Victoria

Ok! You’ve seen enough of Seattle. How about traveling to a foreign country? A Canadian adventure can be as little as an hour north of Seattle.

To maximum your get-a-way to Victoria, British Columbia; book a Kenmore Air floatplane from Seattle’s Lake Union to Victoria’s Inner Harbor. The hour flight glides over Puget Sound cities, along the Straits of Juan de Fuca with Olympic Mountain views, before arriving in the British Columbia capital, Victoria. www.kenmoreair.com

The Victoria Clipper is my favorite way to travel to Victoria. Just head for Pier 69 and go aboard this high speed catamaran for a two and half hour scenic voyage to Victoria’s Inner. Enjoy a meal, meet other passengers and take in the scenery as you cruise north. Be watching - you may even spot an Orca Whale. www.clippervacations.com

Views of the Parliament Building and statue of Queen Victoria greet you in this very British city. Victoria is compact, so you’ll have time to walk through the historic Empress Hotel, explore the Royal British Columbia Museum, browse the shops on Government Street and stop for tea before the Clipper sails back to Seattle.

The world famous Butchart Gardens could be another destination for your day away. Tour buses take you to this 50-acre collection of gardens that are amazing to see in any season.

If a day is too short a visit, book a Victoria B&B, resort spa or hotel with a harbor view. Enjoy an extra day to - go whale watching, try sea kayaking, rent a bike, book a fishing trip or play a round of golf.

To extend your Canadian visit consider a fast get-away by seaplane from Victoria’s Inner Harbour across the Straits of Georgia to Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet in just 45 minutes. www.harbourair.com or www.westcoastair.com

I enjoy a scenic land tour from Vancouver Island to the city of Vancouver. Look for the Pacific Coach Line station behind the Empress Hotel; the bus will take you to Swartz Bay to board a BC Ferry through the Gulf Islands, landing at Tsawwassen and on Hiway 99 to the city of Vancouver. For more details see my Vancouver page. www.bcferries.com www.pacificcoach,com

Another alternative is to include the San Juan Islands via the Washington State Ferry System. My travel video: Washington State's San Juan Islands gives a wonderful overview of this spectacular part of the Pacific Northwest.