Victoria Travel Guide (Victoria, Southern British Columbia)

If you're without your own transport, the most painless way to Victoria from Vancouver is to buy a Pacific Coach Lines (PCL; tel 604/662-8074 in Vancouver, 250/385-4411 or 385-3348 in Victoria; toll free tel 1-800/661-1725) ticket at the Vancouver bus terminal at 1150 Station St, which takes you, inclusive of the ferry crossing and journeys to and from ferry terminals at both ends, to Victoria's central bus station at 700 Douglas St. Buses leave hourly in the summer (first bus 5.45am; last bus 8.45pm from July to early Sept, 7.45pm the rest of the year), every two hours in the winter: total journey time is about 3hr 30min and a single ticket costs $26.50 ($51 return). No bookings are necessary or taken: overflow passengers are simply put on another coach. The ferry crossing takes 95 minutes, and offers some stunning views as the boat navigates the narrow channels between the Gulf Islands en route. Be sure to keep your ticket stub for reboarding the bus after the crossing. Coach drivers give you all the practical details en route. It's also worth stocking up on food on board, as subsidized ferry meals are famously cheap (queues form instantly). You can save yourself about $15 by using public transport at each end and buying a ferry ticket separately ($9 peak season July to early Sept; $8.50 shoulder mid-March to June, mid-Sept to mid Nov & mid-Dec-Jan 1; $7.50 the rest of the year), but for the extra hassle and time involved it hardly seems worth it. A similar all-inclusive bus/ferry arrangement also operates from Vancouver to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island via the Horseshoe Bay Terminal, about fifteen minutes north of West Vancouver on Hwy 1. You can reach the Horseshoe Bay Terminal by taking bus #250 or #257 from Georgia Street. The ferry charges are the same for foot passengers