regional transportation information
The Vancouver Island region is divided geographically into seven area. Travelling between these areas is easy, whether you are driving, flying, or taking a ferry.
The South Island is a major entry point to Vancouver Island. Victoria International Airport (YYJ) is located in Sidney, a 30-minute drive from downtown Victoria and is the ninth-busiest airport in Canada with more than 1.5 million passengers per year. The beautiful new renovations and great improvements at Victoria International Airport have meant enhanced service at the airport and an increase in the number of daily flights, including convenient non-stop or one-stop service from every major Canadian city and many U.S. destinations, including Seattle and San Francisco. More improvements and more flights are planned for the future.
Swartz Bay ferry terminal, which is the arrival terminal for ferries from Vancouver and the departure point for ferry service to five of the Gulf Islands (Salt Spring, Mayne, Galiano, Pender, and Saturna) is located 10 minutes north of Sidney. Ferries from Anacortes, Washington arrive two blocks from downtown Sidney.
Victoria’s Inner Harbour is the arrival point for ferries from Seattle (passengers only), Bellingham (passengers only), and Port Angeles (vehicles and passengers). The Inner Harbour also serves floatplanes to and from locations in Canada and the United States.
Salt Spring, Mayne, Pender, Saturna, and Galiano Islands are accessed from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, north of Victoria near Sidney, while Gabriola Island is accessed by ferry from Nanaimo. Ferry service is also available to Salt Spring Island from Crofton in the Cowichan region.
Ferry service is available between Tsawwassen (south of Vancouver) and the Gulf Islands; vehicle reservations are recommended for sailings from the Gulf Islands to Tsawwassen.
Floatplane service to the Gulf Islands is available from Vancouver and Victoria, as well as by charter flight from other coastal communities on Vancouver Island.
Access by vehicle to the Cowichan region is along Highway 1 north from Victoria and includes a dramatically scenic stretch of highway called the Malahat Drive.
Alternatively, you can access the Cowichan region by ferry from Brentwood Bay in the South Island region. Ferry service between Salt Spring Island and Crofton is also available.
Nanaimo is a major entry point for visitors travelling to Vancouver Island. Ferries sail to Nanaimo from both Horseshoe Bay, north of Vancouver, and Tsawwassen, south of Vancouver. Ferry service to Gabriola Island departs from Nanaimo.
Nanaimo Airport (YCD) serves more than 20 daily flights from points on the B.C. mainland, including Vancouver. Chartered and scheduled harbour-to-harbour floatplane service is also available. Flights from the Vancouver Airport’s South Terminal to Parksville and Qualicum Beach arrive at Qualicum Beach Airport.
To drive to Parksville and Qualicum Beach, take Highway 19 north from Nanaimo and then exit onto the Oceanside Route (Hwy 19A), one of the region’s designated scenic routes.
The Pacific Rim region is easily accessed along Highway 4 west of Parksville. Chartered flights to Port Alberni and scheduled flights from Seattle and Vancouver to Tofino are also available. Visitors travelling to Bamfield can choose to drive the gravel road from Port Alberni or Lake Cowichan or to travel by ferry as foot passengers year-round from Port Alberni. Freighter vessel service to Ucluelet from Port Alberni with return by motorcoach is a summertime option. Passenger ferry service between Bamfield and Ucluelet is offered from mid-March through the fall.
You can drive to and within the North Central Island region on Highway 19 or Highway 19A. Highway 28 leads west from Campbell River to Nootka Sound and the communities of Gold River and Tahsis. Daily direct flights to the Comox Valley Airport (YQQ) from Vancouver are provided by Pacific Coastal Air and Central Mountain Air, and WestJet provides direct flights from Calgary and Edmonton. Floatplane service with Harbour Air is also available to and from Comox Harbour.
Campbell River Airport (YBL) serves several charter operators and offers scheduled flights from Vancouver, Abbotsford, and Seattle. Floatplane service is also available.
BC Ferries provides service to Comox from Powell River on the B.C. mainland, as well as between Vancouver Island and Denman, Hornby, Quadra, and Cortes Islands.
The scenic North Island Route extends from Campbell River to Port McNeill and then on to Port Hardy, where the Island Highway system ends. Daily scheduled flights are available to Port Hardy Airport (YZT), as well as chartered flights to several communities. Ferry service to Alert Bay (Cormorant Island) and Sointula (Malcolm Island) is provided by BC Ferries from Port McNeill. Port Hardy is the departure point for northern ferry voyages to the Inside Passage.
For more information visit www.SeeVancouverIsland.com.
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