Any one volunteers to write a short "howto"?
Travel to Victoria
then share with us here first and later add an entry at
http://panlab/Travel:Victoria
http://www.cs.uvic.ca/~vanemden/visiting.html
Visiting Victoria
For some visitors to Victoria, a bit of geography is useful. Vancouver is not on Vancouver Island; Victoria is. As Vancouver Island is an island, one can't drive to Victoria, unless one is already on the island.Visiting from Europe
A common mistake by travellers is to assume that Vancouver-Victoria is "mere ground transportation". Get an air ticket to Victoria. Check your luggage through to Victoria (however, customs has to be cleared in Vancouver).If one's air tickets do not connect through to Victoria, one can take the Pacific Coach Lines bus (costs about 30 to 40 Can$). This bus rides onto the ferry, lets the passengers out for the trip, and continues on arrival of the ferry to Victoria. In this way it takes three to three and a half hours from Vancouver Airport to downtown Victoria. It may be necessary to first take a shuttle bus to a hotel in Richmond, close to the airport, to intercept the service by that same company from Vancouver to Victoria.
If coming from a faraway place, say, X, then one should get a ticket X - Victoria and not X - Vancouver plus Vancouver - Victoria. By itself, Vancouver - Victoria may cost Can$150. On a recent trip of mine, Dallas - Victoria via Vancouver cost $ 9 more than Dallas - Vancouver. Airfares are computed by a subadditive function.
In case arrival in Vancouver is too late to change to a flight to Victoria, stay in one of the hotels close to Vancouver airport (Richmond, BC) rather than in downtown Vancouver.
Victoria is about as far from Vancouver as it is from Seattle. There are also flights from Seattle to Victoria. So one can also fly via Seattle, an alternative well worth considering, because aviation in the US is more competitive than it is in Canada. But it can work the other way around. For example, when I asked KLM how to travel between Europe and Victoria, they told me to fly partner NWA out of Seattle. This is because NWA partners with Alaska Airlines, which owns Horizon Airlines, which connects between Seattle and Victoria. All the while the superior way was Amsterdam - Vancouver with KLM and the local airline between Vancouver and Victoria.
Visiting from Eastern North America
Since recently there is a direct flight Toronto - Victoria. Well worth looking into, considering the rigours of travelling between Vancouver and Victoria, outlined above.Visiting from Vancouver
From airport to airport: Flights take about 20 minutes. There is one about every two hours. It takes about forty minutes at either end to get to the airport from downtown. So it's not an attractive option. Also, when the flight is not an extension of another, it is rather expensive.From downtown to downtown: There is a harbour-to-harbour flight that takes about 30 minutes. It may be difficult to book from other places. This exists in two varieties: by small seaplane and by helicopter.
The bus drives to the ferry about forty minutes drive from either downtown, then waits a bit (much less than private automobiles) for departure and boards the ferry. Passengers get off the bus and use ferry accommodations before boarding the same bus on arrival. The ferry has a cafetaria, comfortable seating, and walkable decks. It's a bit like an ocean liner. The views can be great, as is the sea air. This way it takes about three and a half hours from downtown to downtown.
Travel by bus costs much less than by plane. Some are surprised to learn that travelling by bus wastes less time than flying airport to airport. This is obvious if one considers that time travelling can be pleasantly or productively used if one does not get interrupted. There are few interruptions in the bus trip. When travelling by plane there are many: check in, security, boarding, luggage pick up, waiting for ground transportation.
Visiting from Seattle
Airport-to-airport is even less attractive than from Vancouver (see above). Kenmore Air flies from Lake Union (downtown) and from Lake Washington. I love them: this way you get the flying (which is great, at least in a small plane) without the airports, which are the awful part.
Also check out the two-and-a-half-hour boat ride by Victoria Clipper.
Modified November 9, 2002.
Home page
http://www.victoriaairport.com/
Victoria, British Columbia and Port Angeles, WA: http://www.cohoferry.com/
Anacortes WA / Sidney B.C. (Victoria): http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
Welcome to enrich the following page:
http://panlab.cs.uvic.ca/Travel:Victoria
Re:
useful for many people https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/ti ... =203621344
MAARTEN VAN EMDEN OBITUARY
We are saddened to announce the passing of Maarten Herman van Emden, 85, of Victoria, BC. He died peacefully on January 4, 2023, in the company of family members. Maarten was born on December 31, 1937, in Velp, the Netherlands. After attending national flight training school and working for KLM, Maarten returned to university and obtained a PhD in computer science. In 1975, he immigrated into Canada with his wife, Josefa, and daughter, Eva.
Maarten's career included professorships at the University of Waterloo and the University of Victoria. He collaborated with many pioneering computer scientists and contributed his unique viewpoint and insights to the field. He always remained interested in learning new things. He enjoyed reading about science, mathematics, and history, and one of his greatest pleasures was a good conversation about ideas. He was interested in design and sustainability, and built an energy-efficient house in Ontario. Together with Jos, he enjoyed visiting family and friends throughout Europe.
Maarten was born to Johan and Hermine van Emden (nee van Straaten). He is predeceased by his wife of more than 50 years, Jos. He is survived by his sisters, Marian and Helen; by his daughter, Eva; and by Eva's partner, Marc.
The family and friends will celebrate his life at a later date. Condolences can be sent care of Eva at condolences@vanemden.com.
Published by The Times Colonist from Jan. 10 to Jan. 12, 2023.
