Nanaimo Things to Do: Celebrating Nature and Adventure in Vancouver Island’s Most Underrated City
Nanaimo is a city that’s often overlooked by visitors coming to Vancouver Island. But it’s so much more than a port city—it deserves its own spot on the map for its community spirit, awe-inspiring nature, neighbouring islands and a bustling downtown core.
Me and Chris on a peaceful walk in Neck Point Park
Sometimes you visit a place and it completely surprises you. I’ll be honest in saying that this is true of what Nanaimo was for me.
Chris and I had been planning our trip to Nanaimo on a two week trip to British Columbia as we were visiting North Vancouver, Richmond and Vancouver. And through the process we learned a lot of people have opinions about Nanaimo, for better or for worse. Since the city is most people’s entry point to Vancouver Island, many visitors to the island tend to skip over the city altogether and make an assessment from the highway on their way off the ferry, but this is a big mistake!
After spending a packed four days in and around Nanaimo, I have to say that the city and surrounding area took any and all expectations or misconceptions I may have had and completely shattered them. With Nanaimo the key is to digging a little deeper into its community spirit, restaurants and shops, locally operated experiences and visiting its neighbouring islands.
Nanaimo is ideal for a long weekend getaway, so you can appreciate a few days both within the city and its neighbourhoods, plus take some time for half-day or full day trips to nearby islands. Whether you’re planning to base yourself in Nanaimo to take day trips to other parts of Vancouver Island (1.5 hours to Victoria, 3hrs to Tofino) or spend several days in and around the city, there are a lot of ways to fill your time, and plenty of things to do.
How to Get To and Around Nanaimo
Arriving at the Hullo Ferries Terminal in Nanaimo
Ferry views of Protection Island
Hopping on the Seair Seaplane back to Vancouver
When it comes to travelling to Nanaimo, there are a few ways to get here. Chris and I took a combination of ferries and seaplanes from Vancouver, but let me highlight all of the options for you here:
Nanaimo From Vancouver
A lot of people come to Nanaimo via Vancouver, and there are several ways to do so:
Ferries: Choosing the right ferry depends on whether you’re travelling with a vehicle or just as a passenger.
If you’re travelling car-free from Vancouver like Chris and I were, the Hullo Ferries passenger ferries are quick and comfortable. The journey is only 70 minutes dock to dock. Hullo departs from the Vancouver Ferry Terminal at Gate 1, near the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre, and they arrive walking distance to downtown Nanaimo.
For visitors arriving by car, riding with BC Ferries is the best option. Ferries depart from Tsawwassen (south of Richmond and the airport) and Horseshoe Bay (North/West Vancouver), and the crossing takes around 2 hours. You’ll arrive in Departure Bay in Nanaimo, which is north of the city centre.
Seaplanes: Seaplanes are a memorable way to get from Vancouver to Nanaimo, and on a clear day they offer beautiful views of the Strait of Georgia and the islands in the region. Seair Seaplanes and Harbour Air are the two primary operators from Vancouver Harbour to Nanaimo. Seair operates out of Departure Bay in Nanaimo, while Harbour Air lands in the Port of Nanaimo.
During our trip, Chris and I learned about the “Fly and Sail” package with Hullo Ferries and Seair Seaplanes. For out-of-province visitors like us, it was the perfect way to experience the crossing by sea and by sky. We loved it! The package isn’t always available, but it can be booked through either the Hullo or Seair websites when it’s being offered.
Nanaimo from Elsewhere
By Car: If you’re already on Vancouver Island and visiting Nanaimo, I’ve mentioned that it’s a short 1.5 hour drive from Victoria, and about a 3 hour drive to Tofino. Nanaimo makes a good middle point or base to visit these other parts of the island, too.
Nanaimo Airport: For travellers coming to Nanaimo from further away, the Nanaimo Airport connects to some destinations in Western Canada, like Calgary, Kelowna and Vancouver. The Victoria Airport is further away with more international flight route options.
Getting Around Nanaimo
It’s definitely possible to visit Nanaimo on a completely car-free trip, especially if you’re focused on staying in more central Nanaimo. That being said if you’d like to visit areas outside of the core, there are some ride share and taxi options in the city.
Chris and I decided to rent a car for this trip, since we were spending some time on Gabriola Island, in addition to a few spots outside of the city.
