Travel guide for Robin & Craig’s wedding

Locations, locations, locations

We will continuously update a Google map of locations to help you plan your trip: https://maps.app.goo.gl/iMK4zpL6KsxmVfsH6

We live in Sidney, Vancouver Island, in beautiful British Columbia.

Victoria international airport (YYJ) and the Swartz Bay ferry terminal are both less than 5KM (3 miles) from Sidney.

Sidney is about 25KM (miles) north of Victoria.

The wedding venue is at Church + State winery, which is ~13KM (8 miles) from Sidney, and 18KM (11 miles) from Victoria.

International travellers

Check if you need to apply online for a Canadian eTA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta.html. It costs C$7, valid for 5 years, and is available in minutes.

If you plan to travel into the USA while you are here, (see things to do), you will likely need an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

Visas may be necessary to visit Canada, and USA too, depending on your citizenship.

Getting here

Arriving at Vancouver (YVR), you can fly or use the ferry to get to Vancouver Island.

The flight time from Vancouver (YVR) to Victoria (YYJ) is 30 minutes. You do have the choice of catching the Harbour Air seaplane from Vancouver (YVR) to downtown Victoria Harbour, putting you right in the middle of Victoria.

The ferry terminal to Vancouver Island is called Tsawwassen (pronounced Sawassen) and is 30 KM (18 miles) from Vancouver (YVR) airport. The ferry journey is 90-minutes and travels through the stunning Salish Sea islands. Reservations / schedules are available at www.bcferries.com for the Tsawwassen (mainland) and Swartz Bay (Vancouver Island) terminals. It is highly recommended to make a ferry reservation in the summer - especially popular times, and Friday/weekends. There are buses, taxis, Uber, or the choice of hiring a car to then drive yourself to the ferry terminal, and onto the ferry, so you have a car for getting around Van Isle, as you will need access to one to get around.

If you are flying directly into Victoria (YYJ) airport, there are hire cars, taxis, and buses available.

Buses, taxis, and Uber exist here on the island, but this is island life, so manage your expectations on availability and timeliness! Taxis on the island do not like short, early morning fares, e.g., from Sidney to the airport. They just won’t turn up! If your travel plans involve an early morning flight, or ferry, we can help you out, just let us know.

Accommodation

The Sidney Pier Hotel (www.sidneypier.com)

Sidney Waterfront Inn & Suites (www.sidneywaterfrontinn.com)

Delta Hotels by Marriott in Victoria (www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/yyjvo-delta-hotels-victoria-ocean-pointe-resort)

Laurel Point Inn at Victoria (www.laurelpoint.com)

Coast Victoria hotel & marina (www.coasthotels.com/coast-victoria-hotel-and-marina-by-apa)

There are B&Bs, Airbnb (www.airbnb.com), and VRBO (www.vrbo.com) available too.

Things to do around Sidney & Victoria

Whale watching which leaves from Sidney pier (www.sidneywhalewatching.com)

The Butchart Gardens, a 119-year-old, 55-acre gardens (www.butchartgardens.com)

Victoria Harbour water taxis (www.victoriaharbourferry.com/water-taxi)

Walk around beautiful Victoria, harbour, and Beacon Hill gardens

Afternoon “High” Tea at The Fairmont Empress, or Butchart Gardens

There are plenty of great cafés, pubs, breweries, and restaurants, for example:

Spinnakers Gastro brewpub on Victoria harbour

Boom + Batten on Victoria harbour

Il Terrazzo in Victoria

Discovery Coffee on Blanshard Street in Victoria (great cappuccino)

The Surly Mermaid in Sidney

10 Acres at Sidney Pier hotel

Riva at Sidney pier

Small Gods Brewing Co in Sidney

900 Bistro (good pizza)

Sea Glass waterfront grill

Fox & Monocle Café (near Swartz Bay ferry terminal)

Places to visit

Tofino, on the west of the island, is a beautiful coastal village set within awe-inspiring nature of the UNESCO biosphere region. Most people leave a piece of their hearts here. You can find hipsters, surfers, and beachcombers enjoying the big-beaches and the roaring Pacific Ocean. Tofino is 320 KM (200 miles) from Victoria.

A classic island multi-day trip would be to drive out of Victoria and head 'up island' on Highway 1 (the only road) toward Nanaimo, then toward Port Alberni / Tofino. The drive to Tofino is about 5-6 hours from Victoria.

To break-up the journey, you can stop for lunch at the Cuckoo Italian trattoria, pick up supplies form the old country market, and see the goats on the roof (www.oldcountrymarket.com).

Stay in Tofino or Uclulet (pronounced U-Clue-let, also known as u-key). There is an amazing, fun, Robin approved restaurant called Pluvio in Uclulet. It's high-end food, yet friendly down-to-earth at the same time.

In Tofino, there are plenty of marine excursions. There is a trip out to the Tofino hot springs cove, which are magical to just lay in and relax, and you get to see plenty of sea/shore life on the return trip by boat.

After Tofino, you could head back to Victoria, or to Nanaimo and take the ferry off the island to Horseshoe Bay, on the West of Vancouver.

Vancouver is a must while you are here. Stare in awe at the landscape around this beautiful city, walk and take tea in Stanley Park, mooch around Granville Island market, shop a good visit on Robson Street, or hike some of the popular trails, such as the ‘Grouse Grind’ if you are up for it!

Whistler is 100 KM (60 miles) from Horseshoe Bay and is a decision of turning left to Whistler or right to Vancouver when you get off the ferry. Whistler is foremost a ski town, so summertime is very different, and setup for downhill mountain biking, and hiking.

The Okanagan region is the wine region of BC, which is hot in the summer, but you can cool off in the stunning Okanagan Lake. It’s a great summer place with easy access for water sports, wine tasting, and sunshine. It would be a great stop-off if you have the time and temptation to visit the Canadian Rockies. The Banff, Canmore region in Banff National Park is stunning, and is home to the iconic Banff Springs hotel (www.fairmont.com/banff-springs).

Seattle, USA is accessible via multiple methods. It’s possible to drive to Seattle from Vancouver, take the Victoria - Port Angeles ferry, and then drive to Seattle (about ~90 minutes), or take the Amtrak Cascades train from Vancouver to Seattle which goes along the stunning Pacific West coastline.