Transportation to Bellingham
We encourage you to use public ground transportation instead of renting a car to reduce our carbon footprint, traffic in Bellingham, and a difficult parking situation at Western Washington University.
Airports
There are several airports that service the Bellingham area:
Bellingham International Airport (BLI) is the closest airport and is about 7.5 miles away from WWU. It is very convenient, but often more expensive.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is about 100 miles south of WWU. It is often the cheapest, and there are various options for ground transportation from SeaTac to Bellingham, listed below.
Vancouver International Airport (YVR), 50 miles north of WWU in Richmond, BC, can be cheaper, but requires cross-border travel to WWU.
Paine Field / Snohomish County Airport (PAE), 67 miles south of WWU, is another regional airport that offers flights from select cities in the West. To get to Bellingham, take Everett Transit Bus 8 to Everett Station then follow the instructions in "City Bus" from Everett to Bellingham.
Buses to and around bellingham
The Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA), the local bus system, is a great way to get around town and to/from WWU and the Bellingham International Airport.
It’s possible to get from SeaTac Airport to Bellingham by local transit at a very low cost ($6 to $12), but it takes a little longer (about 4 hours) and requires three or four transfers. Detailed instructions are available here.
The Bellair Airport Shuttle offers convenient service to and and from SeaTac Airport, the Washington State Ferry dock at Anacortes, and several other destinations along the I-5 corridor. Please note, the Bellair Airport Shuttle from SeaTac drops off at the Conference Hotel (Sheraton Four Points) and not on WWU’s campus. The city bus is easy to take and costs $1, and we will have a rideshare board on Whova to help support rides.
Greyhound and FlixBus both provide convenient and affordable bus travel featuring comfortable seats, free Wi-Fi, and in-seat power ports. Save time with direct bus connections and save the environment by traveling on one of the most environmentally friendly means of transport. Both offer travel from Seattle to Bellingham for $20-$30.
Rideshare
Uber is available throughout Bellingham, but does not offer service to or from Bellingham International Airport, Bellingham Cruise Terminal, or Fairhaven Station.
Lyft is also available throughout Bellingham and currently offers service to and from Bellingham International Airport and the Bellingham Cruise Terminal.
Train
Amtrak
Currently running two trains and two buses to Bellingham daily from Seattle (buses leave the Seattle train station at times connected to arrivals in Seattle and are booked through the Amtrak website). There are two trains daily from Vancouver B.C.
Ferries
Washington State Ferry System
WSDOT - Ferries - Schedule—This system offers car ferry service to many terminals throughout the Salish Sea, but there is not a terminal in Bellingham. Anacortes is the nearest terminal with connections to the San Juan Islands and Sidney, BC (near Victoria, BC, this run is not operating now with no information about when it will start up again)
Ferries in British Columbia, Canada
BCferries.com—These ferries leave from Tsawwassen (near Vancouver, BC, 50 miles from Bellingham) providing passenger and vehicle ferry services to Canadian destinations in the Salish Sea.
Alaska Ferry
Route Guide - Alaska Marine Highway System—Sailings to and from Bellingham will probably be about twice per week during July 2023.
Passenger ferries and charters from Bellingham
Passenger Ferries & Charters | Port of Bellingham, WA - Official Website—These boats take walk-on passengers (no cars), and include transportation to the San Juan Islands and whale watching.
Ocean Networks Canada will be hosting the IPMEN 2023 conference at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island BC, Canada, from Tuesday July 18 to Thursday July 20. More information can be found on the IPMEN website.
