Vancouver to Victoria by private car: drive time, the ferry, stops and cost

Vancouver to Victoria by private car means three legs: a drive from Vancouver to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, the BC Ferries crossing to Swartz Bay, and a drive down the Saanich Peninsula into Victoria. Routing data puts downtown Vancouver to Tsawwassen at about 37 km (23 mi), roughly 45 minutes on a clear road; BC Ferries schedules the non-stop crossing at about 1 hour 35 minutes; and Swartz Bay to the Inner Harbour is about 33 km (20 mi), roughly 36 minutes.

Add terminal time and a realistic margin, and most travellers should plan on three and a half to four hours door to door, longer on a summer weekend when sailings fill. The calmest way to do it with a chauffeur is a car to the terminal, a walk onto the ferry as a foot passenger, and a car waiting on the island side. Elly8.net books both cars; BC Ferries sells the crossing.

How long does Vancouver to Victoria take by private car and ferry?

The drive times above are clear-road figures from routing data. Rush hour through the George Massey Tunnel corridor and Highway 17 can stretch the Vancouver leg, and a full sailing means waiting for the next one if you are driving a vehicle. Foot passengers have more flexibility, which is one reason the two-car approach works so well.

See Victoria prices and reserve

Two ways to do it with a chauffeur

A car at each end, ferry in the middle. This is what we recommend for most trips. A Vancouver car service collects you at your hotel, home or YVR and drops you at the Tsawwassen terminal. You walk on as a foot passenger, with bags you can carry or wheel. On Vancouver Island, a Victoria chauffeur meets you at the Swartz Bay foot-passenger exit and drives you to your hotel, a meeting or straight to the gardens. You never wait in a vehicle line-up, and the chauffeur on the island side times the pickup to your scheduled arrival. If your plans change, tell the desk which sailing you are now on.

One vehicle that travels with you. Some groups prefer to keep one vehicle all day, for example a family with a lot of luggage or a team visiting several sites on the island. That is a long hourly or city to city job, and the vehicle's own ferry passage has to be part of the plan. Enter both addresses and the date in the web booker, and the desk confirms whether it can be operated for your sailing. For most people, the two-car plan is simpler and costs less, because you are not paying a chauffeur and vehicle to sit through the crossing.

When to leave Vancouver

Work backwards from the sailing. Check the current schedule and any reservation options on BC Ferries, choose the sailing, and give the desk its departure time. From downtown Vancouver, the Vancouver leg is about 45 minutes on a clear road; from YVR it is about 33 minutes. On weekday afternoons and on long-weekend Fridays, allow considerably more.

Foot passengers still need time at the terminal to buy or collect tickets and walk to the boarding area, so we set the drop-off with a comfortable margin rather than the bare minimum. If you are flying into YVR the same day, leave a generous buffer between your landing time and the sailing; customs, bags and the drive add up, and the ferry will not wait. The airport transfers page explains how a tracked YVR pickup works.

On the island side, the Victoria chauffeur watches the scheduled arrival and waits for you at Swartz Bay. A late sailing simply moves the pickup.

Stops worth making on the island

The road from Swartz Bay to Victoria runs down the Saanich Peninsula on the Patricia Bay Highway, past the airport and some of the island's best-known stops.

Sidney. The small seaside town just south of the ferry terminal has a waterfront walk and a main street of bookshops and cafes. It is a natural first stop if you have taken an early sailing and want breakfast before Victoria.

The Butchart Gardens. The gardens at Brentwood Bay are about 14.5 km (9 mi) from Swartz Bay, and the gardens' own travel page puts them about 35 minutes from the terminal, with downtown Victoria another 35 minutes beyond. That makes Butchart the obvious stop on the way in or on the way back to the ferry. The gardens hold luggage for visitors free of charge at the Visitor Information Centre, and parking is free. Our guide to Victoria to Butchart Gardens covers timing and seasons in detail.

The Saanich Peninsula farms and wineries. The peninsula's farm stands, cideries and small wineries are a short detour from the highway. An hourly chauffeur in Victoria, from US$110 an hour in a Business Sedan with a 3-hour minimum, gives you the freedom to stop without watching a meter.

Once in Victoria, the Inner Harbour, the Parliament Buildings and the Fairmont Empress are all within a few blocks of each other. The private city highlights tour, from US$440 in a Business Sedan to US$880 in an Executive Sprinter, covers the harbour, Beacon Hill Park, the Dallas Road waterfront and Oak Bay. See private city tours.

