One of the most pleasurable ways to get your first view of Canada is from sea level. Many scheduled ferry services cross from Washington State [1] to Victoria [2] (Vancouver Island [3]), but no ferries run to Vancouver [4] from south of the border.
The Victoria Clipper (206/448-5000 or 800/888-2535, www.victoriaclipper.com [5]) is a fast passenger-only service connecting Seattle [6]’s Pier 69 with Victoria. From farther north, at Anacortes [7], Washington State Ferries (250/381-1551, www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries [8]) runs a once-daily passenger and vehicle service to Sidney [9], 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of Victoria.
If you’re traveling up the east coast of Washington State to Vancouver Island and want to bypass the built-up corridor between Tacoma and the international border, consider heading out to Port Angeles [10] on the Olympic Peninsula, where the MV Coho (360/457-4491, www.cohoferry.com [11]) departs for a twice daily crossing to Victoria.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/vancouver-victoria/vancouver-island/victoria
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/vancouver-victoria/vancouver-island
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/vancouver-victoria/vancouver
[5] http://www.victoriaclipper.com
[6] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington/seattle
[7] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington/san-juan-islands/anacortes
[8] http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
[9] http://www.moon.com/destinations/vancouver-victoria/vancouver-island/victoria/saanich-peninsula/sidney
[10] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington/olympic-peninsula-and-the-coast/port-angeles
[11] http://www.cohoferry.com