Colloquially known as the Harbour City, Nanaimo is one of Vancouver Island’s biggest metropolitan hubs. Today, bustling Commercial Street offers visitors a suite of shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as a fantastic museum, unique art galleries and a charming harbourfront walkway.

There’s plenty to do in this small yet vibrant city, with outdoor activities like hiking, boating, kayaking, mountain biking and scuba diving stealing the spotlight. Nanaimo is also a great place to splurge on a seaplane flight and explore Vancouver Island and its beautiful coastline from above.

With dedicated ferry services operating from Nanaimo to the mainland, accessing the city is easy. Nanaimo is a great base for exploring wider Vancouver Island, from the historic British Columbian capital of Victoria to the wilderness of the west coast. Nanaimo Airport also offers services to Vancouver and Calgary.

Nanaimo’s unusual name is inspired by the native Indian word “Sne-ny-mo”, meaning “a big, strong tribe”. In 1853 Canada’s iconic Hudson's Bay Company honed in on the area as a rich source of coal and adopted the term as the settlement’s official name. For dessert lovers, sampling one of the city’s world famous Nanaimo bars, a no-bake chocolate cookie with a creamy custard filling, is a must.