Victoria Express

Spring is the perfect time for romantic getaways to Victoria. Take advantage of the Victoria Express 20th anniversary special, and travel round trip from Port Angeles to Victoria for only $20 ($10 one way). Our 2010 season starts May 28th.

There are so many fantastic hotels right in the heart of downtown Victoria that it can be hard to decide where to stay. Each one has something unique to offer guests. Read on for two examples.

The Hotel Grand Pacific offers live smooth jazz by pianist Jan Stirling on Friday and Saturday evenings. She is situated in the dining room, but you can also hear the music from the lounge, and it creates a lovely ambiance. Hotel Grand Pacific also offers a delicious West Coast Afternoon Tea, featuring wild salmon lox, smoked albacore, poached wild spot prawn brochettes, and truffles. Mmmm.

Traditional English Tea is a century-old tradition at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, overlooking Victoria's Inner Harbour. Pastry Chef D'Oyen Christie's creations will melt in your mouth. You'll want to explore Victoria, of course, but you may have trouble tearing yourself away from this luxurious hotel. Restore yourself in the spa. Enjoy a cocktail on the Veranda, and savor the amazing curry buffet in the Bengal Lounge.

It's not hard to think of reasons to visit Victoria. It is hard to come up with reasons to stay home. Don't bother trying - just call Victoria Express at 360-452-8088, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it today.

Travel between the United States and Canada requires a passport or enhanced driver's license. Visit our ID Requirements section for information.

The Maritime Museum of B.C. is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Victoria. Make it part of your next Victoria travel, and learn about the remarkable maritime history of the Pacific Northwest.

Delve into the minds of pirates and explorers. Learn about whaling, fishing and shipbuilding. Inspect the navigation instruments that made exploration of these foggy shores possible, and find out why the Straits are named after Juan de Fuca. See remarkable vessels.

Water defines the Pacific Northwest. Whether you live here or are just visiting, you'll enjoy learning the maritime history of the Salish Sea.

May 17 and 18 are International Museum Days, meaning that admission into the Maritime Museum of B.C. is free. There will be a number of special activities throughout the day to spark your interest.

Expand your savings by visiting Victoria via Victoria Express; we're offering a special $20 round-trip fare to Victoria throughout the 2010 sailing season.

Travel to Victoria from the Olympic Peninsula via Victoria Express. Victoria is easily accessible without a car, so don't bother bringing your automobile. You can spend a day or a week exploring the attractions in and around the Inner Harbour of Victoria.

 $20 Round Trip Port Angeles / Victoria Special

Our 2010 sailing season between Port Angeles and Victoria starts May 28; call 360-452-8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details about travel to Victoria, BC. Be sure to ask about our 20th anniversary $20 round trip special!

For more information, please call 360-452-8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Travel between the United States and Canada requires a passport or enhanced driver's license. Visit our ID Requirements for more details.

Let's be frank. Everyone wants to catch a glimpse of an orca whale. It may not be at the top of the list of things you want to do in life, but you wouldn't shut your eyes if one swam past. Orca whales are amazing creatures, and those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest are fortunate to live by their habitat.

One pod of Orcas typically resides near the San Juan Islands from mid-April to early October. That's one really good reason to visit Friday Harbor.

Once there, you will find several options to view Orca whales. They are often spotted from shore, and it is fun to travel around San Juan Island by moped, trying to predict where they will be next. You may want to rent a kayak and try for a closer look. Or participate in one of several Whale Watching excursions.

It is easy to get to Friday Harbor from either the Olympic Peninsula or Victoria B.C. Victoria Express will take care of all your San Juan Island travel arrangements, including lodging and special activities. Call 360-452-8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

This may be your lucky summer and you may get to see the orcas while on your San Juan Island-Friday Harbor journey. This whale image was taken by Julie Lawrence, a professional photographer from Sequim, while on the Victoria Express.

Please see our ID Requirements for details about travel between the United States and Canada.

Remember the spelling bees of your youth? You stood in front of the class, all eyes on you, as you negotiated your way through difficult words like "autumn", "doubt" and "gauge". Classmates cheered when you got it right - or worse, cheered when you got it wrong. You've never forgotten, and maybe never quite recovered from the experience.

