The long term parking is quite safe and is close to the terminal. there is also a long term parking that is independtly operated before you get to the terminal. We have often left our car there..in fact it is less costly than the ferry operated one and they have a shuttle which drives you to the ferry. A bigger issue will be getting from the ferry terminal in Swartz Bay to downtown Victoria and then back again. The terminal is about 1/2 hour from downtown. You can take public transit which is slower or you can take the PCL bus..you buy your ticket on the ferry..or you can take a cab. You will need to do this both ways. The cost savings of not taking the car on the ferry may be offset by the transit expense especailly if you plan to go out to Butcharts Gardens.. it really depends on how many of you are travelling. For two people you would probably be as well off not to take the car but only if you use public transit. The fare for the PCL bus (private)is $28 per person from downtown Victoria to the ferry but this does include your ferry fare as well..so bus fare with them is about $15 . I seem to remember prking as being about $9 for 24 hours

so parking the car you would spend

Parking $9

ferry to Victoria $14.25 per person

transportation Swartz bay to Victoria Pacific coach lines $15 per person ( approx)

or public transit cost about $3 per person ( search this forum for discussion of bus routes etc)

transportation to Butcharts gardens public transit or cab

if you take the car you have the parking in Victoria to pay for... again really depends on how many of you are travelling.

We are going to be 3 people..Where exactly is that parking you are talking about? The name or address would really help us out. TY.

I believe it is called the Park and Go..as you approach the Ferry terminal you will go through a lighted intersection ( stop lights) past that..on the right you will see a waterslide, horses and then a lot of parked cars. You turn right BEFORE you get to the long causeway that leads to the ferry terminal. Drive about 1/4 block then turn right again. There is signage. The parking there is $7 per 24 hours and there is a free shuttle to the terminal. The parking at the terminal is a little more expensive..about $9 per 24 hours..you park, remember your stall number, then insert credit card to a machine, input stall number and pay for the number of days you will be gone. We have had trouble getting the machine here to work so usually park at the offsite place as noted above.

So much depends on your plans while in Victoria. If you think you'll spend all of your time in the downtown core (and hence, will not need a car), then I would recommend the PCL option. If you're gonna want to go from downtown out to Craigdarroch Castle, maybe to the Victoria Art Gallery (both a long walk out of the downtown core), or to Butchart Gardens, then taking the car on the ferry may be the best option. Obviously, the more of you there are, the cheaper the car option becomes.

I wouldn't recommend the city transit bus option, not if you've only got one day.

You could leave your car at your hotel and either take the Pacific Coach Lines bus from downtown to the ferry, onto the ferry and from there to Victoria. I like this option becaus ethe bus has boarding priority so you know you will get on the ferry you want.

Another option I have seen suggested here and think is great: leave your car at your hotel in Vancouver (or turn it in), take a float plane or PCL/ferry to Victoria then do the opposite on your way back. If your budget is really really limited this may not be the best option, but it is spectacular. It's about $130 one way on the plane per person, and (I think) about $25 per person one way from downtown to dowtown on PCL/ferry. Logistically easy to do, so cost is your consideration. It does add up with more people, but you can balance the experience with the cost ... The plane only takes 30 minutes vs the ferry/bus option at about 3 hours.