Nanaimo Harbour and Newcastle Island |
Famous for its varied landscapes and more than two dozen parks, the city of Nanaimo boasts one of the prettiest waterfronts in Canada, conveniently located to serve as a home base for exploring Vancouver Island.
Nanaimo is the only all-purpose port city on Vancouver Island, with every facility required to serve both the commercial and recreational needs of business and tourism.
Once the location of five separate native villages, its name derives from a Coast Salish word, Snuneymuxw, "a great and mighty people" - a perfect description of the rapidly-growing harbour community at the centre of Vancouver Island's highway and ferry system. A playground of land and sea activities, Nanaimo is a perfect place for a family vacation, a year-round golf getaway, or a romantic weekend.
Incorporated in 1874, Nanaimo is the third oldest city in British Columbia and the second largest on Vancouver Island, located on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, 70 miles (112 km) north of Victoria. A former coal-mining town, Nanaimo has evolved into something very different, with a clean, accessible waterfront, cultural festivals in the summer, a university campus with a marvellous view, and superb dining.
The bustling harbour is the central focus for visitors to Nanaimo, with freighters, fishing boats, tugboats and barges, sail boats and float planes all coming and going in a hive of activity in the harbour. Choose from wildlife cruises, kayaking trips, or fishing charters.
No matter what your business, Nanaimo offers the perfect mix of work and play. With its pristine beauty, the incredible array of adventures and activities available, the city is the ideal destination for conventions and meetings. Whether your meeting or convention hosts 50 or 580 people, Nanaimo fits your every need with its wide range of facilities, including the 800-seat Port Theatre. There are over 1,000 rooms available in the city, with several major hotel and motel chains.
Location: Centrally located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Nanaimo is 111 km north of Victoria. Nanaimo serves as a major ferry terminal linking Vancouver Island with the B.C. mainland. BC Ferries operates a scheduled ferry service between Departure Bay in Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay on the north shore of Vancouver, and from Duke Point in Nanaimo to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, south of Vancouver. Regular ferry services are available from downtown Nanaimo to nearby Gabriola Island and Newcastle Island in Nanaimo Harbour.
Nanaimo Airport is located just 15 minutes south of downtown with several direct flights daily between Nanaimo and Vancouver, Abbotsford and Langley. An airport shuttle service, taxis, and car rentals are available at the airport. You can also opt to fly into Nanaimo harbour's seaplane terminal in the heart of downtown. Service is frequent and offers spectacular scenery en route. Kenmore Air seaplanes fly (summer only) from various Seattle locations to downtown Nanaimo.
View maps of the area:
Map of Nanaimo
Map of Nanaimo, Victoria and the Gulf Islands
Map of Central Vancouver Island
Map of South Vancouver Island
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During the summer, see the artifacts and exhibits at the Bastion, a fortified tower erected on the waterfront in 1853. The Bastion is the oldest remaining structure of its type in North America, and is one of the few Hudson's Bay Company bastions still standing. You can watch the cannon-firing ceremony every day at noon in summer, complete with Scottish bagpipes and Highland dancing.
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Nanaimo treasures a number of Historic Buildings, including The Miner's Cottage (1897) in Piper's Park adjacent to the Nanaimo District Museum, the Nanaimo Courthouse (1896), the brick-faced Earl Block (1888-1890), and the Palace Hotel (1889).
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A 72-million-year-old palm tree fossil - the biggest fossil leaf ever found in Canada - was discovered in Nanaimo in August 1996. Salvage palaeontology of the site revealed exquisitely preserved specimens of the Upper Cretaceous Period, including dawn redwood, several fern species and many angiosperms. Unfortunately, most of the remaining fossil-containing rock has been excavated, crushed, and used as road fill for the Duke Point Road extension to the Duke Point Ferry Terminal.
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The Nanaimo District Museum displays interesting exhibits covering the history of the region. The lower gallery features the Snuneymuxw First Nation and Nanaimo's coal-mining history, while the upper gallery features a social and economic timeline of Nanaimo's history including the history of Chinatown, our harbourfront, industry, retail, sports and education. Outside is an authentic miner's cottage and railway engine.
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The Nanaimo Art Gallery at the Malaspina University-College provides a wonderful panorama of the city. The gallery enlivens and enriches the Nanaimo and central Vancouver Island region with exhibitions and educational programming that encourage active public involvement with the visual arts. The Gallery also maintains Nanaimo's Permanent Collection of ninety-four works by local and international artists. Each spring the Festival of Banners has area artists creating a gallery of original street banners that are displayed on lamp standards throughout Nanaimo.