We ended up renting through Budget—they even came to pick us up when we arrived with Hullo Ferries, and we were able to leave the car at the Seair Seaplane parking lot on our way out of town. I was really impressed with this service and would recommend them if you’re renting out of Nanaimo.
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Where to Stay
Staying in downtown Nanaimo is your best bet for keeping it central and close to the city’s restaurants and shops, and there are a few options downtown in the city.
We stayed at the Courtyard Nanaimo right in the heart of the city, which is 100% Indigenous owned by Snuneymuxw First Nation. This is a real bonus in terms of where your tourism dollars go, and we loved how comfortable the rooms were and how easy it was to access central Nanaimo on foot from the hotel.
Another hotel others have recommended is the Coast Bastion Hotel, but you can feel free to use this map to find the best place for your stay in Nanaimo!
The Top Things to Do in Nanaimo
There’s plenty to do both in downtown Nanaimo and around the city. The list below goes from central Nanaimo outwards, with a few of our favourite restaurants and cafes at the end of the list.
Wander around Commercial Street & Old City Quarter
Commercial Street and Old City Quarter are the best parts of town to wander on foot. You’ll find plenty of restaurants, cafes, unique architecture and a lot of community charm when you walk around these areas:
Commercial Street: The core of Nanaimo’s downtown is roughly between the streets of Front, Museum Way, Commercial & Skinner and Bastion. There are plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants to visit here, plus the Nanaimo Museum. During our visit we loved popping into Rumours Vintage and Triple Moon Mercantile.
Old City Quarter: Slightly uphill from Commercial is the historic centre of Nanaimo, around Fitzwilliam Street, Wesley and Selby. It has a few ornate and historic storefronts, along with some great vintage and antique shops. Don’t forget to walk through the covered shopping alley under the Fitzwilliam Gate sign, and wander through some of its stores and cafes. We especially appreciated popping into Red Shelf Decor for antiques and trinkets, and Lobelia’s Lair for witchy provisions and to take a peek at the Birthday Book.
It’s worth noting that several shops and cafes aren’t open on Mondays and Tuesdays in Nanaimo, so if you’re hoping to check out more of the city’s shops, visiting mid-week and over the weekends is recommended. We were in town Sunday to Wednesday, so we were a little limited in which shops were open, but we’d love to check out more on our next visit!
Visit the Nanaimo Museum
Exhibits at the Nanaimo Museum
This compact museum is a great place to learn more about Nanaimo and the surrounding region’s history:
First Nations & Snunéymuxw First Nation: There are several intricate textiles, carvings and paintings that were commissioned by local artists to illustrate the Snunéymuxw First Nation and their heritage, as they were the first to call Vancouver Island and Nanaimo home.
Coal Mining: Nanaimo became known as a coal mining town in the mid-1850s, and parts of the museum share the experience of being in a coal mine and identify the parts of the city where miners worked, along with their working conditions and the hardships of mining.
Chinese Immigrants and Chinatown: The mines brought many workers to the city, including Chinese immigrants who worked in the mines, along with their families. There was a once-thriving Chinatown in Nanaimo, which was destroyed in a catastrophic fires in the 1960s. Despite there being no trace of the original Chinatown in the city today, the museum shares stories and artifacts from its Chinese population who used to live and work in the city.
Nanaimo Bars: If you’d like to learn more about the nationally famous Nanaimo bars, there are a few displays dedicated to them, including the original recipe. If you look carefully, you’ll also notice that the museum’s benches all look like the famous bars!
It’s refreshing to visit such a small yet well-curated museum that’s focused on sharing stories from a wide variety of perspectives in Nanaimo, and it’s a great place to visit for all ages. It also has a fantastic gift shop with many locally made artwork and gifts.
Walk Along the Harbourfront Walkway
The Harbourfront Walkway is a great pedestrian path that’s easily accessible from downtown. It offers beautiful views of the harbour (also called the Port of Nanaimo), the nearby islands and on a clear day you can even see as far as mainland British Columbia’s mountains from here.
The pedestrian walkway starts at Museum Way and Front Street and continues all the way up to near Stones Marina if you want to take a big walk along the waterfront to stretch your legs in the city.
While you’re on the walk, don’t forget to take a picture at the Nanaimo sign in Maffeo Sutton Park!
