Seattle and vancouver family trip

[Anonymous]

DH wants to do seattle and vancouver trip next summer in August. We have to get kids passports if we need to get to Vancouver, wjat is the waiting time to get passports? What's the best way for 4 people to get to vancouver from seattle?

And mist importantly, what are fun activities for kids or must visit in seattle/vancouver if we plan to do 6 days 5 nights flying from dmv?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH wants to do seattle and vancouver trip next summer in August. We have to get kids passports if we need to get to Vancouver, wjat is the waiting time to get passports? What's the best way for 4 people to get to vancouver from seattle?

And mist importantly, what are fun activities for kids or must visit in seattle/vancouver if we plan to do 6 days 5 nights flying from dmv?

The best way to get from Seattle to Vancouver is to drive. Most car rental companies will ask if you're going to Canada, it should be fine but just let them know.

You want to do Seattle and Vancouver in six days total?

I haven't been to Vancouver in a long time so someone else can feel free to disagree, but if you only have 6 days, I would not go to Vancouver. I would spend 3 nights in Seattle and two nights somewhere else within a 2-3 hour drive that's more "out there." I'm assuming part of the reason you want to go to the PNW is the beauty and the hiking, kayaking, whale watching, etc.

Somewhere else option: Whidbey Island (check out Rosario), Hood Canal (check out Alderbrook), somewhere else on the Olympic Peninsula such as Port Townsend, one of the national park lodges, or somewhere on the coast, Leavenworth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH wants to do seattle and vancouver trip next summer in August. We have to get kids passports if we need to get to Vancouver, wjat is the waiting time to get passports? What's the best way for 4 people to get to vancouver from seattle?

And mist importantly, what are fun activities for kids or must visit in seattle/vancouver if we plan to do 6 days 5 nights flying from dmv?

The best way to get from Seattle to Vancouver is to drive. Most car rental companies will ask if you're going to Canada, it should be fine but just let them know.

You want to do Seattle and Vancouver in six days total?

I haven't been to Vancouver in a long time so someone else can feel free to disagree, but if you only have 6 days, I would not go to Vancouver. I would spend 3 nights in Seattle and two nights somewhere else within a 2-3 hour drive that's more "out there." I'm assuming part of the reason you want to go to the PNW is the beauty and the hiking, kayaking, whale watching, etc.

Somewhere else option: Whidbey Island (check out Rosario), Hood Canal (check out Alderbrook), somewhere else on the Olympic Peninsula such as Port Townsend, one of the national park lodges, or somewhere on the coast, Leavenworth.

Was about to say the same thing. With 6 days it's too much to go to Vancouver if you want to see Seattle also. We were out there last year and spent two weeks- 4 in Seattle, 5 in San Juan Islands, and 5 in Vancouver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH wants to do seattle and vancouver trip next summer in August. We have to get kids passports if we need to get to Vancouver, wjat is the waiting time to get passports? What's the best way for 4 people to get to vancouver from seattle?

And mist importantly, what are fun activities for kids or must visit in seattle/vancouver if we plan to do 6 days 5 nights flying from dmv?

The best way to get from Seattle to Vancouver is to drive. Most car rental companies will ask if you're going to Canada, it should be fine but just let them know.

You want to do Seattle and Vancouver in six days total?

I haven't been to Vancouver in a long time so someone else can feel free to disagree, but if you only have 6 days, I would not go to Vancouver. I would spend 3 nights in Seattle and two nights somewhere else within a 2-3 hour drive that's more "out there." I'm assuming part of the reason you want to go to the PNW is the beauty and the hiking, kayaking, whale watching, etc.

Somewhere else option: Whidbey Island (check out Rosario), Hood Canal (check out Alderbrook), somewhere else on the Olympic Peninsula such as Port Townsend, one of the national park lodges, or somewhere on the coast, Leavenworth.

Was about to say the same thing. With 6 days it's too much to go to Vancouver if you want to see Seattle also. We were out there last year and spent two weeks- 4 in Seattle, 5 in San Juan Islands, and 5 in Vancouver.

Agreed. 6 days is not enough time to do both. The drive to Vancouver and getting into Vancouver will suck up most of the day. Traffic in Vancouver is horrific.

There is so much to do in and around each of these cities that you could easily spend a week in one or the other

[Anonymous]

You could do two days in Victoria BC. Take the Clipper (2 hour fast ferry) from downtown Seattle, arrive at lunch. Do tea at the empress, explore on foot. Next morning do the gardens and/or museum, explore on foot after lunch, early evening ride back, in seattle by 8 pm.

Or +1 the idea to do whidbey, San Juans, etc. Lake Quinault Lodge in the Olympic National Park is also super fun. Or if you like to bike, swim, golf, Suncadia Resort in cle elum.

[Anonymous]

Op here. We were not planning to get a rental car, but hearing all these comments, maybe we should do one. I did not know that seattle is known for nature. I am not sure how much nature exploration we will do because I never see DH doing/joining us hiking or kayaking here in dmv. One kid is 4, and the most they could do is 2 hr hiking. Can we do kayaking for 4 people if there are 3 people are non-swimmers? DH wants to do vancouver for food and different culture. He loves toronto, so he wants to go to vancouver. I thought it will be 4 hrs at most include custom clearance at the border if we take train.