Belfry Theatre's "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" will help you embrace the memories of your past spelling bees. It will also make you clap your hands and laugh.

The quirky cast of "angst-ridden, overachieving outsiders" shine during the spelling bee. It is perhaps the one place where they can fit in and stand out. They are overseen by adults "who barely escaped childhood themselves", which makes their interactions all the more hilarious.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs April 13 through May 16 at the Belfy Theatre in downtown Victoria. Free childcare is sometimes offered during Sunday Matinees (check with the Box Office for details).

Take advantage of the 20th Anniversary $20 Round Trip travel to Victoria, offered throughout the 2010 sailing season by Victoria Express. Use the money you save for theatre tickets!

Please see our ID Requirements to learn about identification required for travel between the United States and Canada.

Call 360-452-8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to arrange your next trip to Victoria B.C.

It isn't too early to plan for visiting Victoria during the 2010 Swiftsure International Yacht Race, May 29 and 30, 2010. After all, the intrepid sailors participating in the race are surely preparing for it now.

There are four courses in the Swiftsure: The offshore courses run 137 miles, 100 miles and 76 miles. An inshore course of 20 miles is open to yachts designed prior to January 1975. Spectators are welcome everywhere.

Will the winds and waves be wild? Or will it be a "Driftsure" year? No one can know for sure. What is certain is that Victoria will come out to celebrate this traditional event in spades, and you should be there, too.

Round Trip to Victoria Only $20

The 2010 Sailing Season for Victoria Express starts May 28, 2010. In other words, you can travel from Port Angeles to Victoria in under an hour just in time for the Swiftsure International Yacht Race. The best value of the trip is the 20th Anniversary $20 Round Trip to Victoria Special

Victoria Express is a fast and convenient way to travel between the Olympic Peninsula of Washington and Vancouver Island.

Our staff will be happy to make all of your travel arrangements for your visit to Victoria. Call 360-452-8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please see our ID Requirements to learn the most up-to-date identification requirements for travel between the United States and Canada.

March is an exciting month for theatre in Victoria, particularly the Belfry Theatre. Theatre aficionados will want to travel to Victoria BC to catch some of the SPARK Festival, just now underway.

SPARK promises a good number of miniplays, play readings, and four new plays. In addition, there are professional development workshops, and the unique Belfry 101 Live. More about that below.

The four new plays are: Agnes B, about cabaret singer and actress Agnes Bernelle. The Russian Play is a "dark and comic tale of a Russian peasant girl" by one of Canada's most acclaimed young playwrights, Hannah Moscovitch. Tiny Apocalypse explores a meltdown at the office. The Drowning Girls presents three brides, three bathtubs and three murders.

The Miniplays are just plain fun. Seven 10-minute plays (four one week, three the next) take place in unconventional spaces all over the building. You'll love these plays, created by some of Victoria's independent theatre companies.

Belfry 101 Live is a truly remarkable production. Themes and images from the current season's plays are explored, examined and unpacked by a team of remarkable high school students who have been working with the Belfry all season.

For a complete description of what takes place at the Spark Theatre Festival, and for ticket information, visit the Belfry Theatre. Contact Victoria Express now to arrange your visit to Victoria BC. Call 360-452-8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 Please look at our ID Requirements to learn about identification needed when traveling between Canada and the United States.

It's time to drop everything and start making plans to visit Victoria BC this weekend for the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Brazilian Cultural Festival. The Festival is going on right now and continues through March 14.

Capoeira is a unique Brazilian art form that combines dance, music and martial arts. Participants form a ring and take turns dancing, playing musical instruments, or ritually sparring. The style tends to be fluid and acrobatic. It is fascinating and fun to behold.

The Victoria Brazilian Festival celebrates 10 years of Capoeira and Brazilian Culture in Victoria BC. Over 35 teachers, along with Professor Testa, Mestre Barrao and Axe Capoeira Victoria will participate. Evening workshops for children and adults are scheduled Thursday through Saturday, so if you are interested in trying Capoeira, now is your chance!

Brazilian music is internationally renowned - one reason you won't want to miss the all ages Dance Party Saturday the 13th. The dance party is at the Victoria Event Centre, at 2-1415 Broad Street in downtown Victoria, from 10 pm to 1 am. For tickets contact the VEC.

