Nanaimo

Nanaimo is the second-largest city on Vancouver Island and the main ferry hub connecting the island to the BC Lower Mainland. For many travellers, Nanaimo is the first sight of Vancouver Island — the ferry terminal at Departure Bay deposits arrivals directly at the edge of the harbour, with the old city on the hillside above and the Protected Islands stretching across the inner harbour. It is a city that deserves more than a drive-through on the way to Tofino or Victoria, and those who stop for a day or two discover a working harbour, a charming old quarter, world-class diving on the wreck of the HMCS Saskatchewan, and the invention site of the Nanaimo bar — Canada’s most famous no-bake confection.

The city’s history is rooted in coal. The Hudson’s Bay Company established Fort Nanaimo in 1853 to exploit the coal seams that outcrops along the harbour shore, and coal mining dominated the local economy until the early twentieth century. The Bastion — a wooden octagonal tower built in 1853 — still stands in the Old City, one of the oldest surviving structures in BC. The transition from a coal and resource economy to a service and tourism-oriented city has been gradual and largely successful: Nanaimo today has an arts scene, a growing food culture, and a waterfront development that has transformed what was once a working industrial shoreline.

Old City Quarter and the Bastion

The Old City Quarter — centred on Commercial Street and the surrounding blocks uphill from the harbour — is Nanaimo’s most characterful district. Heritage brick buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries house independent shops, coffee roasters, galleries, and restaurants. The Nanaimo Museum on Commercial Street covers coal mining history, Indigenous Snuneymuxw culture, and the city’s development with a collection that rewards a morning visit.

The Bastion, a few blocks downhill near the harbour, fires its noon-day cannon each summer with a ceremony conducted in period costume — a slightly theatrical but genuinely local tradition. The structure itself is modest but historically significant: built as a defensive fort and trading post, it predates Confederation and survived while almost everything else from Nanaimo’s earliest colonial period was demolished or burned.

The downtown waterfront has been significantly redeveloped, with a pedestrian boardwalk connecting the Harbour Quay to the float plane terminal and the ferry to Protection Island. The Harbour City public market operates on the waterfront in summer.

Diving in Nanaimo

Nanaimo is one of the best shore-diving destinations in Canada, and the HMCS Saskatchewan wreck is among the most dived artificial reefs on the Pacific coast. The destroyer escort was deliberately sunk in 1997 by the Artificial Reef Society of BC in 35 metres of water off Departure Bay, creating a complex structure now encrusted with Plumose anemones, wolf eels, lingcod, and rockfish. The dive is accessible to Open Water certified divers on the upper structure, with deeper penetration suitable for advanced and technical divers.

The HMCS Cape Breton, another destroyer sunk by the Artificial Reef Society in 2001, lies in 40 metres in nearby waters and forms part of the same artificial reef system. Several shore dives along the protected coastline of the harbour — including the popular Dodd Narrows area — offer interesting cold-water diving for those without boat access. Water temperatures in the harbour range from 7°C in winter to 14°C in summer.

Multiple dive charters operate from Nanaimo’s waterfront, offering guided wreck dives, nitrox fills, and equipment rentals. The Nanaimo area diving scene is active year-round — cold-water visibility is often best in winter when plankton levels drop.

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The Nanaimo bar pilgrimage

Nanaimo’s most famous export is a three-layer no-bake bar: a chocolate-coconut-wafer base, a custard butter icing middle, and a chocolate ganache top. The recipe appears to have originated in Nanaimo in the 1950s, though the precise history is contested. The city has fully embraced the mythology — a self-guided Nanaimo Bar Trail map identifies participating cafes and bakeries where visitors can sample versions of the bar, many of them creative departures from the original: mint chocolate, peanut butter, espresso, and matcha variations exist alongside the classic.

The Nanaimo Bar Trail is a light-hearted tourism initiative that works well as a way to cover the Old City Quarter on foot while justifying the calorie intake. The best versions of the original are made fresh at the bakeries along Commercial Street.

