Vancouver to Victoria by seaplane, harbor to harbor
The floatplane to Victoria is the rare scenic flight that also gets you somewhere. Leaving Coal Harbour, it crosses the Salish Sea over the Gulf Islands and lands on the Inner Harbour about 35 minutes later, a short walk from the Empress. This guide sets it against the ferry and works out a same-day return, with ideas for the hours between flights.
Downtown to downtown in 35 minutes
Harbour Air's one-way flight to Victoria, from ~$353, is a scheduled service that doubles as a sightseeing flight. You take off from the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre in Coal Harbour and pass the Lions Gate Bridge and Brockton Point on the way out. Then the plane crosses the Salish Sea above the Gulf Islands. About 35 minutes after take-off it lands on Victoria's Inner Harbour, close to the Fairmont Empress and the BC Parliament Buildings, so you step off in the middle of the capital rather than at a ferry terminal or an airport.
The listing scores 4.8 from 114 reviews on GetYourGuide and 4.6 from 197 on Viator. Taxes and the sustainability fee are in the fare, and parking at the Vancouver terminal is included. The catch is that this is transport, not a tour. You share the cabin with business travelers, and no guide talks you through the islands below. The return is a separate booking, and unaccompanied minors are not carried.
Seaplane or BC Ferries
The ferry is the cheap way across and the slow one. BC Ferries sails from Tsawwassen, south of Vancouver, to Swartz Bay near the tip of the Saanich Peninsula, and the crossing alone takes about 1 hour 35 minutes. Once you add the trip out to Tsawwassen and the ride from Swartz Bay into Victoria, downtown to downtown takes roughly three to four hours by car or bus. The seaplane does it in 35 minutes and drops you at the Inner Harbour itself.
A helicopter service also links the two downtowns, landing on a pad instead of the water; seaplane, helicopter or FlyOver compares the two kinds of flight for sightseeing. For most visitors the real choice is between the floatplane's speed and the ferry's price, and plenty of people take one each way.
From Coal Harbour to the Inner Harbour
Harbour Air's 35-minute flight crosses the Gulf Islands and sets down a short walk from the Empress, from ~$353 one way with taxes included. Book the return separately, and cancel free until 24 hours before departure.
Getting back the same day
Every fare on this route is one way, so a day trip needs two pieces.
- Fly both ways. Book the outbound flight, then the return; Viator lists Victoria to Vancouver from about $384. Expect roughly twice the one-way fare per person, in exchange for the most hours on the island;
- Fly over, ferry back. Harbour Air's Victoria Fly 'n' Drive pairs the flight with a coach that rides BC Ferries home, from C$405 on the airline's own site. It costs less than two flights and turns the return into a long, easy ride.
To have the gardens arranged for you, the Butchart Gardens day package, ~$490 through Viator, pairs the two flights with a ride out to the gardens and your entry ticket. Its drawbacks are the season and the price. It is sold only between mid-April and early October and takes up the whole day. It is also the most expensive way to see Victoria (C$679 on Harbour Air's site). If your ship sails the same afternoon, a seaplane flight on a cruise day sticks to the shorter loops that end where they began.
A few hours in Victoria
Landing on the Inner Harbour puts a short visit within walking distance. A stroll along the waterfront takes you past the Empress and the Parliament Buildings without needing a car or a taxi. Butchart Gardens is a different matter. It lies out on the Saanich Peninsula, about 40 minutes' drive north of downtown, so arrange transport both ways or let the package above handle it.
Already on the island? The flight runs the other way too, and Viator lists Victoria to Vancouver from about $384 with a 4.6 rating from 84 reviews. Harbour Air's own site sells a day on Salt Spring Island as well, one of the Gulf Islands under the route, with two 35-minute flights from C$279.
The airline's site also offers a whale-watching day built around two of these flights, from April 1 to early November and from C$699. Nobody can promise whales on any given day, so treat a sighting as a bonus.
Luggage and the weather
Check the baggage limit on your booking before you pack, because it is tight on small planes and the cabin has little spare room. As a guide, Harbour Air's Whistler flight permits 25 lb (11 kg) a head, handbag and all. Harbour Air asks adults on its tours for photo ID, so carry yours.
Seaplanes fly by sight. Low cloud or fog over the strait can hold a departure, and a strong wind can cancel one. If the operator scrubs a flight, the listing's terms set out the rebooking or refund. On a day with a ship or a connecting flight to catch, leave slack. Summer brings the steadiest skies, and the best time for a seaplane flight runs through the months one by one.
Who the flight suits
Fly if your hours in Victoria matter more than the fare, or if you want the crossing itself to be the sightseeing. Take the ferry if you have a car to bring or a budget to keep, and accept the half day it costs. Mixing the two, flying one way and sailing the other, gives you the islands from the air at a lower total. If the mountains appeal more than the island, the Whistler flight is the other one-way route from the same dock. What a Vancouver seaplane tour costs puts every fare side by side, and Harbour Air or Seair explains why only one of the two airlines flies this route among our listings.