Last updated: July 3, 2025
Nanaimo, also called “The Harbour City”, is on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. It’s the second largest city on the island and is next to the Strait of Georgia inside the Salish Sea.
While less popular with tourists than other places on Vancouver Island, you shouldn’t miss Nanaimo. It’s known for stunning areas of unspoiled nature, awesome shopping opportunities, artist vibes, and a growing culinary scene!
I visited Nanaimo in July 2021 and June 2025 and I’m stoked to share the Best Nanaimo Travel Guide with you!
Disclosure: I only recommend products that I’ve used in the past, and all opinions expressed in this post are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you use one of the links throughout the page to buy something, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
The Best Things to See and Do in Nanaimo
Check Out Street Art in Downtown
Downtown Nanaimo alone has many cool things to see and do, so I recommend you start your tour here. While walking around, you cannot miss some awesome street art murals that are scattered around the neighbourhood.
I loved the variety of colours, painting styles, and themes, which I think puts locals and visitors alike in a good mood. You can also walk on rainbow-coloured crosswalks on Bastion & Commercial Street!
Street art murals and rainbow crosswalk in Nanaimo’s downtown district. Photo #2 is credit of Tourism Nanaimo.
Browse around Cool Shops & Boutiques in Downtown Nanaimo
If you’re on a hunt for hidden gems, Nanaimo’s downtown area has many locally owned stores to offer.
For example, Sound Heritage (33 Victoria Crescent, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5B9) has Nanaimo’s largest selection of used and new CD’s, vinyl, tapes, video games, electronics (like stereos, speakers, and record players), and more!
Literacy Central Vancouver Island (Well Read Books) (19 Commercial St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G3) sells all kinds of books that were donated by the local community.
Flying Fish (180 Commercial St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G6) has many stylish kitchen and cooking accessories, jewelry, body products, furniture, and other home décor.
Sound Heritage store (Photo credit: Sound Heritage) and a cool souvenir I found at Flying Fish!
Another cool store in downtown Nanaimo is NoiseAgonyMayhem (183 Commercial Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G6). If you’re into Punk or Metal music, this is the place to go! Here you’ll find records, books, patches, buttons, stickers, and much more! They also have their own band and record label.
Downtown Nanaimo has trendy fashion boutiques as well, such as Lucid, Guava Apparel, and Cayo Fashions (all on Commercial St).
If you’re in Nanaimo on a Thursday evening, check out the Commercial Street Night Market! From mid-June til late August from 5 to 9 pm, you’ll find street vendors, food trucks, and live music in this area. Some of the regular stores and restaurants are open longer as well.
Kitties & Cream
Address: 437 Fitzwilliam St #101, Nanaimo, BC V9R 3A9
After all this shopping, let’s walk to Nanaimo’s Old City Quarter district. Here you’ll find Kitties & Cream, Vancouver Island’s first and only Cat lounge.
Their goal is to find loving homes for homeless cats on Vancouver Island. Since February 2022, more than 600 cats were adopted!
When I visited, four friendly cats (three of them kittens) lived in a small room. Please note that they moved to this location not long ago, so they are still working on the permanent cat lounge. Still, the small room was more than enough to have an awesome time!
Besides, there’s a large retail area with tons of locally made kitty merch, like key rings, stickers, buttons, and more! Visitors can also buy scratch posts, toys, or treats for their cat(s) or the cat lover in their life here!
Kitties & Cream is open daily from 11 am to 5 pm.
The Historic Bastion
Address: 98 Front St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5H7, Canada
Next, stop at Nanaimo’s historic Bastion. It’s a three-floor blockhouse built from 1853 to 1854 by the Hudson Bay Company to defend its coal mining operations.
It’s the oldest building in Nanaimo. During the Summer 2025 season, the Bastion is open from June 28 to September 1 on weekends and stat holidays only. Group tours can be booked as well.
The Harbourfront Walkway
Afterwards, go for a stroll on Harbourfront Walkway. It’s a fully accessible 4.5 km (2.7 miles) long path which snakes along downtown waterfront and Newcastle Channel.
Breathing in the salty ocean air and watching the boats and seaplanes in the harbour marina made me feel so calm and relaxed!
