By sea: I returned to Seattle on the Victoria Clipper , the high-speed passenger-only ferry that has

The identification requirements have become more stringent in recent years for crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada. renaissance toronto hotel A passport is your best ID (and required when traveling by air). Other forms of government- issued photo ID also are accepted. See www.getyouhome.gov for the rules.
Victoria : Bicycles can be transported on the Victoria Clipper (reserve ahead since space is limited) and the other ferries that serve Victoria. Once there, the Lochside Regional Trail (formerly a railway line) lets bikers renaissance toronto hotel pedal from the Swartz Bay and Sidney ferry terminals to Victoria: www.crd.bc.ca/parks/lochside . Within renaissance toronto hotel Victoria there are seaside-biking routes and parts of the long-distance Galloping Goose bike trail, renaissance toronto hotel www.crd.bc.ca/parks/galloping-goose/
Vancouver : Bikes can be taken on Amtrak Cascades renaissance toronto hotel trains to Vancouver (reserve ahead to use the train's bike rack, or box your bike as checked baggage). The pedestrian/bike trail around False Creek in the heart of Vancouver is just a few hundred yards from the train station, and there are bike routes throughout the city. Get info at vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/cycling/
Seattle-based Kenmore Air has a fleet of floatplanes most carrying six to 10 passengers renaissance toronto hotel offering frequent renaissance toronto hotel flights from Seattle's Lake Union (and Kenmore on Lake Washington) to coastal cities, resorts and islands in Washington and British renaissance toronto hotel Columbia, including Victoria.
My flight to Victoria, renaissance toronto hotel a Canadian bastion of British traditions and royalists (and named after the 19th-century Queen Victoria), took about an hour. I snagged a seat next to the pilot and delighted in watching the tapestry of cityscapes and mountains, waterways and forest.
Thanks to an Internet special, my one-way Seattle-Victoria flight cost about $100 (versus a standard fare of roughly $150 each way). That wasn't bad compared to the time and price of car/ferry transport, which can easily take more than a half-day. Better yet, the floatplane lands in downtown Victoria's Inner Harbour, an easy walk to major hotels and tourist sights, including the Parliament Buildings and Empress Hotel.
The icing on the cake: Kenmore Air passengers clear Canadian customs/immigration (and U.S. border formalities upon return to Seattle) at the dock with just the handful of other passengers from the plane. No airport-security renaissance toronto hotel lines, no body scanners, no hassles.
By sea: I returned to Seattle on the Victoria Clipper , the high-speed renaissance toronto hotel passenger-only ferry that has daily roundtrips between Seattle and Victoria. It's a fine way to go since Victoria is a compact, walkable city and sightseers don't need a car.
After the intimate scale and speed of a floatplane, the Clipper its ships hold from 239 to 330 passengers and the trip takes about three hours each way was a bit of a contrast. However, the Clipper is substantially cheaper than a floatplane and has lovely views of the Olympic Mountains and shorelines. Rates vary widely depending on the time of year, discounts and Web specials. The standard adult fare in February is around $75 one way, $120 round trip. The Clipper renaissance toronto hotel also offers ferry/hotel packages, which can be good deals. www.clippervacations.com . (The Victoria Express, a passenger-only ferry between Washington's Port Angeles and Victoria, has gone out of business.)
Need a car? Sail away with Washington State Ferries from Anacortes (1.5 hours north of Seattle) to Sidney, B.C. (about a 20-minute drive from Victoria). The ferry takes a winter break; it resumes on March 25. www.wsdot.wa.gov /ferries . The ride takes two to three hours, depending on its route through the San Juan Islands (plus time for clearing customs/immigration).
My favorite: the Amtrak Cascades train with two daily round trips between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. It's a comfortable and scenic ride, with much of the route hugging the shoreline. Read, use your laptop (there's basic Wi-Fi) or just gaze out the big windows. (Hint: Sit on the left side of the train northbound and the right southbound for the best views.)
Otherwise, drive to Vancouver. It's a straight shot up Interstate 5 to the Canada-U.S. border at Blaine, Whatcom County, and then onward to Vancouver on Highway 99. The drive takes about three hours, although border-crossing congestion on weekends, especially renaissance toronto hotel in summer, can lengthen the trip by an hour or more, especially returning to the U.S.
Want someone else to drive? Greyhound buses have daily trips between renaissance toronto hotel Seattle and Vancouver, www.greyhound.com . Q uick Shuttle buses serve the airports and downtowns of both cities year-round, and the cruise ship docks in Vancouver in summer. www.quickcoach.com
By sea: BC Ferries has frequent sailings it's about a 1 -hour ferry ride every day from Tsawwassen on the mainland (south of Vancouver and about a half-hour drive from the U.S.-Canada border) to Swartz Bay (about a half-hour from Victoria). www.bcferries.com .
For something completely different, the Prince of Whales offers summertime four-hour whale-watching trips/transport from Vancouver to Victoria on a barebones passenger-only vessel: www.princeofwhales.com .
By air: Floatplanes buzz between Vancouver (B.C.'s commercial powerhouse) and Victoria (its legislative capital). Both Harbour Air Seaplanes ( www.harbourair.com ) and West Coast Air ( www.westcoastair.com ) offer dozens of flights daily between the cities' downtown harbors.
For fast-paced and high-priced style, take a helicopter (fares can top $300 one way but it takes just 35 minutes). Helijet offers more than a dozen flights a day from downtown landing pads in both cities. www.helijet.com