We can't do 2 weeks. Traveling with kids are tiring, and 6 days are good for their ages.

[Anonymous]

We took the train from Seattle to Vancouver and it was gorgeous.

But I agree that with 6 days I wouldn’t do both. I’d do a few in Seattle and a few on the Olympic Peninsula.

[Anonymous]

We almost did a Seattle/Vancouver trip and were going to take the train. I read that is better than driving but at the time train was cancelled due to covid (but I think it is running again).

[Anonymous]

Do Seattle and Portland, take the awesome train between the two.

Or, do Seattle and the San Juans, or the Olympic Peninsula, though I think the latter would be hard to do in the time you have.

[Anonymous]

Have done the Seattle/ Vancouver trip multiple times. We generally fly into SeaTac as it is cheaper and rent a car. But yes, 6 days is too short for both. Though the drive isn’t too long, there’s plenty to do in both cities and traffic/ border crossing can add to the travel time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We were not planning to get a rental car, but hearing all these comments, maybe we should do one. I did not know that seattle is known for nature. I am not sure how much nature exploration we will do because I never see DH doing/joining us hiking or kayaking here in dmv. One kid is 4, and the most they could do is 2 hr hiking. Can we do kayaking for 4 people if there are 3 people are non-swimmers? DH wants to do vancouver for food and different culture. He loves toronto, so he wants to go to vancouver. I thought it will be 4 hrs at most include custom clearance at the border if we take train.

We can't do 2 weeks. Traveling with kids are tiring, and 6 days are good for their ages.

Why not just go to Vancouver then? Plenty to see/do there in 6 days. There is a daily nonstop flight now on Air Canada from Dulles to YVR, although it isn't super well-timed to maximize time there. The outbound leaves at 5:30 PM and arrives at 8:30 PAcific time, so that day is gone. And the return leaves YVR at 8:45 AM, so you have to get going early on departure day (you have to leave more time to clear US passport control/customs at YVR).

You can definitely do kayaking with non-swimmers- just get them life jackets, which are probably required anyway for kids under 12.

Yes the train is 4 hours, but you also need to get to the train station, which takes probably 20 minutes from each cities downtown, and allow cushion to get on (probably 30 minutes?), and then the same on the return, so you are close to 6 hours in each direction door to door. The drive is around 2:45 with no traffic or border wait, but that of course can be highly variable. We went last year and the wait into Canada around noon on a weekday was 5 minutes, but the wait back into the US 5 days later around the same time was over an hour if you didn't have Nexus or Global Entry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH wants to do seattle and vancouver trip next summer in August. We have to get kids passports if we need to get to Vancouver, wjat is the waiting time to get passports? What's the best way for 4 people to get to vancouver from seattle?

And mist importantly, what are fun activities for kids or must visit in seattle/vancouver if we plan to do 6 days 5 nights flying from dmv?

The best way to get from Seattle to Vancouver is to drive. Most car rental companies will ask if you're going to Canada, it should be fine but just let them know.

You want to do Seattle and Vancouver in six days total?

I haven't been to Vancouver in a long time so someone else can feel free to disagree, but if you only have 6 days, I would not go to Vancouver. I would spend 3 nights in Seattle and two nights somewhere else within a 2-3 hour drive that's more "out there." I'm assuming part of the reason you want to go to the PNW is the beauty and the hiking, kayaking, whale watching, etc.

Somewhere else option: Whidbey Island (check out Rosario), Hood Canal (check out Alderbrook), somewhere else on the Olympic Peninsula such as Port Townsend, one of the national park lodges, or somewhere on the coast, Leavenworth.

This. I'd add Vancouver if you have 10+ days. But for just 6 days, I'd do 2-3 in Seattle and 2-3 somewhere in nature (we did Whidbey, but anywhere on the coast would be incredible). It's GORGEOUS in the summer.

[Anonymous]

6 days is enough time to explore & enjoy both Seattle & Vancouver, BC.

Another option might be to explore Seattle and Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC. (Victoria is the capitol of British Columbia.) If I recall correctly, there is a ferry from Seattle to Victoria, BC. The fast ferry takes less than 3 hours each way (2 hours 45 minutes). You will remember this trip for the rest of your life. The ferry sells out frequently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6 days is enough time to explore & enjoy both Seattle & Vancouver, BC.

Another option might be to explore Seattle and Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC. (Victoria is the capitol of British Columbia.) If I recall correctly, there is a ferry from Seattle to Victoria, BC. The fast ferry takes less than 3 hours each way (2 hours 45 minutes). You will remember this trip for the rest of your life. The ferry sells out frequently.

Continuing: Google "map of Seattle and Victoria, BC" to get an idea of the relative locations of Victoria on Vancouver Island, the city of Vancouver, BC, and Seattle, Washington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6 days is enough time to explore & enjoy both Seattle & Vancouver, BC.

Another option might be to explore Seattle and Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC. (Victoria is the capitol of British Columbia.) If I recall correctly, there is a ferry from Seattle to Victoria, BC. The fast ferry takes less than 3 hours each way (2 hours 45 minutes). You will remember this trip for the rest of your life. The ferry sells out frequently.

Book the Comfort Class on the ferry ride. The views are breathtaking.