How to Get to Victoria from Vancouver, BC

Victoria is a very popular trip from Vancouver, for both locals and tourists. But despite it’s popularity, there isn’t one straightforward way to get there. You actually have five choices for how to get to Victoria from Vancouver.

As a Vancouverite since 2010, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Victoria on Vancouver Island many times. I usually go by ferry, the most common mode of transport, and have ferried as a walk-on passenger, in a car and in a shuttle bus.

But I’ve also travelled to Victoria from Vancouver via seaplane, a much faster but more expensive option. Other flight options include a large jet plane from the international airport or a helicopter, if you really want to arrive in style.

And then there’s the option to hop on a day tour, perfect if you’re short on time and don’t want to deal with all of the transportation logistics!

Because despite many people combining Victoria and Vancouver into one trip, it’s not that simple. It can take many hours and many hundreds of dollars to travel between the two cities.

But trust me, it’s worth it!

Victoria is an awesome city with lots to do (like Butchart Gardens and a BC Parliament tour), beautiful scenery, great food like afternoon tea, cool neighbourhoods, and a low-key, walkable vibe that makes me want to move there every time we visit!

Read my guide below to figure out which mode of transport between Vancouver and Victoria is right for you based on your budget, length of stay and travel priorities.

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The most scenic way to get to Victoria: By seaplane

One of the fastest and most scenic ways to get to Victoria from Vancouver is by seaplane with Harbour Air. That’s how we got to Victoria for our summer 2026 trip!

You can read all about our Harbour Air seaplane experience. But here are some of the main highlights:

Harbour Air seaplanes leave from Downtown Vancouver and arrive in Downtown Victoria in just 35 minutes. Check-in and boarding are fast and easy, plus there are complimentary beverages in the waiting room.

There are roughly 10-25 departures per day, depending on the day of the week (more frequent on weekdays) and time of year (more frequent in the summer). Each plane holds about 20 passengers.

You have four fare classes to choose from – Flex, Comfort, Value, Light. Each one has different fare rules and luggage limits. The luggage limit on the cheapest fare is just 10 lbs/person and excess luggage is charged at $3/lb.

We chose the cheapest fare class and were slightly overweight with our luggage. But both times, the lovely check-in staff decided to waive the extra fee.

The cheapest one-way fare at the time of writing is $99 CAD ($71 USD). You can book through Viator here or check out Harbour Air’s website for more options.

To me, there are two good reasons to take a seaplane from Vancouver to Victoria: convenience and views.

It’s hard to beat flying from downtown core to downtown core in just over 30 minutes! That’s way faster and way more direct than the ferry route.

It was so nice to walk from our apartment to the harbour and start our trip by just walking off the plane and into Victoria’s Inner Harbour.

The views you get from the seaplane are also incredible. It was awesome to see the coastlines and islands through the window and watch as we touched down onto the water.

While I did find take-off and landing pretty smooth, we hit some rough turbulence on our flight back that left me very nauseous, my toddler-daughter crying, and my poor husband to deal with us both.

So if you get motion sick or are scared of small planes, the seaplane route may not be for you!

The most common way to get to Victoria: By ferry

When most people are deciding how to get to Victoria from Vancouver they’re looking at taking BC Ferries. This is the most common, and usually the most affordable, way to travel to Victoria.

I’ve taken the ferry myself many times and it’s a lovely way to travel. The sailing is almost always smooth, there are beautiful views, and it can be fun to travel by boat. I’ve even seen whales from the ferry before!

The issue is that the ferry route takes a long time. It’s a one hour drive from Downtown Vancouver to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, 95 minutes on the ferry, and then a 45 minute drive from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal to Downtown Victoria.

Considering that you’ll also need to check in at the ferry terminal 30-60 mins ahead of your departure, a one-way trip to Victoria via ferry could take 4-5 hours.

So you can see why some people choose the 35 minute seaplane instead!

You also have to factor in how you plan to get to and from the ferry, as it’s about an hours’ drive on either side. You can drive yourself, take public transit or hop on a shuttle bus.

If you’re on a budget and not in a rush, you can take public transit. This will stretch our your journey time (5+ hours) as you’ll need to factor in wait times and bus schedules. I did this with my sister years ago and it made for a very long day!

But you’ll only have to pay the passenger ferry fare ($21 CAD/$15 USD) and transit fare won’t be too expensive either (a few dollars on each side).

If you need a car in Victoria, driving over is the best option. You won’t have to worry about bus schedules but you will have to pay for your vehicle ($89 CAD/$63 USD) in addition to your passenger fare on the ferry. You’ll also have to factor in gas, parking and rental car fees.

But if you want to have your car on Vancouver Island for exploring outside of Downtown Victoria, then it makes sense to drive it onto the ferry. We’ve done this a few times and while more expensive, it’s also more convenient.

If you don’t need a car in Victoria but also don’t want to deal with the hassle of buses and transportation, book a shuttle. This transfer service will pick you up from Vancouver, bring you onto the ferry, and drop you off in Victoria.

The option above includes your shuttle bus on both ends and your ferry fare, so you can conveniently book everything in one place!

The most convenient way to get to Victoria: By day tour

If you only have one day to spend in Victoria, I highly recommend booking a day tour from Vancouver. That way you don’t have to figure out transportation, bookings or sightseeing on your own.

Getting to Victoria from Vancouver – especially if you’re taking the ferry without a car – can be logistically difficult. It can be tough to plan out your day and know how much time you’ll need to get from A to B.

