I’ve always enjoyed gifting experiences over things, so when my mom turned 60, I treated her to a trip to the Pacific Northwest. I lived in Seattle for 3 years in the early 2000s and I had a lot of fun exploring the Pacific Northwest. My mom hadn’t visited Vancouver British Columbia, though, so I thought it would be a great “International” travel destination that we could reach with fairly reasonable airfare by going from Seattle to Whistler, via Vancouver.

Seattle and Vancouver are two of the best cities in North America, so it can be hard to narrow down an itinerary. You can easily spend a full week in Seattle or Vancouver, but since I had lived in the area already, we cut out a lot of the popular Seattle tourist attractions. Here’s how I planned our Seattle to Whistler itinerary.

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Seattle to Whistler Day 1 – Seattle

With a direct flight from O’Hare to Sea-Tac Seattle airport, we landed in Seattle on a Sunday afternoon and took a car service to the Crowne Plaza, which offered a good rate and was within walking distance of everything in downtown Seattle. (Check prices at Crowne Plaza Seattle) While we waited for our room to be ready, we walked around the downtown area, grabbed a salmon pierogi at Piroshky Piroshky and browsed through Pike Place Market. We had dinner Steelhead Diner, one of my favorite spots, which sadly closed during the pandemic. A glass of pinot grigio and their Dungeness Crab Cakes make the perfect Pacific Northwest dinner!

Check out my full guide on where to stay in Seattle!

Day 2 - Seattle to Vancouver Train

On Day 2, we were up bright and early at King Street station, where we took Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver. This was my first Amtrak trip and it was awesome! The ocean and mountain scenery of the Pacific Northwest certainly helps make four hours fly by. We arrived in Vancouver and took a cab to the Sheraton Wall Center, which was another great location and good value for SPG members! (Check prices at Sheraton Wall Center) This Vancouver hotel is in walking distance of everything, including Robson Street, which has tons of shopping and eating choices. Our room had a nice view of the harbor, too.

If you prefer to get a car for this trip, the Seattle to Vancouver drive is easy. Just double-check that your rental car contract and auto insurance will be valid in Canada and the United States or you may have issues at the border crossing.

Wondering where to stay in Vancouver? Browse Vancouver hotels at Booking.com

After unpacking and grabbing lunch on Robson, we took a taxi over to Chinatown for a walking tour of the Dr Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden.

We then had a birthday dinner at Francesco's near the hotel, and it was an early night as we were signed up for a full day of orca watching the next day.

Day 3 - Whale Watching Cruise

I chose Vancouver Whale Watch for our tour, mostly because they would pick us up right at the hotel, which was super convenient. The drive to the boat docks in Richmond takes about 30-45 minutes. After signing a bunch of paperwork, we were loaded onto the boat. The ride out of the harbor was so scenic with the mountains in the background. We immediately saw eagles, sea lions, and eventually, tons of orcas! Success!

We saw up to 5 whales at a time swimming together, and our guides were incredible. They could identify each orca just by the notches on their dorsal fin, or markings on their backs. The boat was stocked with books that showed Vancouver Island whales with the family trees showing how each orca was related to others in its pod. You could tell the guide really loved her job and loved talking about the orcas.

After a long day on the water, we returned to our hotel and then walked down to the ferry dock to head over to Granville Island for dinner under the bridge at the Sandbar. Can you get a better view of Vancouver?!

Find more unique things to do in Vancouver!

Day 4 - Vancouver / Stanley Park

The next day we took the bus into Stanley Park and started out at the Vancouver Aquarium. We spent a full day in Stanley Park, visiting the aquarium, exploring the trails, and also eating at a lodge in the park. This is such a great urban park, I highly recommend adding it to your Vancouver itinerary. The seawall offers so many great views of downtown Vancouver.

Vancouver to Whistler Drive

After 3 nights in Vancouver, we picked up a rental car for the two-hour Vancouver to Whistler drive. It is a beautiful drive along the Sea to Sky highway! The scenery on this trip is just breathtaking! We checked in to the Westin Whistler and set out to check out this cute little ski town. (Check prices for Westin Whistler Resort & Spa) We also took a drive out to the Olympic Village and got a treat along the way when we saw a bear ambling around near the road.

Make sure you allow plenty of time for the drive from Vancouver to Whistler, as there are a lot of cool places to stop. A few of the best spots along the Sea to Sky Highway include:

• Cypress Provincial Park
• Shannon Falls
• Sea to Sky Gondola
• Brandywine Falls Provincial Park

We spent two nights in Whistler, enjoying the scenery and since it was cold and rainy, we spent a lot of time enjoying the outdoor hot tub. I love hot-tubbing in the mountains! Now that I live in a ski town, I know that May is "mud season" at ski resorts, but nevertheless we enjoyed the fresh mountain air!

Wondering where to stay in Whistler? Browse Whistler hotels at Booking.com

Day 7 - Vancouver to Seattle Bus

The Amtrak schedule was kind of odd for the return trip south, so I booked a shuttle bus instead. First, we drove from Whistler to Vancouver, then took a bus from the Vancouver airport to Seattle. Our last night of vacation was spent at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel, which I highly recommend for the waterfront location. (Check prices at Seattle Marriott Waterfront) After a final evening of strolling the waterfront and enjoying fresh seafood at Elliott's, it was time to fly home the next day.

For a 7-day trip, I think this was the perfect Pacific Northwest vacation itinerary.  Since I lived in Seattle previously, we skipped a lot of touristy stuff that I might recommend for a first-time visit. With an extra week, I would recommend squeezing in some of the island areas around Seattle or Vancouver.

What would you add to this Seattle to Whistler road trip?