The Batizado and Troca das Cordas ceremony takes place Sunday afternoon, from 4 to 8 pm, at the Royal Theatre; new students are "baptized" into the group, and continuing students who are advancing a level are recognized. The new students receive their first cord, and continuing students receive a new cord. This is an important ritual for every Axe Capoeira group, and it involves much sparring. Tickets are available at the Royal Theatre.

Victoria Express can make all arrangements for your visit to Victoria BC. Call 360-452-8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please look at our ID Requirements to learn about identification needed when traveling between Canada and the United States.

Each year, approximately 20,000 Grey Whales migrate up the Pacific Coast as they travel from the warm breeding waters off Baja to the cold nutrient rich waters of Alaska. They are on the move now, hugging the coast as they travel north, and the 24th Annual Pacific Rim Whale Festival is preparing to welcome them in style.

This festival is as enormous as the whales it celebrates, running from March 6 - March 14, 2010. It takes over Ucluelet, Tofino, and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on northwest Vancouver Island. There will be hands-on activities and informative lectures that will educate folks about whales and the local marine ecosystem. Hop aboard a boat and sail off in search of whales, binoculars in hand. Delve into tide pools. Get wet and look an octopus in the face. Or take a relaxing, informative interpretive walk. In short, there will be numerous events and activities for all ages, from the young in body to the young at heart.

Many artists, musicians and storytellers will be at the Pacific Rim Whale Festival to celebrate the whales. There will be opportunities to meet artists who live on northwest Vancouver Island and find inspiration in the natural beauty of the area. Music takes place nightly, and often during the day as well, when musicians offer hands-on workshops.

There are many reasons to attend the 24th Annual Pacific Rim Whale Festival. I can't think of one good reason to not go.

If you plan to stay in Victoria during your Vancouver Island, call 206-452-8088, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Let the travel to the Pacific Rim Whale Festival be as enjoyable as the festival itself.

Please read our ID page to learn about identification requirements for traveling between the United States and Canada.

It's true. And trust me, you won't want to miss this.

Ed Robertson and Steven Page started the BNL in 1988 on a lark. Their first performance was largely improvised, which set the tone for every concert that has followed. Their shows almost always contain a fair amount of improvised banter, raps and songs. Fans never know exactly what to expect at a performance, but they know there will be good music and good entertainment.

The Barenaked Ladies now consist of founding member Ed Robertson, Kevin Hearn, Jim Creeggan and Tyler Stewart. Ed Robertson promises the April 6th concert will include many of the band's favourites from the last 20 years, as well as new music from their album, All in Good Time.

There surely are other reasons to travel to Victoria, but the chance to see Barenaked Ladies at the Save On Foods Arena on April 6, 2010 is up at the top of the list.

Let Victoria Express take care of your Victoria travel arrangements. Call 360.452.8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. Our ID Requirements page provides information on current identification required to cross the border.

Put on your traveling cloaks and pack your bags! Travel to Victoria, then head to the Victoria Symphony for a trip around the world on Wednesday, March 20, 2010, at 2:30 pm.

Scott Walker hosts the event, part of the Royal Tea Concerts at the Royal Theatre. The talented Giuseppe Pietraroia will lead the orchestra on an exploration of music from around the world. They'll make stops in Britain, France, Italy, and many other places, and play music that was created in each country as they go.

Start the afternoon with tea and treats in the lobby of the historic Royal Theatre, at 805 Broughton Street in downtown Victoria. Then make your way around the world in style.

Stretch your legs after the show by walking the neighborhood, where there are many excellent restaurants. Just around the corner, Yokohama Japanese Restaurant has all you can eat sushi, and the Pink Bicycle serves up tasty gourmet burgers. Nearby, the Noodle Box offers a "Fresh Fun Fiery Experience", and Baan Thai promises complex flavours in each mouthful. Or walk a block or two and find yourself at the Sticky Wicket, a traditional British pub. You are sure to find some place to tickle your fancy and your palate within a few blocks.

Victoria Express can help with your Victoria travel arrangements. You don't need to wait for our season to start. Call 360.452.8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it today.

Please read about identification requirements at our ID Requirements page.