The Cosmopolitan Blog

On my recent trip to Vancouver, one of the recommended sights was to visit the town of Victoria, BC, located on Vancouver Island (this means, about 70 kms away from the city of Vancouver downtown). So as i began researching the best way to get there, all i found online was taking the pre-packaged trip: downtown Vancouver to Tsawwassen on Pacific Coach (1hr), crossing on the BC Ferries (1.5 hrs), and back on the Pacific Coach to Victoria (1hr). The total cost for this package is $86 per person. This seemed so expensive to me, but i couldn’t understand why all my google searches ONLY came up with this option. In fact, even on the ferry, the only transportation they promote is the Pacific Coach transportation, they obviously have some arrangement.

Well, i’m here to tell you that THERE IS A CHEAPER WAY TO GET FROM DOWTOWN VANCOUVER TO VICTORIA, BC. The trip took 4.5hrs instead of 3.5 but it cost $40 return per person instead!

1. Step 1: Go to any 7/11 store and buy a day pass, this will cover most of your trip.
2. Step 2: For the next 2 steps, use the BC transit system to plan your trip.
   A. You need to find your way from wherever you are in downtown Vancouver to the Ladner Exchange. The direct bus, most probably, that you will take is the 601 South that goes down Howe Street in downtown vancouver all the way to the Ladner Exchange in Delta. You can use your day pass for this part of the trip.
   B. From there, just change bus platforms (5 meters between each, and each bus waits for the next so no worries) to take the 620 from Ladner Exchange to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. You can use your day pass for this part of the trip.
3. Step 3: This part is the same for everyone, you have to take the BC Ferries from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, the cost is $13 each way (and you can only book one way, you’ll have to get your return ticket on the way back). Obviously, here, you can’t use your day pass for this.
4. Step 4: Next, as soon as you get off the ferry, right there in the Swatz Bay parking lot, you will find the Victoria local transit buse waiting for you. Get on the 70X (X is for Express, you could also take the 70B, but that would just take longer). HAVE EXACT CHANGE, cost is $2.50. The bus takes another hour and takes you to the heart of downtown Victoria.

So, $9 for the day pass, $13×2 for the ferry and $2.50 for the bus: $40! Pass on the word, if you’re on a budget, there is a cheap way to get from downtown vancouver to downtown victoria and back.