Home›British Columbia›Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay ferry: BC Ferries' 95-minute run from Vancouver to Victoria
Island ferry · Strait of Georgia, Highway 17 to Highway 17 · British Columbia
Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay ferry: BC Ferries' 95-minute run from Vancouver to Victoria
1 hour 35 minutes, terminal to terminal, on every sailing BC Ferries lists between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay. Until Thanksgiving Monday there are up to 16 departures a day in each direction; from 14 October 2026 the timetable drops to between 9 and 12. At the terminal a car costs $89.00 and its driver pays the $21.00 passenger fare on top.
$21.00Adult passenger, one way
9 to 12 a daySailings each way, 14 Oct – 11 Nov
1 h 35 minCrossing
$89.00Standard vehicle, driver not included
$49 to $99, booked aheadCar and driver, Saver fare
12 departures · to Vancouver (Tsawwassen) terminal
The same twelve times from both terminals, with gaps at 08:00, 10:00 and 20:00.
From Vancouver (Tsawwassen) terminal
07:0009:0011:0013:0014:0015:0017:0019:0021:00
9 departures · to Victoria (Swartz Bay) terminal
From Victoria (Swartz Bay) terminal
07:0009:0011:0012:0013:0015:0017:0019:0021:00
9 departures · to Vancouver (Tsawwassen) terminal
Nine each way. Added on Wednesday 14 October: 18:00 from Tsawwassen and 16:00 from Swartz Bay. Added on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November (Remembrance Day): 10:00 from Tsawwassen and 08:00 from Swartz Bay.
10 departures · to Vancouver (Tsawwassen) terminal
Ten each way. Monday 19 October is different: no 10:00 from Tsawwassen or 08:00 from Swartz Bay, but extra departures at 18:00 and 22:00 from Tsawwassen and at 16:00 and 20:00 from Swartz Bay. Saturday 24 October adds 18:00 from Tsawwassen and 16:00 from Swartz Bay. Saturday 31 October drops the 10:00 and 14:00 from Tsawwassen and the 08:00 and 12:00 from Swartz Bay, leaving eight each way.
12 departures · to Vancouver (Tsawwassen) terminal
Twelve each way on the busier days of the week. Exceptions: on Thursday 29 October there is no 10:00 or 22:00 from Tsawwassen and no 08:00 or 20:00 from Swartz Bay; on Friday 30 October, Thursday 5 November and Friday 6 November the 22:00 from Tsawwassen and the 20:00 from Swartz Bay do not run; on Sundays 1 and 8 November the 10:00 from Tsawwassen and the 08:00 from Swartz Bay are dropped.
Every sailing is non-stop and timetabled at 1 h 35 min, so arrival is always 35 minutes past the following hour: the 07:00 from Tsawwassen reaches Swartz Bay at 08:35. The tabs follow the dates BC Ferries publishes, because almost every day in early October has its own pattern around Thanksgiving. From 14 October each tab covers several weekdays, and the few dated exceptions are listed underneath.
Highway 17 at both ends, and the Strait of Georgia in between
95 minutes is the figure that never changes on this route. Every Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay sailing in the BC Ferries timetable, in either direction, is non-stop and scheduled at 1 hour 35 minutes, and departures leave on the hour, so arrival is always 35 minutes past. What changes is how many hours have a boat. Through the Thanksgiving fortnight, up to Tuesday 13 October 2026, the busiest days run hourly from 06:00 to 21:00; from Wednesday 14 October the timetable thins to 9, 10 or 12 departures each way depending on the weekday.
The second number to know is $89.00. That is the standard vehicle fare at the terminal, and BC Ferries states plainly that the driver is not included: the person at the wheel pays the $21.00 adult fare, and so does each additional adult travelling with them. Booking ahead online can bring the car and driver down to between $49 and $99 on selected sailings.
This is Route 1 of British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., the main link between Metro Vancouver and the provincial capital. It runs from the end of Highway 17 in Delta to the end of Highway 17 on the Saanich Peninsula, and on 2 October 2026 the boats rotating on it were the Spirit of British Columbia, the Spirit of Vancouver Island, the Coastal Celebration and the Queen of New Westminster.
Tolls and fares
$89 for the car, $21 for whoever is driving it
BC Ferries charges the vehicle and the people in it separately. The standard vehicle fare excludes the driver and passengers, so a car up to 20 feet long is $89.00 plus $21.00 for the driver: the $110 "car and driver" figure the company quotes at the terminal. Each extra adult adds another $21.00, children from 5 to 11 add $10.50, and under-fives ride free.
Fares are in Canadian dollars and include applicable taxes, but BC Ferries adds a 5% fuel surcharge at the moment of payment to the net fares below. Saver fares are sold online only, in advance, on selected sailings: between $34 and $84 for the vehicle, which BC Ferries advertises as $49 to $99 with the driver, and $15 instead of $21 for an adult passenger.
