Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay
Ferry to Vancouver Island
Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay
Ferry to Vancouver Island
BC Ferries provides the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay. Horseshoe Bay Departure Bay ferries cost between £72 and £183, depending on ticket details. Prices exclude any service fees. Ferry timetables change seasonally, use our Deal Finder to get live pricing and availability for Horseshoe Bay Departure Bay ferries.
The first Horseshoe Bay Departure Bay ferry typically departs from Horseshoe Bay at around 06:15. The last ferry usually departs at 22:40.
The Horseshoe Bay Departure Bay ferry trip can take around 1 hour 42 minutes. The fastest sailings are approximately 1 hour 40 minutes with BC Ferries. Sailing times can vary between ferry operators and can be impacted by weather conditions.
There are 55 weekly sailings from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay provided by BC Ferries. Timetables can change from season to season.
Horseshoe Bay Departure Bay ferry prices typically range between £72* and £183*. The average price is typically £143*. The cheapest Horseshoe Bay Departure Bay ferry prices start from £72*. The average price for a car is £143*.
Pricing will vary depending on number of passengers, vehicle type, route and sailing times. Pricing is taken from searches over last 30 days and exclusive of service fees, last updated April 25.
The distance between Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay is approximately 47.7 miles (76.8km) or 41 nautical miles.
Yes, BC Ferries ferries allow cars on board ferries between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay. Use our Deal Finder to get live pricing for car ferries between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay.
No, currently ferry operators do not allow foot passengers to sail between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay.
Pets are currently not allowed on board the ferries from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay.
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| Horseshoe Bay - Departure Bay Ferry Route summary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Departure Destination | Canada | |
| Destination | Vancouver Island | |
| No. of Operators | 1 | |
| Operators | BC Ferries | |
| Average Price | £143 | |
| Average Daily Sailings | 8 | |
| Average Weekly Sailings | 55 | |
| Average Sailing Duration | 1 h 42 m | |
| Fastest Sailing Duration | 1 h 40 m | |
| First Ferry | 06:15 | |
| Last Ferry | 22:40 | |
| Distance | 41 Nautical Miles | |
* Prices subject to change, pricing is taken from last 30 days, last updated 1 April 2025.
Found on the shores of a ragged protrusion at the edge of West Vancouver is the picturesque community of Horseshoe Bay. This rural slice of Canada sits in a niche between heavily-wooded, evergreen hills and surrounds a calm inlet of the Howe Sound; an expanse of sea that cuts a triangular chunk out of the British Columbia mainland. Most of the village stretches along a charming promenade. Here one can take a stroll upon the spring-green lawns of Horseshoe Bay park and watch the yachts bob gently between the jetties of the busy marina. Deeper inland, where the grid of tree-lined streets start to rise towards the rolling heartland, the village is moulded by a mishmash of boutique shops, family-owned restaurants, and an eclectic collection of quaint local households. The port of Horseshoe Bay is found on the eastern edge of the bay, just to one side of Sewell’s Marina. This sprawling facility is located at the end of the extensive Trans-Canada Highway where a trio of departure piers jut into the glistening waters of the inlet. The ferry terminal is found at the foot of these piers. Facilities here include a streamlined check-in service featuring self-service ticket machines, a small car-park and vending machines selling soft drinks. Travelling to and from the port is easy due to its prime location at the end of the Trans-Canada Highway and its close proximity to the central district of Vancouver city. The city centre is less than a half-hour drive south along the highway, a route that is also traversed by buses leaving from the Bay Street terminal located just a few steps outside the port entrance. Route 99, otherwise known as the Sea to Sky Highway, also heads north along the curving Howe Sound shoreline. It’s a stunning route that snakes along the base of the region’s coastal mountains and between the vast swathe of emerald woodland, heading towards the group of small settlements found there.
Found on the coast of the Vancouver Island, a large, wedge-shaped landmass that marks the most south-eastern point of Canada, is the city of Nanaimo and the district of Departure Bay. Once an independent town until it was merged into Nanaimo in 1974, the evergreen tree-lined roads of the Departure Bay neighbourhood are built around an eponymous inlet of the Salish Sea. The port is found on the southern coast of Departure Bay, just opposite the uninhabited Newcastle Island. The passenger terminal here is a large facility consisting of a wide pier separated into lanes and an indoor market area featuring shops, toilets, cafes and restaurants selling hot food and drink. Getting to the harbour is easy due to the lengthy Trans-Canada Highway that leads from the British Columbia capital of Victoria 70-miles to the south, through the heart of Nanaimo, and directly to the entrance of the port. Buses stop a few steps from the ferry terminal too, offering regular services to the downtown areas of Nanaimo.
