Nanaimo is the Island's second city and its practical middle — two ferry terminals to the mainland, a floatplane harbour and highways that put Victoria and Tofino roughly the same distance away. It is often treated as a place you pass through, which is a shame, because the harbour, the lakes and the trails are genuinely good.
The harbour and the Old City Quarter
The Harbourfront Walkway runs several kilometres along the water from the seaplane terminal past the marina and Maffeo Sutton Park — flat, paved, and the best short walk in town.
The Old City Quarter above it holds most of the independent shops, cafés and the Nanaimo Museum.
Foot-passenger ferries and water taxis leave the harbour for Newcastle Island and Protection Island, where the pub is reached only by boat.
Newcastle Island (Saysutshun)
A provincial marine park a ten-minute ferry ride from downtown, with no cars, a loop trail around the shoreline, sandstone cliffs, beaches and walk-in camping. It is the single best half-day in Nanaimo.
Lakes and trails
Westwood Lake has a flat 5.5-kilometre loop and a swimming beach, and it is busy with locals all summer.
Ammonite Falls in Benson Creek Falls Regional Park is a short but steep hike to a waterfall — best after rain, muddy in winter.
Mount Benson looms over the city and gives the full view of the Strait of Georgia and the mainland mountains from the top.
Neck Point and Pipers Lagoon are small coastal parks on the north side with rock shelves, arbutus trees and eagles.
The Nanaimo bar
The no-bake chocolate, custard and coconut square is genuinely from here, and the city keeps a self-guided Nanaimo Bar Trail of bakeries and cafés doing their own versions. It is a tourist thing, and it is also very good.
Using Nanaimo as a base
From Nanaimo it is roughly 20 minutes to Parksville, an hour and a half to Victoria or the Comox Valley, and about three hours to Tofino.
Two BC Ferries routes — Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay and Duke Point to Tsawwassen — plus floatplanes and a passenger ferry make it the easiest place on the Island to come and go from Vancouver.
Common questions
- Is Nanaimo worth visiting?
- For a day or two, yes — the harbour walkway, Newcastle Island and Westwood Lake are all worth the time. It is also the most practical base if you want to explore the central Island without long drives.
- How far is Nanaimo from Victoria?
- About 110 kilometres, or an hour and three-quarters on the Trans-Canada Highway without traffic.
- How do you get to Nanaimo from Vancouver?
- BC Ferries sails from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay and from Tsawwassen to Duke Point, each about two hours. Floatplanes and a downtown-to-downtown passenger ferry are faster.