Passengers, one way (At Terminal or Prepaid)
Adult, 12 and over
$ 21
Child, 5 to 11
$ 10.50
Child under 5
Free
BC senior, Monday to Thursday except statutory holidays (documentation required)
Free
Passengers, one way, Saver fare (booked online in advance)
Adult, 12 and over
$ 15
Child, 5 to 11
$ 7.50
Vehicles, one way, driver pays a passenger fare
Standard vehicle up to 20 ft (6.1 m), At Terminal or Prepaid
$ 89
Each extra foot over 20 ft, At Terminal or Prepaid
$ 8
Each extra foot over 20 ft, Saver
$ 7
Motorcycle, At Terminal
$ 44.50
Booking fees
Reservation-only booking fee (fare then paid at the terminal)
$ 20
Change to a Saver or Prepaid vehicle booking
$ 5
Four ways to pay for a car: At Terminal ($110 car and driver, no booking, you board after booked traffic), Reservation Only ($20 non-refundable fee on top of the terminal fare), Prepaid ($110 paid in advance with a booking) and Saver (cheaper, selected sailings, paid in advance). Cancelling a Saver vehicle booking costs $5 four or more days out and $20 closer to departure.
The route links the two ends of Highway 17: the Tsawwassen causeway in Delta, south of the Fraser River, and Swartz Bay, where the Saanich Peninsula ends on Vancouver Island. Neither terminal is in a city centre. Tsawwassen is 36 km from downtown Vancouver by BC Ferries' count, and Swartz Bay lies north of Victoria, beyond Sidney, so the 95 minutes on the water are only part of a Vancouver-to-Victoria trip.
Landings
1 Ferry Causeway in Delta, Patricia Bay Highway in Sidney
From
Vancouver (Tsawwassen) terminal
1 Ferry Causeway, Delta, BC V4M 4G6 (southwest end of Highway 17) · Delta, Metro Vancouver
Tsawwassen sits on a causeway at the southwest end of Highway 17 in Delta, which BC Ferries puts at a 36 km drive from downtown Vancouver. The same terminal also loads for Duke Point and Departure Bay near Nanaimo and for the Southern Gulf Islands, so follow the lane signs for Victoria (Swartz Bay) as you approach the booths.
Without a car, TransLink buses and the BC Ferries Connector coach serve the terminal, and there is a taxi stand. Long-stay parking is on site; a separate Park & Go lot in Tsawwassen is run independently of BC Ferries. Shops and food are in the Tsawwassen Quay building.
49.00630, -123.13100
To
Victoria (Swartz Bay) terminal
11300 Patricia Bay Hwy, Sidney, BC V8L 5J4 (north end of Highway 17) · North Saanich, Capital Regional District
Swartz Bay is at the far end of Highway 17 on the Saanich Peninsula, north of Victoria rather than in it, so allow for the drive or bus ride into the city after you land. The terminal also runs the boats to Fulford Harbour on Salt Spring Island and to the Southern Gulf Islands.
BC Transit buses and the BC Ferries Connector coach call here, along with several taxi firms. There is a car park, and Lands End Café is the food stop inside the terminal.
48.68910, -123.41050
Good to know
Check-in windows and booking rules on Route 1
With a booking, 30 to 60 minutes
Booked vehicles and foot passengers check in between 60 and 30 minutes before departure at both terminals. Arrive earlier or later and the booking is not honoured: you are loaded by arrival order instead.
Without a booking
Foot passengers can buy tickets until 10 minutes before sailing, and vehicles until 5 minutes before. Unbooked cars board after booked ones, so on busy afternoons a sailing wait is likely.
Missed your Saver sailing?
A Saver or Prepaid fare can be used on another sailing the same day in the same direction, boarding after booked traffic where there is space. If you booked a Saver fare, you pay the difference to the terminal price.
Budget for the surcharge
The 5% fuel surcharge is applied when you pay, on top of the net fares in the table; the bag-storage (stowage) fee is the only charge it skips.
BC Ferries publishes this route as a chain of seasonal periods, already out to 31 March 2027, with new periods starting on 12 November, 17 December, 31 December, 11 February, 17 February and 24 March. Dates inside each period gain or lose sailings, so look up the official schedule for anything after 11 November.
For a sea crossing into Victoria that lands downtown rather than at Swartz Bay, the alternative is the Coho ferry from Port Angeles, which docks in the Inner Harbour but crosses from Washington State and charges in US dollars.
Questions
Planning the Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay crossing this autumn
Does the $89 vehicle fare from Tsawwassen include the driver?
No. The standard vehicle fare excludes the driver and passengers. The driver pays the $21.00 adult fare, so car and driver come to $110.00 at the terminal, before the 5% fuel surcharge.
How many sailings are there from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay after Thanksgiving?
From 14 October to 11 November 2026: nine on most Tuesdays and Wednesdays, ten on Mondays and Saturdays, and twelve on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, with a handful of dated exceptions such as Saturday 31 October (eight).
What is the last ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen in late October?
The 21:00, which reaches Tsawwassen at 22:35. It appears on every date from 14 October to 11 November.
Is there a sailing before 7 a.m. after mid-October?
No. From 14 October the first departure from both terminals is 07:00. The 06:00 boats only appear on certain days up to 13 October.
How cheap can a Saver fare be on the Victoria route?
Saver fares for a standard vehicle and driver range from $49 to $99 one way, sold online in advance on selected sailings only; extra adult passengers on a Saver booking pay $15.
Is the Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay fare taxed separately?
No. BC Ferries' fare guide says the fares include applicable taxes. The separate charge is the 5% fuel surcharge, applied at payment.
How early do I need to be at Swartz Bay with a reservation?
Between 60 and 30 minutes before the sailing. Outside that window the booking is not honoured and you are loaded by arrival order.