Newcastle Island Provincial Marine Park

A short passenger ferry from the Maffeo Sutton Park waterfront (operating May through October) crosses the narrow channel to Newcastle Island — a 3-kilometre-by-1-kilometre island that is entirely provincial park. The island has 22 kilometres of hiking and cycling trails, wildlife (deer and raccoons are nearly tame), a heritage dance pavilion built by the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company in the 1930s, and campsites that put visitors within a ten-minute ferry ride of downtown Nanaimo.

The island’s history covers Indigenous use by the Snuneymuxw, coal mining operations in the nineteenth century, sandstone quarrying, a pickling plant, and the CP Steamship resort era. The pavilion is now restored and occasionally used for events. Walking the perimeter trail in late afternoon, with views across the harbour and the Coast Mountains visible beyond the Strait of Georgia, is one of Nanaimo’s best free experiences.

Bungee jumping and the outdoor scene

Nanaimo has an unexpected place in Canadian adventure tourism history: the WildPlay Element Parks (formerly Bungy Zone) south of the city operates North America’s first legal bungee jumping operation, established in 1990 from the 43-metre suspension bridge over the Nanaimo River gorge. The site has expanded over the decades to include zip lines, rope courses, and aerial adventure elements, but the original bungee jump — still operating — remains the most dramatic activity.

The Nanaimo River itself is a popular summer recreation corridor — tubing the Nanaimo River between the dam and the river parks below is a local summer tradition, and the pools below the WildPlay bridge are used for swimming. The river corridor trail follows the waterway through second-growth forest, connecting several neighbourhoods with the river parks.

Ammonite Falls in the Chase River area — a short trail to a small but photogenic waterfall on the Chase River — is one of the city’s underappreciated natural features, accessible in a 30-minute roundtrip and particularly impressive in late winter and spring when snowmelt fills the creek.

Petroglyph Provincial Park

Three kilometres south of downtown Nanaimo, Petroglyph Provincial Park preserves a remarkable collection of rock carvings made by the Snuneymuxw and their ancestors on sandstone outcroppings — among the most accessible petroglyph sites in BC. The carvings depict human figures, sea creatures, and supernatural beings, some estimated to be over 1,000 years old. Rubbing plates are provided so visitors can make impressions without touching the fragile originals. The park is small — a fifteen-minute stop — but worth the brief detour from the highway.

Cycling and outdoor recreation

The E&N Rail Trail follows the former Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway right-of-way through Nanaimo and the surrounding area, providing a flat, car-free cycling and walking route linking neighbourhoods and parks. The trail is part of a broader cycling network that includes the Parkway Trail and connections to Bowen Park, Nanaimo’s large interior green space with river swimming in summer.

Brannen Lake and Westwood Lake, within fifteen minutes of downtown, offer swimming, fishing, and paddling. The Bald Mountain trail system in the south of the city gives hikers a view over the harbour and the Strait of Georgia from 400 metres. Sea kayak rentals at the waterfront put the protected waters of the inner harbour within reach.

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Practical information

Getting there: BC Ferries operates two routes to Nanaimo. The Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) to Departure Bay route takes 1.5 hours and is the most direct connection from Greater Vancouver. The Tsawwassen (South Delta) to Duke Point route (2 hours) connects to Nanaimo’s southern terminal, useful for travellers heading directly south toward Victoria or Chemainus. Harbour Air and Pacific Coastal fly floatplanes from Vancouver Harbour to Nanaimo’s waterfront terminal.

Where to stay: Coast Bastion Hotel downtown has the best harbour views and is walking distance to the Old City Quarter. The Painted Turtle Guesthouse is a well-regarded hostel above the harbour. Numerous B&Bs occupy the heritage houses in the hillside neighbourhoods above downtown.

Food and drink: The Firehouse Grill and Longwood Brew Pub are long-standing local favourites. Pirate Chips by the harbour does particularly good fish and chips. The Wolf and Hound on Commercial Street is the Old City’s informal community hub. Nanaimo Brewing Company on Pym Street brews locally and has a taproom.

When to visit

May through September is the primary season — the ferry service is at full frequency, Newcastle Island is accessible, and outdoor activities are at their full range. July and August are the warmest and busiest months; ferry reservations become essential on summer weekends.