Take a Kayaking Tour around Saysutshun Island
Paddling our way around Saysutshun with Island Römer Adventures
If you’re looking for a memorable activity and to support a local operator in Nanaimo, then you definitely want to organize a kayaking tour with Island Römer Adventures.
Owned and operated by local guide Richard Römer, he offers tours that are three, four and seven hours long around the northern Gulf Islands outside of Nanaimo. Chris and I took a 4-hour kayaking tour with Richard around Saysutshun Island. It departs from Brechin Boat Launch, took us around the island where we paused to learn more about geological features of the island, spotted some wildlife including sea lions and plenty of birds, and stopped for a snack break in Kanaka Bay.
Richard’s tours are a good balance of informative and relaxing, and kayaking experience is recommended but not required. All ages can sign up for the tours, but just be aware that some tours that enter more open water may require a little extra paddling power. Overall it was a rewarding half-day tour, and we’d highly recommend it!
You can learn more about Island Römer Adventures on their website.
Take a Peaceful Stroll in Neck Point Park
Sunset Beach in Neck Point Park
A little further north of the city you’ll find Neck Point Park. You definitely need to take a car here (whether by rental or ride share), but it’s well worth the trip.
From the parking lot at Neck Point, there’s a walking trail that takes you around the peninsula in a loop for views of the surrounding beaches and bays, lookout points to the water, dramatic tree canopies and rocky cliffs. It really packs a punch for views and a memorable walking experience. We loved visiting Neck Point and felt like we could have taken hundreds of photos here.
I’d also recommend turning this into a half-day trip by visiting Berakah Brunch for breakfast before the walk, and popping into Kinsu Chocolates for a sweet treat or milkshake afterwards.
If you’re looking for other walking and hiking options in Nanaimo, here are a few more suggestions. If you’re visiting a more forested trail, just remember to stay alert for wildlife, including black bears:
Blue Back Beach is near Neck Point, and has 300 stairs leading down to kilometres of beach during low tide.
Colliery Dam Park is a large park that’s more inland and southwest from central Nanaimo. It has two parking lots, several trails and a freshwater swimming area.
Nanaimo River Trail is south of the city, with several trails that follow along the river and the surrounding forests and fields.
Piper’s Lagoon is just south of Neck Point Park, and another waterfront park with a variety of trails.
Pop Into One of the City’s Cafes & Restaurants
We had some truly wonderful restaurant experiences in Nanaimo. Here are a few of our favourites from the trip, which you should definitely plan to stop by if you can!
The Vault Cafe is a Nanaimo staple. Located in a historic bank building built in 1912, you can’t miss its pink exterior as you walk around town. Inside, it’s filled with thrifted furniture, hundreds of quirky framed items and artifacts hanging from the walls and it even has a vintage shop open a few days of the week. We came here for breakfast and a Nanaimo bar, but they’re open for most other meals and also operate as a live music venue, too.
Bar Luna is an authentic Mexican restaurant in town, located in the moody second floor of a heritage fire hall built in 1893. It has high ceilings and windows with views stretching all the way across to mountains on the mainland on a clear day, and a delicious menu. You can expect everything from authentic Mexican horchata, ceviche, burritos, quesadillas and tacos here. Chris and I came for dinner and cocktails and loved it!
Gabriel’s Gourmet Cafe is a locally-sourced breakfast and lunch spot with delicious sandwiches and bowls right in the heart of downtown Nanaimo.
Penny’s Palapa Floating Mexican Restaurant is exactly as it sounds—a floating restaurant and bar in Nanaimo Harbour, near the Protection Island Ferry dock. Open from late spring to early fall, they offer Mexican fare to enjoy on their covered or open patios. It’s the perfect place to come for island and patio vibes on a sunny day!
Berakah Brunch is located north of the city centre, closer to Neck Point Park. They’re famous for their giant pancakes and delicious brunch menu in a cozy cabin-feeling space.
Kinsu Chocolates is owned by two passionate chocolatiers, Breanna and Yuji. They hand make an assortment of gourmet chocolate truffles in rotating flavour combinations, each created by sourcing the best ingredients and hours of precise experimentation. They also make gourmet milkshakes, which are perfect on a hot day. Believe me when I say the flavours here are incredible.
