Seattle Travel Answers

You could spend a week in Seattle and not see everything. Same goes for Vancouver. There's also quite a bit in between the two, and in the area surrounding both cities. It also depends on what you like to do. The Northwest is good for outdoors and nature, but Seattle and Vancouver are also fabulous cities. When are you looking at coming?

Instead of the train, why not take the ferry to Victoria, spend a day there and visit Butchart gardens. You could than take the ferry to Vancouver and bus into downtown. It would be a great variation as the ferry ride and Victoria are beautiful. allseattletours.com/Body.asp... Or clippervacations.com/ferry/f... For the ferry. and for Butchart: butchartgardens.com/index.ph...

I concur with sufr54 the ferry to Victoria Island and then up to Vancouver would be the way to go. Several years ago we had a long weekend in Vancouver and took the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria Island and along the way got to see a couple of whales swimming almost along side. Obviously several places to see in Seattle are Pike's Market and the Space Needle. In Vancouver we enjoyed Granville Island and the Japanese? Gardens. Look at this information for some more pictures on Butchart Gardens "Cool - Weather and Sites" - Vancouver by riorich55

I would say that you would need at least 3-4 days to see a good part of Seattle, if you like to keep busy.

For Vancouver, not counting your travel days no more than 2 or 3 at the most. This does not include travel to Vancouver Island or other places, just the ciy.

Seattle is a pretty small place, so 3-4 days is plenty, unless you plan on taking a day trip outside the city (hiking etc).

hmmm... so much depends on what you like to do with your time. A day trip to Mr. Ranier will take just that: a day. Likewise, doe you want to venture out to the San Juan Islands, or Quidby? Check out some wineries out of town? There are also interesting neighborhoods in Seattle, if you want to explore a little - Ballard etc. The time you need depends on what you want to do.

I just spent a week in those two cities. I definitely needed more time in Vancouver (I went only for the weekend). I'm sure I would have felt cheated if I hadn't previously visited Seattle. Weather, of course, affects what you can do -- if it had been a bit warmer, I would have visited the Skagit Tulip Festival, but since it wasn't raining, I was able to get to the islands and see the Olympics, Cascades, Mt. Ranier and Mt. Baker as well as cultural stuff.

Truth: the Amtrak train to Vancouver is a wonderful journey. It would afford you the opportunity to see some of the local landscape/towns and,voila, you end-up in the stunning city of Vancouver. Three days in Vancouver would allow you to get a feel for city. Walk down Robson to Stanley Park.. next day: go to Granville Island Public Market...a unique and vibrant place with lots of food, art and a grand view of the water,sailboats and parts of Vancouver. Then, take the bus to the Kitsilano area. Great views of mountains and downtown Vancouver from here. Nice stores, cafes, interesting neighborhoods and a fun area to just walk around in. There is a very good hostel in Kitsilano area too. I find The Train a relaxing time and always marvel at the beauty of Vancouver. Hope you get to see it!!