Private car vs the other ways across

There are several good ways from Vancouver to Victoria, and the right one depends on budget, luggage and how much time you have.

Transit. TransLink's route 620 links Bridgeport Station on the Canada Line with the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. On the island, BC Transit charges C$3 for a single adult ride or C$6 for a DayPASS. It is the cheapest way across and perfectly good for a solo traveller with a backpack; the Butchart Gardens travel page estimates four to five hours from downtown Vancouver.

Floatplane and helicopter. Harbour Air flies floatplanes from Vancouver Harbour to a floating terminal in Victoria's Inner Harbour, steps from the Parliament Buildings, in about 35 minutes. Helijet runs scheduled helicopter flights of about the same time. For a day trip with a meeting at the legislature, flying beats the ferry by hours. Baggage is limited on small aircraft, so check the allowance. Elly8.net does not sell these flights, but a chauffeur can meet you at either terminal.

Driving yourself. A rental car gives freedom on the island but means queuing with the vehicle at Tsawwassen, paying the vehicle fare and parking in Victoria. Our comparison of chauffeur vs car rental sets out when each makes sense.

The chauffeured two-car plan costs more than the bus and less than flying for a family, and it is the least tiring way to move children, grandparents or a wedding party with luggage.

What it costs

Elly8.net prices are in US dollars, fixed and all-in per vehicle, including the chauffeur, vehicle, taxes and standard gratuity. Tolls and parking are billed at cost. Ferry tickets are separate and bought from BC Ferries.

• Vancouver to Tsawwassen is quoted in the web booker for your exact address. For reference, the fixed YVR to downtown Vancouver fare on the Vancouver price list runs from US$110 in a Business Sedan to US$290 in an Executive Sprinter.
• Swartz Bay to your Victoria address is quoted in the web booker, timed to your sailing.
• By the hour in Victoria, as directed, from US$110 in a Business Sedan, US$140 in a Business SUV and US$220 in an Executive Sprinter, 3-hour minimum.
• The Butchart Gardens package, 4 hours, from US$405 in a Business Sedan to US$810 in an Executive Sprinter.
• A full-day chauffeur in Victoria, from US$810 in a Business Sedan to US$1,620 in an Executive Sprinter.
• Flying back from Victoria? YYJ to the Inner Harbour is US$145 in a Business Sedan up to US$380 in an Executive Sprinter, the same fixed price in either direction.

For a group of ten, an Executive Sprinter at each end keeps everyone and their bags together. Dividing the Victoria hourly rate between ten people is about US$22 per person per hour; that is arithmetic for comparison only, as every Elly8.net price is per vehicle.

A sample day trip from Vancouver

This is the kind of day the desk plans for visitors staying in Vancouver who want one full day on the island:

1. Early morning: Vancouver car from the hotel to Tsawwassen, timed for an early sailing.
2. Mid-morning: walk off at Swartz Bay; the Victoria chauffeur is waiting. Breakfast in Sidney or straight to the gardens.
3. Late morning to early afternoon: the Butchart Gardens. The gardens say a leisurely walk takes 1.5 to 2 hours.
4. Afternoon: the Inner Harbour, the Parliament Buildings and afternoon tea, with the chauffeur on an hourly booking.
5. Late afternoon: back up the peninsula to Swartz Bay for the return sailing, and a Vancouver car waiting at Tsawwassen.

It is a long day. If you can, stay a night in Victoria; the city is at its best in the evening, and the Elly8.net evening out package, from US$550 in a Business Sedan, covers dinner and the ride back.

Going the other way: Victoria to Vancouver

The plan reverses neatly. The Victoria chauffeur collects you, perhaps with a Butchart stop on the way north, and drops you at Swartz Bay with time to spare. A Vancouver car meets the arriving sailing at Tsawwassen and takes you to your hotel, YVR or the cruise terminal. If you need a cab for a short hop in Victoria first, our Victoria taxi guide explains the meter rates.

How to book

1. Enter each leg in the web booker: Vancouver address to Tsawwassen, and Swartz Bay to your Victoria address. Add your sailing time and say you are a foot passenger.
2. Choose the vehicle. Sedans take up to 3 passengers and 2 bags, SUVs up to 6 and 6, the Executive Sprinter up to 12 and 12; the fleet page has the details.
3. Confirm. Fixed routes on the Victoria page check out with Reserve now; confirmation arrives by email.

Rides in Victoria are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, refunded to the original card.

Book any address

Coming from further away? Seattle and Whistler are also on fixed Elly8.net prices. For flights and hotels, our travel partner is BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car.