Vancouver to Victoria by Ferry: Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay Guide

The ferry from Vancouver to Victoria runs between Tsawwassen, a 36 km drive south of downtown Vancouver, and Swartz Bay, north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. BC Ferries times every sailing on this route at 1 hour 35 minutes non-stop, and its autumn 2026 schedules list between 8 and 16 departures a day in each direction depending on the date. At the terminal an adult foot passenger pays $21 and a standard car with its driver $110 (Canadian dollars, fares effective 16 June 2026), before a 5% fuel surcharge.

How long is the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria?

BC Ferries' seasonal schedule for Route 1, checked on 11 September 2026, shows 1 hour 35 minutes for every sailing in both directions, with no intermediate stops. Allow for the land legs too. Tsawwassen is out in Delta, where the mainland's Highway 17 runs out at the water, and Swartz Bay lies where the island's Highway 17 ends, north of Victoria.

How often does the ferry sail in autumn 2026?

BC Ferries splits the autumn into three schedule periods. The figures below count the regular departures from Tsawwassen on the seasonal schedule pages; Swartz Bay sends the same number of sailings back each day. A few extra departures run on single dates, such as 8, 10 and 13 October.

From mid-October, Tuesdays have the fewest sailings and Fridays the most. Timetables can change at short notice, and the current conditions page on bcferries.com shows delays on the day.

Do you need a reservation, or can you just turn up?

Either works. According to BC Ferries' page on how it allocates space on board, 70 to 90% of the vehicle deck on this route can be booked ahead (85% on average), and the rest is sold at the terminal in order of arrival. On the busiest sailings the bookable share can drop to half or less, and 5 to 25% of people who book never turn up. BC Ferries' travel tips still strongly recommend booking this route and suggest Tsawwassen–Duke Point when Swartz Bay sailings are sold out.

The fare options for a standard car with its driver:

• Saver: $49 to $99 on selected sailings, paid in full when you book; extra passengers $15 each.
• Prepaid: $110 on any sailing, paid when you book.
• Reservation only: a $20 non-refundable booking fee, then $110 paid at the terminal.
• At terminal: $110 with no booking; you board after booked vehicles, so a sailing wait is possible.

Foot passengers can book too, at no extra cost. BC Ferries holds about 50 foot-passenger bookings per sailing, and when those are gone you can still buy a ticket at the terminal. If you miss a booked walk-on sailing, the fare can be put towards a later one the same day.

When do you have to check in?

The cut-offs published on the Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay schedule page are the same at both terminals:

Turn up outside the 60-to-30-minute window and BC Ferries states the booking "will not be honoured"; you travel in order of arrival like everyone else. Walk-on passengers with a booking swap it for a boarding pass at a kiosk or the ticket counter first.

How do you get to Tsawwassen and from Swartz Bay by public transit?

BC Ferries' transit page sends walk-on passengers from downtown Vancouver or the airport on the Canada Line SkyTrain to Bridgeport station, then onto TransLink's 620 bus to the terminal. At Swartz Bay, BC Transit routes 70 and 72 leave from the bus station beside the terminal exit and run direct to downtown Victoria; for the return, board them at Douglas St and Pandora Ave. Vancouver and Victoria have separate transit agencies, so each fare is paid separately.

The BC Ferries Connector coach, run by Wilson's Group, avoids changes: it goes from downtown Vancouver or the airport to downtown Victoria and rides the ferry with you.

Is it better to walk on or take the car?

One-way fares from the BC Ferries fare guide effective 16 June 2026, in Canadian dollars:

Two adults pay $42 on foot at the terminal and $131 with a standard car. Walking on also means a free checked-bag service on this route, up to 23 kg per item, and no vehicle queue. The car earns its fare if you are heading beyond Victoria or carrying a lot. Drivers parked on an enclosed lower vehicle deck have to leave their cars for the crossing under a Transport Canada regulation, and pets other than service animals stay in the vehicle or in a designated pet area.

What about Duke Point or Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay?

Both alternatives land in Nanaimo, further up Vancouver Island, and the June 2026 fare guide charges them the same passenger and vehicle fares as Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay.

• Tsawwassen–Duke Point: about two hours (2:00 to 2:10 on the timetable), with six to nine sailings a day from Tsawwassen between 8 September and 12 October 2026. It leaves from the same terminal as the Victoria boat. BC Ferries says there is currently no public transit at Duke Point, so it suits drivers.
• Horseshoe Bay–Departure Bay: 1 hour 40 minutes, seven sailings a day each way in the same period. Since 15 October 2025 drivers heading from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay have had to prepay a booking, as drive-up tickets are no longer sold that way; the opposite direction still sells at the terminal. Walk-ons can take TransLink's 257 from West Georgia St to Horseshoe Bay, and BC Transit's 20 from Departure Bay into downtown Nanaimo.