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Bring the family to the fun-filled Bowen Park recreation park, which features a scenic waterfall, a nature centre, a children's barnyard, duck pond, swimming and wading pools, hiking trails and more.
Beban Park, Nanaimo's premier recreation centre offers activities for everyone including swimming, skating, tennis, playgrounds, basketball, golf, lawn bowling, multi-use trails, and playing fields. In late summer, Nanaimo hosts the Vancouver Island Exhibition (VIEX) on the fair grounds at Beban Park. The VIEX promises a delightful country fair weekend, with agriculture and horticultural displays, livestock competitions, a petting zoo, and live performances from some of Canada's biggest names in Country music.
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No picnic or visit to the Nanaimo Waterfront would be complete without the Nanaimo Bar, a regional specialty that is actually a form of chocolate fridgecake. Try the variations of this popular Nanaimo tradition in many of the restaurants and bakeries.
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Head up the hill to Nanaimo's Old City Quarter, off Bastion Street, to sample coffee bars, restaurants, several specialty boutiques, a delightful outdoor art gallery, an international specialty food store and home-decorating emporia. Browse through the antique stores and tour the historic railway station. The Quarter is a charming blend of heritage and new architecture designed to fit seamlessly into the historical ambiance of the area.
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The flagship of Nanaimo's burgeoning arts and culture scene is undoubtedly the Port Theatre located in the heart of downtown. The Port Theatre, an 804-seat state of the art performing arts theatre opened in 1998, is host to international, national and local talent.
An arts tour in Nanaimo might include First Nation's galleries, the contemporary art gallery at Malaspina University College, Art 10, the Arts Council gallery and private galleries scattered throughout the surrounding area. Nanaimo is home to potters, weavers and doll makers and to one of only three Tozan wood-fired kilns in the world.
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For a small fee you can ferry over to the Dinghy Dock Pub, a very nautical floating bar off Protection Island.
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The four-kilometer Harbourfront Walkway extends from the downtown harbour, past the modern seaplane terminal, through Swy-A-Lana Lagoon Park (Canada's only man-made tidal lagoon), over the pedestrian bridge, by the Nanaimo Yacht Club, and as far as the BC Ferries Terminal. The promenade is dotted with vibrant art galleries featuring First Nations and Canadian crafts and great restaurants.
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Nanaimo Bath Tub Race |
Nanaimo hosts the Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, held in June every other year on the odd year. This two-week, 580 nautical mile point-to-point race circumnavigates Vancouver Island, beginning and ending in Nanaimo. Sailed in ten legs, the counter-clockwise course provides inshore, offshore and overnight legs through some of the world's most challenging and beautiful waters.
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Visitors won't want to miss the world-famous Bathtub Race between Nanaimo and Kitsilano Beach, held during the Nanaimo Marine Festival each July!
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Beaches: Departure Bay offers great lengths of public beach on the town shoreline. Pick a location that appeals to you, park in one of the many access points, and stroll out onto the hard-packed sand. Also on the Nanaimo waterfront are Maffeo Sutton Park and Swy-A-Lana Lagoon Park. Although these two aren't in the same league as some of the larger stretches of waterfront farther north, they do provide convenient beach and picnicking locations on Nanaimo's sheltered inner harbour, and are beside a seawall walking, cycling and in-line skating route.
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Nanaimo is an ideal base for boaters wishing to explore the scenic Gulf Islands and surrounding areas. Charter and bare-boat rentals and guided tours are available.
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The Trans-Canada Highway 1 leaves Vancouver Island at the Departure Bay Ferry Terminal, commencing its journey across Canada from the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal north of Vancouver. The 4,849-mile (7,821-km) Trans-Canada is Canada's mythic highway, starting (technically) at Mile 0 in St. John's, Newfoundland, and ending in Victoria, British Columbia (also Mile 0).
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Golf: Nanaimo and the areas to the north have seen the proliferation of golf courses with a view. Tee off on any of 20 golf courses within an hour's drive of Nanaimo. Courses range from family mini-golf and pitch 'n putt to demanding 18-hole courses with beautiful views. Located 3 miles (5 km) north of Nanaimo is the Nanaimo Golf Club, a demanding 18-hole course with beautiful views of the water, and two 9-hole courses; Pryde Vista Golf Club and the Eaglequest Golf Centre. Golf Vacations on Vancouver Island.
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