One of the best locations to take photos of the Salish Sea is the Swy-A-Lana Lagoon Walking/Fishing Pier. This is also popular a popular crab fishing spot.
Maffeo Sutton Park
Address: 100 Comox Rd, Nanaimo, BC V9R 3H7, Canada
If you keep walking, you’ll get to Maffeo Sutton Park that overlooks Nanaimo Harbour. It’s a great place for picnics and community events. There’s also a swimming area, playground, walking trails, and the Nanaimo sign!
Harbourfront Walkway continues almost all the way to the BC Ferries Departure Bay Terminal.
Bowen Park
Address: 500 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, BC V9R 1Z7, Canada
If you want to keep exploring, Bowen Park, one of Nanaimo’s 200+ parks, should be on your list. It’s a 36-hectare natural area and is only 10 minutes from downtown by local bus. Its many interpretive trails are all close to Millstone River inside the park.
Be sure to check out the scenic waterfall and duck ponds and just enjoy the earthy scent. All of these will surely make you forget that you’re in a city!
Bowen Park has plenty of amenities as well, such as an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, disc golf course, picnic shelters, and amphitheatre. Dogs are welcome, too, but have to be on a leash at all times.
Visit Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island, one of the Gulf islands inside the Strait of Georgia, has a year-round population of 4,500 people. It’s just a 20-minute ferry ride from the Nanaimo Harbour ferry terminal in downtown.
Gabriola Island is also called “The Isle of the Arts” because many artists live here and it has more than 70 artist studios open to visitors.
Many visitors like to relax or swim at one of the beaches inside Gabriola Sands Provincial Park close to the ferry terminal. It’s also possible to have picnics here, walk inside the mud flats at low tide, and catch crab.
Besides, you can shop at the local stores, check out a festival, or have a bite at a restaurant. Gabriola is an Outdoor Person’s paradise, with more than 170 kilometers (105 miles) of hiking trails.
Gabriola is also famous for the stunning Malaspina Galleries. This is a four meter (13 ft) high limestone gallery in the shape of a wave. It’s been around for thousands of years and the local indigenous people used this spots for burial rites.
Other Things to See and Do In and Around Nanaimo
Here are a few more attractions in and close to Nanaimo that sound pretty awesome:
Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park (Saysutshun)
Saysutshun Island is traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nations, same as the rest of the Nanaimo area. They lived on Saysutshun throughout the late winter and early spring every year to catch as many herring as possible.
After someone of the community died, people close to them came here to spiritually cleanse their body and soul from the suffering, and letting go of their tears.
Nowadays, attractions include interpretive tours of the island, visiting Snuneymuxw village sites, hiking on trails, eating at Q’uluc’tun Bistro, and admiring the view of the Coastal Mountains.
Saysutshun is only accessible by passenger ferry from the Maffeo Sutton Park dock between June 13 and September 2, 2025 (about 10 minutes, 7 days a week). Afterwards, the ferry will run on a low season schedule and you can also get there by private boat, stand-up paddleboard, or kayak.
Whale Watching with Vancouver Island Whale Watch
Address: #5, 90 Front St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5H7
Vancouver Island Whale Watch is Nanaimo’s only whale watching company and they offer whale watching tours from three to five hours inside the Salish Sea.
It’s either on an open zodiac vessel or a semi-covered boat and they also offer private tours. There’s a 90% chance to see wildlife on their tours, like Transient (Bigg’s) orca, humpback whales, sea lions, harbour seals, porpoises, and eagles.
Their goal is “to offer BC’s most sustainable whale watching”, as per their website, so their tours don’t focus on the endangered Southern Resident orca whales.
Mighty Orca whales. Photo by Bart on Unsplash.
Where to Eat & Drink in Nanaimo
Like other bigger cities in Canada, Nanaimo offers a large selection of cuisines from around the world.
Here are a few restaurants I recommend you check out in Nanaimo:
Sukkho Thai restaurant
Address: 123 Commercial St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G5
Sukkho is a popular restaurant for Thai food in Nanaimo’s downtown district! Their menu features many classic Thai dishes, from noodles, soups, salads, to rice and curry dishes.
I tried their Massaman Curry with tofu and Thai Ice Tea, which were super yummy!
