The right base if you are heading north or west from the mainland and want to skip Victoria
Nanaimo is where most road trips to the northern and western island actually begin: the ferries from Vancouver land here, the highways to Tofino, the Comox Valley and Campbell River all leave from here, and it is a fair-sized city with the shops and services that the smaller towns lack. It is not a pretty place, though the harbour front and the old town around Commercial Street have improved a great deal.
What is worth doing from the harbour is on the water. Saysutshun (Newcastle Island) Marine Provincial Park sits a few hundred metres offshore — a foot-passenger ferry or, better, a guided kayak circuit of it — and whale-watching boats leave from the seawall on Front Street for the Salish Sea. Gabriola Island, twenty minutes by ferry, has petroglyphs, beaches and a slow pace.
The Nanaimo bar, for the record, is a real local invention and the tourist office publishes a trail of places that make it. It is not a reason to come; the ferry timetable is.
Getting there
Two BC Ferries routes from the mainland: Horseshoe Bay–Departure Bay (about 1 hour 40 minutes, north of downtown) and Tsawwassen–Duke Point (about 2 hours, south of the city). Harbour Air seaplanes land on the downtown waterfront from Vancouver harbour. Nanaimo airport (YCD) is 20 minutes south with flights from Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.
What departs from here
Whale-watching tours check in at offices on the Front Street waterfront walkway; kayak tours around Saysutshun launch from the harbour; seaplane sightseeing flights leave from the Pioneer Waterfront terminal. Transfers connect the cruise port and YCD with Victoria and Mount Washington.
Staying
One night before an early ferry or a long drive north. Harbour-front hotels downtown put you beside the seaplane dock and the whale boats.
Season
Whale watching runs roughly March to October. Ferries run year-round; summer Fridays and long weekends fill without a reservation.
Know before you go
Two ferry terminals at opposite ends of the city, both away from downtown — check which one your sailing uses. The Malahat highway to Victoria has no alternative route and occasionally closes.
