We spent the Family Day long weekend on Vancouver Island seeing some of our favourite friends in Nanaimo and Victoria. It was a multi-modal adventure involving buses, trains, ferries, bikes, and car-share vehicles.

Getting from Vancouver to Victoria has always been an easy car-free trip on public transit. Now, with Modo and Evo both having vehicles in Victoria, it’s extra convenient because you can access a vehicle when you really need one.

We mostly relied on public transit to get around Victoria, but we booked a Modo one day and drove up to Nanaimo to visit some family friends.

On the way back we stopped at the breathtaking Malahat Skywalk (unfortunately not transit accessible).

Astrid had a blast walking across the netting and riding the giant slide down to the bottom.

My highlight was borrowing some bikes and going for a family ride along Victoria’s impressive network of separated bike lanes. Taking a 6-year-old on a 4 km bike ride through an unfamiliar city isn’t something we’d normally consider. But Victoria has built some truly AAA (all-ages-and-abilities) bike routes, and we never feared that a car would take the kids out.

Victoria also has an extensive trail network for walking, running, and biking. I explored parts of the Galloping Goose and Lochside Regional Trail on my long run one morning.

On the way home, we stopped at the Butterfly Gardens. We had a pleasant time watching the butterflies, birds, and tortoises amble about.

More pictures and videos from our long weekend in Victoria.