Don’t Forget to Take a Trip to at Least One of Nanaimo’s Islands
Being on Vancouver Island itself, it should come as no surprise that there are a few islands near Nanaimo that make the perfect destination for a half-day or full-day trip.
Protection Island
Protection Island is a peaceful little island, perfect for a half-day trip from Nanaimo. It’s a car-free, largely pedestrian island where residents make their way around on foot and by golf cart.
In the south end of the Port of Nanaimo you’ll find the Dinghy Dock/Protection Island Ferry. There’s a large sign in the harbour, and the small passenger ferry—The Island Queen—runs once per hour back and forth from the island. Make sure you have at least $20 cash on hand per person to cover the round-trip fare—the cost was less than this at the time we visited, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra, and cash is all that’s accepted for the ferry.
While you’re on the island, I’d recommend walking around its streets and pop into some of the offshoot paths that lead to some of its beaches and shoreline views. There are also several parks around the island, and you’ll notice that most streets and parks are pirate themed—Smugglers Park, Pirates Park and Gallows Point are all worth visiting.
After whetting your appetite, come back to the ferry dock to round out your half-day trip at Dinghy Dock Pub. They serve up tasty pub fare and plenty of local beers on tap, plus a great waterfront patio with views of Nanaimo. It’s especially beautiful in the afternoon and around sunset, and Chris and I could have happily stayed here until the last ferry out around 10pm.
I’d recommend taking your half-day trip out to Protection Island in the afternoon, so you can spend a few hours walking around and then appreciate Dinghy Dock Pub at sunset.
For more details about the ferry schedule and prices for Protection Island, feel free to check out more information here.
Gabriola Island
Gabriola is a much larger island than Protection Island that’s well worth a full-day trip from Nanaimo. As much as I love to recommend trips that are best enjoyed car-free, I would say that having a car or at least a bike will help you get the most out of a full-day trip here.
Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers can take the Gabriola Island Ferry from the BC Ferries Gabriola Ferry Terminal near downtown Nanaimo. The crossing takes about 25 minutes.
Once you reach the island, it will come as no surprise that it’s often referred to as the “Isle of the Arts.” Artists’ studios focused on everything from sculpture to woodwork, pottery, painting and more are in abundance across the island. Several private studios are open to the public at varying times during the week so you can take your own studio tour, too.
A few other highlights on the island include admiring the views and carved sandstone cliffs at Malaspina Galleries, popping into art galleries and shops throughout the island, finding the hidden petroglyphs carved into rocks on the ground on the loop near Christ Church Gabriola, and visiting the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve.
Whatever you get up to on Gabriola Island, do not skip making a reservation at Burro Rosa for dinner. It’s a chef-owned, tapas style restaurant serving up some delicious dishes with ingredients almost entirely sourced from the island. They also have a unique selection of cocktails, and an impressive variety of BC wines.
To plan your own studio tour on the island, check out the full list of artists’ spaces here.
Don’t Forget to Make Time for Sunset
Sunset on the return ferry from Gabriola Island
As much as I loved this trip to Nanaimo, I think my favourite experience again and again was making time to catch the sunset from wherever we were in the city and surrounding areas. Whether that was on the evening ferry back to Nanaimo from Gabriola Island, the Dinghy Dock Pub on Protection Island or a restaurant with views or patios overlooking the city, golden hour on a clear day in this corner of British Columbia is special.
At its core, Nanaimo is really about appreciating nature and the laidback vibe of Vancouver Island first, and complimenting your relaxed visit by heading to its local shops, restaurants and locally guided experiences.
Chris and I learned so much about appreciating everything that Nanaimo is from this trip—quirks and all—and we plan to continue sharing how special it is with as many people as we can in the future!
I’d like to thank Tourism Nanaimo for hosting Chris and me on this trip at media. All opinions expressed in this article are my own.
Bri Mitchell
Bri Mitchell is a travel writer and content creator from Toronto, Ontario. She loves to highlight all things nature, food, wellness, sustainability and adventure in her work. Bri writes and shares her travel experiences from across Canada, the United States and around the world on Instagram and TikTok (@brimitchelltravels); in her articles for travelingmitch, Ultimate Ontario, and We Explore Canada; and in her weekly travel newsletter, The Weekly Traveller.