connects Parksville with Port Alberni and on to Ucluelet and Tofino, on the rugged west coast. This road is mostly two-lane, and portions of it are extremely winding and hilly. Access to gasoline and car services is no problem, even in more remote north Vancouver Island.
Rental cars are readily available. Agencies include Avis (tel. 800/879-2847 in Canada, 800/331-1212 in the U.S.; www.avis.com), Budget (tel. 800/268-8900 in Canada, 800/527-0700 in the U.S.; www.budget.com), and National (tel. 877/222-9058 in Canada and the U.S.; www.nationalcar.com).
Getting There
By Plane
Victoria is the island's major air hub, with jet, commuter-plane, and floatplane service from Vancouver and Seattle.
Both standard commuter aircraft and floatplanes provide regularly scheduled service to a number of other island communities from both Victoria and Vancouver. All of the southern Gulf Islands, as well as many towns, can be reached by scheduled harbor-to-harbor floatplane service, either from Vancouver International's seaplane terminal or from downtown Vancouver's Coal Harbour terminal. In fact, it's easy to arrange a chartered floatplane for almost any destination along coastal Vancouver Island. Since floatplanes don't require airport facilities, even the most remote fishing camp can be as accessible as a major city.
Commercial airline service is provided by Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.com), Horizon Air (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com), Pacific Coastal (tel. 800/663-2872; www.pacific-coastal.com), and WestJet (tel. 877/952-4638; www.westjet.com).
Commuter seaplane companies that serve Vancouver Island include Harbour Air Seaplanes (tel. 800/665-0212 or 604/688-1277; www.harbour-air.com), Tofino Air (tel. 866/486-3247 for Tofino base, 888/436-7776 for Sechelt base, or 800/665-2359 for Gabriola base; www.tofinoair.ca), and West Coast Air (tel. 800/347-2222 or 604/606-6800; http://westcoastair.com).
By Ferry
BC Ferries (tel. 888/BCFERRY [223-3779] or 250/386-3431; www.bcferries.com) operates an extensive year-round network that links Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the mainland. Major routes include the crossing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay and to Nanaimo, and from Horseshoe Bay (northwest of Vancouver) to Nanaimo. In summer, reserve in advance. If you're taking a car, beware: Ticket prices add up quickly.
Washington State Ferries (tel. 888/808-7977 in Washington, 206/464-6400 in the rest of the U.S., or 250/381-1551 in Canada; www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries) has daily service from Anacortes, in Washington, to Sidney, on Vancouver Island. One-way fares for a car and driver are around US$75 in high season.
The year-round passenger ferries run by Victoria Clipper (tel. 800/888-2535 or 206/448-5000; www.victoriaclipper.com) depart from Seattle's Pier 69; adult round-trip tickets range from US$134 to US$155.
From Port Angeles, Washington, the year-round (except for a 2-week maintenance break in Jan) Black Ball Transport's car ferry MV Coho (tel. 360/457-4491 in Port Angeles, or 250/386-2202 in Victoria; www.cohoferry.com) offers service to Victoria for US$15 per adult foot passenger, US$53 per vehicle. Also from Port Angeles, from mid-May to the end of September, foot passengers and bicyclists can pay US$25 round-trip to hop on the Victoria Express (tel. 800/633-1589 or 360/452-8088 in the U.S., or 250/361-9144 in Victoria; www.victoriaexpress.com).
In summer only, Victoria/San Juan Cruises' daily Victoria Star 2 (tel. 800/443-4552; www.whales.com) passenger ferry travels between Bellingham and Victoria via the San Juan Islands. One-way adult fare is US$59.
By Bus
One of the easiest ways to get to Vancouver Island destinations is by bus. Conveniently, the bus will start its journey from a city center (such as Vancouver), take you directly to the ferry dock and onto the ferry, and then deposit you in another city center (Victoria or Nanaimo). A lot of the hassle of ferry travel is minimized, and the costs are usually lower than other alternatives. (If you're traveling to Vancouver on VIA Rail or Amtrak, bus connections are easy -- the bus and train share the same terminal.)
Pacific Coach Lines (tel. 800/661-1725 or 604/662-8074; www.pacificcoach.com) offers bus service via BC Ferries from Vancouver to Victoria. The one-way fare is C$43 for adults. Greyhound Canada (tel. 800/661-8747 or 604/482-8747; www.greyhound.ca) provides seven daily trips between Vancouver and Nanaimo. Fare is C$22 one-way.