Getting Here

Come on over

By air and water, getting to Vancouver Island is part of the adventure

Sail with your vehicle, as a passenger aboard a tour bus or as a foot traveller via full-service ferry systems operating from the B.C. mainland and Washington State. Victoria is 107 kilometres (76 miles) southwest of Vancouver. The trip by car and ferry, or bus and ferry, takes about two hours each way from terminals on the Lower Mainland to Nanaimo and Greater VIctoria.

By air, the trip is a 35 minute flight.

Fly into international and regional airports at Victoria, Nanaimo and Comox by commercial airliners directly or on a connecting flight through Vancouver or Seattle. Or make the trip in memorable style aboard a Harbour Air floatplane or a Helijet helicopter soaring across the Salish Sea and Puget Sound.

Water aerodromes with float-plane scheduled service are located in Victoria, Nanaimo, Comox, Campbell River, Port Alberni and Tofino. Harbour Air flies into several locations around the Island. You can board at Harbour Air’s spectacular terminal in Victoria’s Inner Harbour and get just about anywhere aboard the company’s fleet of Twin Otter aircraft.

B.C. Ferries provides vehicle and passenger ferry service between the mainland and Vancouver Island. They also provide year-round connections between various Island communities and the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast, Haida Gwaii and mainland northern B.C. For comprehensive schedules and how to make reservations, see bcferries.com

HARBOUR AIR SEAPLANES

STAY SAFE, FOLLOW PROVINCIAL GUIDELINES

For British Columbia’s response to COVID-19 and updated rules and restrictions regarding travel, please visit gov.bc.ca

DAILY FLIGHTS FROM CANADIAN AND U.S. AIRPORTS TO:

Victoria (YYJ) Nanaimo (YCD) Comox (YQQ)

SCHEDULED AND CHARTERED CONNECTIONS PROVIDE QUICK ACCESS TO MANY ISLAND COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING:

Duncan (DUQ) Qualicum Beach (XQU) Tofino/Long Beach (YAZ) Port Alberni (YPB) Campbell River (YBL) Alert Bay (YAL) Port Hardy (YZT)

Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Aerial view of homes, marina and ferry terminal in the city surrounded by Canadian Mountain Landscape during summer day.

ADOBE STOCK

B.C. FERRIES

MAJOR ROUTES SWARTZ BAY, North Saanich / Victoria

To and from Tsawwassen

DEPARTURE BAY, Nanaimo

To and from Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver.

DUKE POINT, Nanaimo

To and from Tsawwassen.

PORT HARDY

To and from Prince Rupert.

MINOR ROUTES

B.C. Ferries also operates sailings between: ■ Swartz Bay and Fulford Harbour on

Salt Spring Island ■ Swartz Bay and the southern Gulf Islands –

Mayne, Galiano, Pender, and Saturna ■ Mill Bay and Brentwood Bay ■ Crofton and Vesuvius Bay on Salt Spring Island ■ Chemainus and Thetis/Penelakut Islands ■ Nanaimo and Gabriola Island ■ Buckley Bay and Denman/Hornby Islands ■ Comox and Powell River ■ Campbell River and Quathiaski Cove on

Quadra Island; ■ Quadra Island and Cortes Island;

Port McNeill and Alert Bay and Sointula

WASHINGTON STATE

Black Ball Ferry Line’s MV Coho connects Victoria’s Inner Harbour with Port Angeles. The passenger-only Vixctoria Clipper runs between Victoria and Seattle. Washington State Ferries offers a car ferry service between Sidney and Anacortes.

PRIVATE VESSELS

Visit many of the communities along the 3,340 kilometres of coastline. Moor at a secure sport and enjoy a harbourside community, or at a private cove to enjoy a secluded beach.

IF YOU GO

COVID 19: Fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents are being allowed into Canada as of Aug. 9, joined by the rest of the world on Sept. 7. The 14-day quarantine requirement will be waived beginning the second week of August for eligible travellers who are currently residing in the United States and have received a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Canada.

Children under 12 who are accompanied by fully vaccinated and eligible family members will also be exempt from quarantine, provided they wear a mask in public places and avoid indoor group settings.

All travellers will still be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result and proof of vaccination prior to arrival by way of the ArriveCAN smartphone app or web portal, but post-travel test results will no longer be necessary.

Canada Border Services Agency officials will also be subjecting random travellers to a mandatory molecular test upon arrival.

TRAVEL SAVVY

PASSPORTS AND VISAS: Visitors from countries outside of Canada must have a valid passports and, in some cases visas. For the most up to date information, see U.S. Customs and the Canada Border Service Agency websites.

CUSTOMS: People entering Canada must complete a Canada Customs declaration form. You may bring into Canada 40 ounces of liquor, 45 ounces of wine and 288 ounces of beer. You may also bring in up to 50 cigars, 200 cigarettes and seven ounces of tobacco. Revenue Canada, Customs and Excise: Victoria downtown branch: 400-1321 Blanshard St. Victoria International Airport: 201-1321 Electra Blvd. Sidney; Canada Customs airport office 250-363-6644. For more info, visit cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

CURRENCY: British Columbia uses Canadian currency. Most businesses offer exchange rates for U.S. dollars and there are currency exchange businesses and banks who offer rates on several currencies.

TAXES: A Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5% and a provincial sales tax of 7% apply to most products and services in the province. There are also additional taxes on short-term accommodation that is applied to the prices of hotels and lodging

B.C. LIQUOR REGULATIONS: The legal age to buy and consume liquor in British Columbia is 19. Two pieces of identification are usually required.

B.C. CANNABIS REGULATIONS: Recreational cannabis use became legal in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018. You must be 19 years or older to buy, use, possess, or grow non-medical cannabis in B.C. Non-medical cannabis is sold exclusively at government-run stores, licensed private retailers and the B.C. government’s online store. It is illegal to take cannabis across Canada’s national borders, whether you are entering or leaving Canada.