Vancouver Island Ferry Information-How To Get Here And Start Your Adventures

Vancouver Island Ferry Information-How to Get Here and Start Your Adventures

Getting to the Island is relatively easy. There's regularly scheduled Vancouver Island ferry service, and regularly scheduled flights to and from the Island.

However, if you travel by ferry, you'll see some really beautiful scenery enroute to the Island. We've even seen whales during their migration on some of our crossings!

About Vancouver Island Ferries

The British Columbia Ferry Service (BC Ferries) provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services on the West Coast of British Columbia.

You'll find traveling on a Vancouver island ferry a really nice experience. We've always liked taking the ferry (our son Nolen, just LOVES ferry trips - all the kids do!) Once you've boarded and you've found a seat, just sit back, watch the scenery... even take a nap.

You can take a ferry from Vancouver to the Island's 2 largest cities: Victoria or Nanaimo (the scenery is really beautiful on both of these routes).

Hungry? No problem - there's food service on all of the boats, and the food has greatly improved over the years. You can get a hot meal or a light snack. You'll also find a gift shop on the ferries, washrooms, pay phones, and travel information.
Got kids? They'll be entertained during the crossing at video arcades and toddler play areas.

Vancouver Island Ferry Schedules

Want to catch the Victoria BC ferry? Looking for the ferry to take you to Nanaimo? How long will it take? We've made it easy by locating the Vancouver Island ferry schedule information for you! Here it is:

To catch the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, Click Here for schedule information . Sailing time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

To catch the ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo, Click Here for schedule information . Sailing time: 2 hours

To catch the ferry from West Vancouver to Nanaimo, Click Here for schedule information . Sailing time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Note: Ferries generally leave on schedule. Sometimes, due to special situations, they may be late.

Our Tips for Vancouver Island Ferry Travel

You'll need extra patience when it comes to catching a ferry to and from the Island. Traffic lineups get especially heavy during long weekends and peak summer months.

If you arrive at the ferry terminal, but find out it's full, then you'll have to wait for the next sailing (usually a 2 hour wait). How can you can pass the time? Most terminals have cafeterias, and some have outside play areas for kids. During peak summer months, you can browse through the kiosks set up with local crafters and artisans' goods.

Weekdays/Weekends: When heading for the ferry terminal, plan to arrive no less than 1 hour ahead of the planned sailing time. Chances are good that you'll get on the boat you want.
Summer Weekends: Weekends from June to September, we'd actually suggest you make a reservation to make sure you get on the sailing you want. During these months, ferry traffic can be especially heavy, and without a reservation, you might be looking at a 2 hour wait or more for the next ferry. Click Here to find out about how to make ferry reservations .
Any long weekend: We've experienced long weekend ferry traffic, and it's BUSY! Again, we'd suggest you make a reservation for the sailing you want during a long weekend.

Other Ferries to Vancouver Island

There are 4 other ferry routes that service Vancouver Island:

1 - You can take a ferry from Port Angeles, Washington USA, to downtown Victoria. Click Here to find out about this ferry .

2 - You can take a ferry from Anacortes, Washington USA, to the town of Sidney (located 20 minutes north of Victoria). Click Here to find out about this ferry .

3 - You can take a ferry from the city of Powell River (north of Vancouver), to Comox (Little River terminal). Click Here to find out about this ferry .

4 - You can take a ferry from the city of Prince Rupert (northern mainland coast of British Columbia), to the town of Port Hardy, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Downside: This ferry crossing is a long one... taking about 15 hours. Upside: Very beautiful scenery on this inside passage route. Click Here to find out about this ferry . Note: Reservations are required, and ferry service is on certain dates/times only.

Start your first adventure aboard a Vancouver Island ferry!
See you here!

Vancouver Island Adventures / Vancouver Island Ferry