By hopping on a day tour, you can leave all of the logistics to an experienced guide. Simply hop on a bus, plane or ferry, see the sights in Victoria, and get dropped off back at your Vancouver hotel at the end of the day.

The most unique way to get to Victoria: By helicopter

Did you know you can travel from Vancouver to Victoria via helicopter? Yeah, neither did I! But my friend Emilie has done it, so it really is possible.

Flights with Helijet are available for the public to book if you want to arrive in Victoria in style. Emilie says it’s a “James Bond type experience” that she would highly recommend!

Flights leave from Vancouver Harbour Heliport, which is conveniently located right at Waterfront Station. There are also limited flights that leave from YVR Vancouver Airport in Richmond.

You’ll land at Victoria Harbour Heliport, which is just outside of the downtown core in James Bay. Helijet offers a complimentary shuttle that drops off around the major hotels in Downtown Victoria, which is so convenient!

Flight time is 35 minutes and there are 5-10 departures per day, depending on the season and day you’re flying (more departures on weekdays than weekends).

Round-trip bookings with Helijet include limited complimentary parking. Passengers can also enjoy free snacks and beverages in the terminal waiting rooms and a generous luggage allowance of 50 lbs/person, even in the lowest fare class!

That’s a big difference from Harbour Air seaplanes, where our lowest fare class tickets only gave us 10 lbs of luggage each.

I was surprised to learn that Helijet’s Sikorsky S-76 helicopters fit 12 passengers (three bench rows of four seats). 12 seems like a lot for a helicopter! But Emilie assures me it feels bigger than it looks, though you’re not guaranteed a window seat.

I asked Emilie about the flight itself and she said it wasn’t as scary as she thought it would be, and that take-off and landing were very smooth. That makes me feel a bit better!

She also pointed out that helicopters are able to land in the fog whereas seaplanes cannot. So some people look at the helicopter route as more reliable than the seaplane route.

The biggest con of going by helicopter is the cost; this is the most expensive way to travel to Victoria from Vancouver.

At the time of writing, the cheapest available one-way option was a Flash Sale fare from $199 CAD ($143 USD) in August and an Ultra Saver fare from $333 CAD ($239 USD) in September. Full Fares were around $520 CAD ($373 USD) per way.

Contrast that with Harbour Air seaplane, where one-way fares at the time of writing start at $99 CAD ($71 USD), and you can see why the helicopter option is less popular.

So considering that the seaplane takes the same amount of time, departs/flies into similar – if not more convenient – harbours, and is much cheaper, most people choose a seaplane over a helicopter.

However if you’re looking for a fast, reliable, movie star-like entrance to Victoria – plus the perks of free parking, a shuttle bus, and lots of luggage allowance – Helijet’s helicopter might be right for you!

The only other way to get to Victoria: By regular plane

We’ve talked about seaplanes, ferries and helicopters, but there is one more option for how to get to Victoria from Vancouver: a good ol’ jet plane!

You can fly from Vancouver (YVR) to Victoria (YYJ) using the main international airports in both cities. There are about a dozen daily departures and the flight only takes 30 minutes.

So it’s fast, frequent and (as I’ll get into shortly) affordable? Why don’t more people fly from YVR to YYJ then?

The reason most people don’t fly to Victoria through the main international airports is it’s honestly just a bit of a hassle.

From Vancouver you have to get yourself out to the airport in Richmond (30-60 mins by car from downtown) and similarly in Victoria, it’s a 30-60 min drive from the airport to the downtown core.

You’ll also have to go through check-in, airport security and boarding, all of which take much more time than at the smaller Harbour Air seaplane or Helijet helicopter terminals.

Plus, there’s the environmental factor to consider. Is it worth flying on a jet plane for only 30 minutes when you could be on a more eco-conscious mode of transport?

I was surprised to find that airfare from YVR to YYJ is actually quite reasonable. At the time of writing, you can find one-way fares for as low as $54 CAD ($39 USD). This doesn’t include any carry-on or checked bags though, which can cost more than the fare itself!

But despite the short flight time and regular departures, most of us choose to avoid the hassle of an international airport and excess baggage fees, and travel to Victoria another way.

Wrapping up: Which way would I recommend travelling from Vancouver to Victoria?

Deciding how to get to Victoria from Vancouver is going to come down to your budget, time and travel preferences:

• If budget is your biggest concern: Take public transit, then walk onto the ferry
• If you need a car on the island: Drive onto the ferry
• If you want to get there quickly: Take a seaplane (cheaper) or helicopter (more expensive)
• If you only have one day and want to prioritize convenience: Book a day tour

If you only have one day to spend in Victoria, I think a day tour makes the most sense. You can experience a bit of the city and an attraction nearby, like Butchart Gardens or whale watching, and leave all of the transport logistics to someone else.

If you’re planning to spend a few days on the Island, then you can DIY your ferry or flight route. I found both the BC Ferries ride and Harbour Air seaplane journey to be very scenic and each had their pros and cons.

I think it comes down to how much you want to spend – both in dollars and in time. The ferry is cheaper but takes longer; a seaplane or helicopter is faster but costs more. So whichever is a bigger priority to you can help lead your decision!

Of course, you can always do both. Why not fly there and ferry back or vice versa? That way, you get the best of both worlds! You’ll save some time, save some money and hopefully have the best views on both journeys.

I’d love to know: Which travel mode between Vancouver and Victoria are you leaning towards?