Nanaimo British Columbia Newcastle Island and Nanaimo Bars

Why visit Nanaimo

Nanaimo is the second largest city on Vancouver Island and has the island's second biggest harbour. It began as a coal town, built around the Snuneymuxw First Nation's traditional territory, and the waterfront still carries traces of that history, from the 1853 Bastion to the museum's replica coal mine.

Today the city is an easy gateway to the outdoors. You can walk a harbourside seawall, ferry to a forested island, swim at Departure Bay and be at Parksville or Qualicum Beach in about twenty minutes.

Waterfront and downtown

Swy-a-lana Lagoon and Maffeo Sutton Park

Swy-a-lana is a saltwater lagoon that rises and falls with the tide, and an arched footbridge crosses it to Maffeo Sutton Park.

Nanaimo Seawall

The seawall is a pedestrian walkway that winds along the waterfront from Cameron Island to the yacht club. The stretch near the Bastion is liveliest, with craft shops and restaurants along the path.

The Bastion

The Bastion, built in 1853 as a Hudson's Bay Company outpost, is now a small museum that shows how people lived in the nineteenth century. During the summer, historic cannons are fired at noon, so time your visit to see it.

Nanaimo Museum

The Nanaimo Museum sits inside the Vancouver Island Conference Centre and covers the city's history and its contributions to the West Coast. A replica coal mine shows what working below the surface felt like, and the exhibits include stories from the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Departure Bay Beach

Departure Bay Beach is the main city beach, with a dedicated swimming area in summer and a small park for children just to the south. It is only a short distance from the ferry terminal, which makes it a good first or last stop.

Islands and the outdoors

Newcastle Island (Saysutshun)

Saysutshun, also called Newcastle Island, is a provincial marine park about ten minutes by passenger ferry from downtown. Trails run through forest and along a wild coastline, and the island holds traces of its coal-mining and sandstone-quarry past.

Gabriola Island

Gabriola is the northernmost of the Southern Gulf Islands, reached by a 20-minute BC Ferries crossing from Nanaimo Harbour. There is no public transit on the island, so bring a bicycle or a car.

WildPlay

WildPlay, about ten kilometres south of downtown, claims North America's first permanent legal bungy jumping site. The park also has ziplines over a river canyon, an aerial tree obstacle course and a high-speed swing.

Nanaimo River Regional Park

This regional park offers walking, cycling, swimming and fishing along the river. It is a quieter option than the waterfront and suits a relaxed half day.

Beyond the city

Coombs

Coombs, about thirty minutes from Nanaimo, is known for its rustic market where goats graze on the roof. It is a favourite local stop for baskets, snacks and photos of the animals.

Parksville and Qualicum Beach

The beaches of the Parksville and Qualicum Beach region lie about twenty minutes from Nanaimo. Long, shallow shores make them good for families, and the small downtown streets are pleasant for a short walk.

Food and local flavors in Nanaimo

Start with the Nanaimo bar, the dessert invented in this city: a crumb base of wafer, nuts and coconut, custard icing in the middle and chocolate on top.

The surrounding waters supply Dungeness crab, a major seafood on the west coast of North America, and spot prawns, whose short season runs from May to June and which are harvested heavily between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Ask restaurants what is local that week.

Where to stay in Nanaimo

Downtown Nanaimo is the best base for first-time visitors, because the Bastion, the seawall, restaurants and ferry connections to Gabriola and Newcastle Island are all within walking distance. Choose it if you want to explore without a car.

Departure Bay, about five kilometres north of downtown, suits travellers using the Horseshoe Bay ferry, with the beach and several places to eat close by.

Best time to visit Nanaimo

Summer is the best season. The city sits in the rain shadow of the central Vancouver Island mountains, so summers are unusually dry, with daytime highs averaging about 25 degrees Celsius and cool nights.

July is busy with local events, including the harbour bathtub races, which send converted bathtubs through the water, and a dragon boat festival at Maffeo Sutton Park.

Getting there and getting around

BC Ferries runs between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay, and between Tsawwassen and Duke Point, which is about 15 kilometres from downtown. A passenger ferry also links Nanaimo with downtown Vancouver, and seaplanes and helicopters connect to the waterfront, with a seaplane flight from Vancouver taking about 20 minutes.

Nanaimo Airport, about 20 kilometres south, has flights from Vancouver and Calgary. By road, Highway 1 arrives from Victoria in around 90 minutes, and Highway 19 comes from Campbell River and Courtenay.

A suggested itinerary

First day

Stroll Maffeo Sutton Park and the seawall, visit the Bastion at noon and spend the afternoon at the Nanaimo Museum.

Second day

Take the passenger ferry to Newcastle Island for a morning hike, or cross to Gabriola Island if you prefer beaches.

Third day

Drive north to Coombs and the Parksville and Qualicum Beach shores, or head south for WildPlay and the Nanaimo River.

Practical tips

• Reserve BC Ferries sailings ahead for summer weekends and holidays.
• Check Newcastle Island and Gabriola ferry schedules before you go.
• Bring a bicycle or car for Gabriola Island, which has no public transit.
• Try the Nanaimo bar in the shops on the downtown waterfront.
• Time your Bastion visit around the noon cannon in summer.