Coach Hire Canada

Victoria airport pickups for small groups

Victoria International is on the Saanich Peninsula near Sidney, not in Victoria itself. Your pickup is a short walk from the arrivals doors, and the drive south takes about half an hour.

Across from the arrivals doors

Pre-booked pickups use the curb by the Short Term Lot, directly across from the arrivals exit. It's a small terminal, so the walk is short even with luggage. The airport doesn't publish a staging area for coaches, one more reason a minibus or Sprinter is the natural size for most groups here.

Rental companies based away from the airport meet their customers over the crosswalk, at the end of the building where arrivals come out, so if one of your party is picking up a car, that's where to point them.

Passenger van rear compartment loaded with luggage
Passenger van rear compartment loaded with luggage

Down the peninsula

It's about 27 km by road to the Inner Harbour, 30 to 35 minutes in light traffic, mostly on Highway 17. Getting to and from the terminal means tackling the McTavish Road Interchange and its roundabouts, a bit of driving you'll be glad to leave to someone else.

Staying in Sidney instead? You're minutes from the airport and close to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, which helps if you're carrying on to Vancouver.

The terminals

  • Single passenger terminal

Good to know at Victoria International Airport

  • Off-airport rental companies collect customers across the crosswalk at the arrivals end of the terminal.
  • BC Transit connects the airport and the McTavish Transit Exchange with Swartz Bay (BC Ferries), the Saanich Peninsula and downtown Victoria.
  • Roads to the terminal pass through the roundabouts of the McTavish Road Interchange; the airport publishes maps for drivers new to the area.
  • The airport is on the Saanich Peninsula, about 22 km north-northwest of Victoria in a straight line.

Your first days out

The Butchart Gardens at Brentwood Bay are about 22 km from Victoria, around half an hour, with on-site coach parking and a group services team that books tour groups ahead. Over the Malahat, the Cowichan Valley is about an hour away. From 1 October, designated BC routes call for winter tires or chains, and on Vancouver Island that includes the Malahat stretch of Highway 1.

Your questions

Where can a bus stop near the Parliament Buildings?

Not on the grounds, which have no visitor parking. Under a city bylaw, Victoria can reserve part of Humboldt Street, on the south side of its 800 block, for tour buses from out of town, and the operator plans set-down around the rules for your day.

Some of us arrive by ferry from Vancouver. Can they be collected too?

Yes. Swartz Bay is about 31 km from downtown, around 35 to 40 minutes, and the crossing from Tsawwassen takes about 1 hour 35 minutes, so the pickup is timed to the sailing.

Is there a bus from the airport?

BC Transit buses run from the airport and the nearby McTavish exchange to Swartz Bay, around the peninsula and into downtown Victoria. For a group with bags heading to one hotel, a booked vehicle is the easier choice.

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