For Jasper’s birthday he had one request; he wanted Dad to stay home from work. Instead of just taking the day off with the help of Clipper Vacations we went on a long weekend to Victoria. Thursday morning, we woke up early and took a short ride to the Seattle Waterfront. It was so dark outside Jasper kept asking the entire car ride if it was nighttime. It was the sweetest thing!

Before long we breezed through the ticket counter and were sitting in Comfort Class on the Victoria Clipper. With snacks and drinks at the ready we were ready for our 2.5 hour ride up to Canada. Jasper eagerly opened a couple small gifts and the crew was even thoughtful enough to bring him an extra special treat and sing “Happy Birthday” to him. If that was not enough to make our four year old feel special he also got an opportunity to go up into the wheelhouse and visit the captain and his crew. The Victoria Clipper is such an easy way to travel from Seattle to Victoria and based on our experience getting there is definitely half the fun!

Even though the weather was overcast with rain we were still able to enjoy beautiful views throughout our journey, especially on the back deck. If you have never seen Washington state from the water run don’t walk to book your own Clipper Vacation for the holidays.

Although Comfort Class is a bit of an upgrade, you are rewarded with early boarding, more comfortable seats, additional room and plenty of snacks for your journey.

Once we arrived in Victoria disembarking and going through customs was equally simple as checking in and boarding in Seattle. After a ten minute walk we were checking into our room at our hotel and ready to begin our birthday weekend. Especially when traveling with children it is so nice to be able to forgo the stress of rental cars and car seats. With Tourism Victoria they can help you plan walking tours, food tours, bus rides, hop on and off bus tours and everything else under the sun so you can experience the city without ever having to worry about transportation.

Victoria is such a pedestrian friendly city. As a fan of different modes of transportation Jasper was delighted we were able to explore on foot, by ferry, and by double decker bus in one weekend.

There are a variety of hotels located in the harbor either just steps from where the Victoria Clipper docks or a short taxi ride away.

One of the things I enjoy most about Victoria is the eclectic mix of shops and restaurants. And with the current exchange rate Canada is a really good deal right now.

During our time in Victoria we went on a walking food tour, visited the Royal B.C. Museum, the IMAX, a hop on and off bus tour, visited the Butterfly Garden, took a little ferry around the harbor, visited Butchart Gardens and watched the seaplanes come and go over a heaping serving of fish and chips. Despite all of our adventures we barely made a dent in all the fun things to do with your children in Victoria.

A sample of the biscuits from Shanzee’s on our Taste of Victoria food tour.

Rain or shine Victoria is a fun place to be. The harbor is vibrant and with more sunny days then in Seattle you are bound to have some good weather during your visit.

Traveling during the Fall is one of my favorite times to go places. The crowds are non existent and the Fall foliage provides a jaw dropping back drop to an already beautiful city. A visit to Butchart Gardens when all the maples are changing is pure magic!

And when you are ready to head back home a hop, skip and a jump later and you are settled into your seats and ready for the short boat ride back to Seattle.

This post was sponsored by Clipper Vacations.

All opinions stated here are my own and I was under no obligation to write anything other than my personal experience. I will never write about anything I did not enjoy or find to be a valuable experience.