Sidney (British Columbia)

Sidney is a town of about 11,500 people (2016) north of Victoria, on Vancouver Island. It is generally considered part of the Victoria metropolitan area.

Understand

The town west of Highway 17 (also called Patricia Bay Highway, locally abbreviated as the Pat Bay Highway) has a mixture of single-family residences and light industry. The majority of the town is east of Highway 17. Single-family units are also present east of the highway, but the eastern sector also has many condominium-type buildings, plus most of the service and retail outlets. The island-studded Haro Strait, part of the Salish Sea forms Sidney's eastern boundary.

Sidney is mainly an industrial town, with most people working in the construction, manufacturing, and warehousing fields (26%). Retail accounts for approximately 10% of the employment. Healthcare and social assistance employs 13%. There is a large boating and marine industry in the area, ranging from marinas to boatbuilders and marine suppliers.

Sidney is well known for having an abundance of senior citizens, producing a median age of 50.7 in 2001 as compared with the British Columbia median age of 38.4.

Climate

Sidney enjoys a cool climate with year-round mild temperatures and moderate rainfall. Most years see very little snow. Daily temperatures seldom climb above 31 °C (88 °F), or dip below −7 °C (19 °F). In the mildest winters, minimum temperatures stay above −3 °C (27 °F). Damaging winds are less frequent than in most other maritime areas of Canada.

Get in

By car & ferry

The main arrival point for most visitors is at the 🌍 BC Ferries terminal at Swartz Bay, about 6 km (4 mi) north of Sidney. This terminal provides the main connection to the mainland at Tsawwassen, just south of Vancouver.

Sidney is also served on a seasonal basis by 🌍 Washington State Ferries with connections to the San Juan Islands and Anacortes on Fidalgo Island. For security and immigration processing when travelling between the two countries, a 60 minute advance arrival at the terminal is strongly suggested. Walk on passengers need to arrive 30 minutes in advance. Vehicle reservations are recommended. Please speak with Washington State Department of Transportation Information Agents in Seattle tollfree on +1-888-808-7977 or reserve online. Passports are required to enter either country.

Sidney sits along Highway 17, which bisects the town from north to south.

By plane

🌍 Victoria International airport is just minutes from Sidney and is served by several regularly scheduled airlines including:

Get around

Sidney is not a large place so most of its amenities can best be explored on foot. Park on one of the side streets and take to the sidewalks. It's much less frustrating than trying to battle the traffic in your car.

If your activities take you outside Sidney, BC Transit has service throughout the Greater Victoria region including Sidney.

See
  • 🌍 British Columbia Aviation Museum, 1910 Norseman Rd, ☎ +1 250 655-3300. May 1- Sep 30: daily 10AM-4PM; Oct 1 - Apr 30: daily 11AM-3PM. In Sidney on the north edge of the Victoria International Airport. Displays, artifacts, restored historical aircraft and an ongoing vintage aircraft restoration workshop. $10 adults, $8 seniors & youth, $4 children. (updated Apr 2017)
  • 🌍 Fisherman's Wharf, End of Beacon Ave (go east on Beacon Ave to the end). 
  • Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Includes Sidney Spit; other "Gulf Islands National Park Reserve" properties on Saturna, Mayne and Pender Islands can be accessed by BC Ferries, while the smaller islands of D'Arcy, Isle-de-Lis (Rum Island), Princess Margaret (Portland Island), Prevost, Russell, Cabbage and Tumbo can be best accessed by private watercraft or marine charter. Visit the islands for whale-watching, bird-watching, kayaking and scuba-diving. 
  • 🌍 Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, 9811 Seaport Place, ☎ +1 250 665-7511, e-mail: . Winter/spring daily 10AM-4PM; summer 10AM-5PM. Adult $15; child $5. 
  • Sidney Museum and Archives, 2423 Beacon Ave, ☎ +1 250-655-6355, e-mail: . Daily 10AM-4PM. Features displays about the history of the surrounding Peninsula, the natural history of the area, the First Nations, the railways on the Saanich Peninsula, and numerous temporary exhibits. By donation. (updated May 2018)

Do
  • 🌍 Sidney Spit, toll-free: +1-866-944-1744. Accessed by private ferry. Sidney Spit also offers incredible opportunities for bird watching, as Sidney Island is a popular stop-over for migrating shorebirds. Visitors who wish to camp at Sidney Spit must be registered at a designated campsite before the last ferry leaves the island for the day. Please note that while there is water available on Sidney Spit, it contains high levels of sodium and may not be suitable for people with heart or kidney ailments. 
  • 🌍 Emerald Sea Adventures, 9807 Seaport Place (in the Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa), ☎ +1 250 893-6722. Whale watching and wildlife tours to see killer whales, humpback whales, porpoise, seals and bald eagles. 
  • 🌍 Paddle in the Park Kayaking, 2320 Harbour Rd, ☎ +1 250 686-2047, e-mail: . 
  • 🌍 John Dean Provincial Park (Access Dean Park Rd from East Saanich Rd). 174 hectares of woodland with 6 km of hiking trails on top of Mt Newton; no vehicle access in winter. 
  • 🌍 Shoal Harbour Bird Sanctuary. Bird watching. The adjoining Sidney Channel Important Bird Area is an internationally recognized site important to a variety of seabirds and waterfowl. 

Buy

Eat

Only slightly further afield are other eating establishments worth trying...

  • 🌍 Blue's Bayou Café, 899 Marchant Rd, Brentwood Bay, ☎ +1 250 544-1194. May-Oct: M-Sa 11:30AM-9PM; closed Jan. New Orleans style Cajun/Creole food on the waterfront. lunch items from $11; dinner items from $15. 

Drink

Sleep

Connect

Most restaurants, bars and hotels will have free Wi-Fi. Cell service is good.

Go next

The BC Ferries terminal at Swartz Bay is only a few kilometres from Sidney and offers frequent service to the Lower Mainland and the Southern Gulf Islands. The ferries themselves are attractions as well — on the Tsawwassen (Vancouver) route, the twin vessels Spirit of Vancouver Island and Spirit of British Columbia are the largest passenger ferries in North America.

Washington State Ferries runs regular ferry service between Sidney and Anacortes from a terminal on the southern outskirts of Sidney. Some runs stop in the San Juan Islands. The service does not run in winter.

Sidney is at one end of Vancouver Island and there is much to see as one travels north. Out on the Pacific Coast side of the Island is Pacific Rim National Park and the communities of Ucluelet and Tofino. At the northern end of Vancouver Island is Cape Scott Provincial Park, occupying a more remote and wilder part of the Island.

The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is a very worthwhile hiking route accessed through Sooke, not far from Victoria. The trail runs between Port Renfrew and Jordan River and can be done as a series of day trips or as a multi-day backpacking trip. This is a good choice if you want a marine hike without the logistical challenges of the West Coast Trail.

Routes through Sidney

Vancouver via ← Delta ← ferry ←  N  S  → Victoria → END


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