New York Style Pizza & Pasta (Downtown)
Address: 299 Wallace St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5B4
New York Style Pizza & Pasta (Downtown) is one of Nanaimo’s oldest restaurants. In 2009, their pizza was proclaimed the best in the city! Their menu features many pizza and pasta dishes, but also salads, like the Manhattan Salad.
I grabbed their Mushroom Fettuccine for takeout. The sauce was super creamy and the meal size was perfect!
As per Google, this restaurant is temporarily closed (July 2025). Hopefully they’ll reopen soon!
Columbia Bakery
Address: 2151 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, BC V9S 1H8
If you feel like lunch (or satisfying your sweet tooth), stop at Columbia Bakery. They offer many European pastries (e.g. apple strudels and “Bienenstichkuchen” (bee sting cake)), but also savory sandwiches, breads, soups, and pretzels.
I had their German cheesecake while sitting in the cute café area. The rich filling was to die for, very similar to my German Oma’s (grandma) cheesecake! Besides, you can find a small selection of imported groceries, like pancake mix, candy, and prepared cooking sauces.
The Nanaimo Bar Trail
While visiting Nanaimo, trying the famous Nanaimo Bar, that was invented here, is a must! Feel free to grab the Nanaimo Bar Trail Brochure at the Visitor Centre (101 Gordon Street, Nanaimo BC, V9R 5J8) to learn where you can enjoy this tasty dessert.
There are tons of places all over and close to Nanaimo selling the classic Nanaimo Bar and many variations, such as raw, vegan, gluten-free, deep-fried, fudge, ice-cream, and even spring rolls!
I had my Nanaimo Bar fix at Waffle Magic (101-427 Fitzwilliam St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 3A9), which has a Nanaimo Bar waffle. It’s a perfect combination of hot and cold ingredients! They also have many other kinds of sweet and a few savory waffles, either Brussels (light and crispy) or Liege style (soft and sweet).
Where to Stay in Nanaimo
I stayed at the HI Nanaimo – Painted Turtle Guesthouse (121 Bastion St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 3A2), a cozy, clean and affordable hostel in a heritage building in downtown. It’s only a few steps to most tourist attractions and is open year-round.
I booked a private room in 2021 and stayed in a female dorm in 2025. The rooms were quite bright and spacious. They have family rooms as well and the older guy at the reception was super nice and funny!
The hostel also has a kitchen, small library, lounge area, laundry facilities, and towels are included.
How to Get To and Around Nanaimo
Nanaimo has a good local bus system (BC Transit) and buses go pretty much everywhere. Fares start at C$ 2.75 for a one-way ticket.
It’s easy to get to Nanaimo Airport from Kelowna, Vancouver, Toronto (seasonal), and Calgary. Several seaplane airlines (e.g. Harbour Air) and HeliJet Helicopters fly from Vancouver Harbour and Richmond (YVR Airport South) to Nanaimo as well.
Moreover, Nanaimo has two ferry terminals (Departure Bay and Duke Point) and ferries go to Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen) many times a day. Ferry service is provided by BC Ferries.
There’s also ferry service from/to Nanaimo’s Port Authority (100 Port Way, Nanaimo BC V9R 0C7) to the Harbour Flight Centre in Downtown Vancouver called Hullo.
IslandLink bus goes from/to Nanaimo every day from many locations (e.g. Victoria, Tofino, and Campbell River). Ticket prices are reasonable and the buses are safe and clean.
Of course, Nanaimo is easily accessible by car, too, via Highways 1, 19, and 19A.
In general, Nanaimo is very walkable. It’s also one of Vancouver Island’s most popular mountain biking spots. It has more than 50 km (31 miles) of trails for all skill levels to ride on and enjoy the scenery!
Conclusion
Nanaimo is a rather underrated city to visit on Vancouver Island, but shouldn’t be missed on your trip! Whether you like being close to the water, outdoorsy activities, great local restaurants and shops, or history, Nanaimo has it all.
While visiting Nanaimo is most popular in the summer, its mild climate also invites travelers to check it out during the rest of the year, when it’s less busy.
So hopefully this post will inspire you to visit Nanaimo someday!
Feel free to check out my posts about other cool places in British Columbia as well: