A Four-Day Loop From Vancouver
Four days out of Vancouver is enough to cover the mountains and the island without rushing either one, if the route runs in one direction instead of backtracking.
Day 1: North to Squamish and Whistler
Leave downtown on Highway 99, stopping at Shannon Falls before the Sea to Sky Gondola near Squamish, which runs $73.95 CAD online or $81.95 CAD at the gate. Continue on to Whistler Village by evening, about two hours from Vancouver in total once the stop is included.
Day 2: Whistler
A full day here runs on lift tickets in winter or mountain-bike park passes in summer; either way, book accommodation ahead, since Whistler fills up fast in both seasons.
Day 3: Back through Vancouver to the ferry
Return south and catch BC Ferries from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, a crossing of around 95 minutes. Foot passenger fares run roughly $19 to $22 CAD, vehicles closer to $60 to $80 CAD, and a reservation is worth making if you’re travelling between June and September. Settle into Victoria by evening and walk the Inner Harbour.
Day 4: Victoria
Butchart Gardens’ 55-acre sunken quarry garden and the Royal BC Museum are the two stops most people fit into a single day here before heading back, either by ferry the way you came or by Harbour Air floatplane, which covers the same route in about 35 minutes for fares starting near $99 CAD one way if booked well ahead.
Getting around inside Vancouver itself
TransLink’s $2.85 CAD Compass fare and $12.55 CAD DayPass cover the city legs of this loop, before and after the highway and ferry stretches. Arriving into YVR at the start of the trip adds the $6.50 CAD AddFare on that one inbound ride only, which is worth budgeting for separately from the rest of the loop’s transit costs.
Adjusting the order
Running the loop in reverse, island first and mountains last, works just as well and can be the better choice if BC Ferries reservations for a specific date fill up before the Whistler leg does. Either direction, four days is enough to see both regions properly without the backtracking a shorter trip usually forces.
A Whistler and Sea to Sky package on Viator can handle the first two days without a rental car, though a vehicle booked through DiscoverCars gives more flexibility for stopping at viewpoints along the highway. For a single-day version of the Victoria leg alone, see the day trips page .