October through April is quieter across the board. The wreck diving continues year-round (cold-water visibility often improves in winter). The Old City Quarter operates normally throughout the year. Accommodation prices drop substantially from summer peaks.

The Nanaimo Marine Festival in July and the Bathtub Race — Nanaimo’s eccentric annual celebration of its Great International World Championship Bathtub Race heritage, discontinued in its original form but celebrated in various events — bring extra life to the waterfront in summer.

Where to stay

Coast Bastion Hotel downtown is Nanaimo’s most established full-service hotel, with harbour-view rooms and direct walking access to the Old City Quarter and waterfront. The property has recently renovated and the upper-floor harbour views are genuinely impressive.

The Painted Turtle Guesthouse is one of the better urban hostels on Vancouver Island — well-maintained, clean, and positioned above the harbour, with private rooms and dormitory options at prices significantly below hotel rates.

Buccaneer Inn at the north end of town is a reliable motel-format option for those primarily interested in the Departure Bay ferry terminal access.

Several vacation rental properties in the heritage neighbourhoods of the hillside residential areas offer a more residential experience. The Cowichan Valley area (40 minutes south) has excellent B&Bs and small inn accommodation for those willing to combine Nanaimo exploration with the Cowichan wine route.

Food and drink

Nanaimo’s restaurant scene is centred on the Old City Quarter and the waterfront areas. The Firehouse Grill on Commercial Street is a long-standing local institution — reliable Pacific Northwest cooking in a heritage building. Longwood Brew Pub at the north end of town is the city’s craft beer anchor, with a broad tap list and food that goes well beyond standard pub fare.

Pirate Chips on the waterfront near the harbour does the best fish and chips — straightforward, fresh, with batter that stays light. It is the lunch spot of choice for the ferry waiting crowd.

The Old City Quarter coffee culture is anchored by Zara’s on the Square and several independent roasters along Fitzwilliam Street. The Nanaimo Farmers’ Market (Wednesday and Saturday mornings, May through October) at the Diana Krall Plaza brings valley produce, baked goods, and local food producers into the downtown core.

Nanaimo Brewing Company on Pym Street produces several well-regarded ales and lagers in a taproom setting that reflects the city’s growing craft beer culture. The Longwood Station and Wolf and Hound are the other notable beer-focused venues.

Day trips and connections

Nanaimo’s position at the centre of Vancouver Island makes it an excellent base. Tofino and Ucluelet are three hours west. Victoria is two hours south. Campbell River is two hours north, and the Comox Valley is 1.5 hours north. Chemainus — the famous mural town — is forty minutes south, as is the Cowichan Valley with its growing wine scene.

Gabriola Island, a short ferry from downtown Nanaimo, offers cycling, beaches, and a creative community of artists and writers with a distinctly unhurried pace. The island has several good restaurants and a growing short-term rental market for those wanting to extend the experience beyond a day trip.

The Cowichan Valley Wine Route south of Nanaimo along the Cowichan Valley — one of the warmest wine-growing areas in Canada outside the Okanagan — connects several small artisanal wineries and cideries through an agricultural landscape of farms, forests, and the Cowichan River. The route from Nanaimo through Duncan and the Cowichan Valley makes an excellent half-day or full-day loop.

Frequently asked questions about Nanaimo

Is Nanaimo worth stopping in?

Yes — Nanaimo rewards at least a half-day stop, and a full day covers the Old City Quarter, Newcastle Island, and a decent meal. Divers may spend multiple days for the wreck dives. The city functions particularly well as a first or last night on Vancouver Island, breaking up the drive to Tofino or the ferry south.

Where can I get the best Nanaimo bar?

Several bakeries and cafes on the Nanaimo Bar Trail produce excellent versions of the original. The Nanaimo Museum sells a Trail map. Thrifty Foods and local grocery stores also carry commercially made versions, but the bakery versions are significantly better.

Is the ferry to Nanaimo easy to book?

BC Ferries has an online reservation system and reservations are strongly recommended in summer, particularly on Friday afternoons and holiday weekends when the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route is heavily used. Foot passengers can usually board without reservations. Travel mid-week or early morning for the shortest waits.