Tourism & Destinations

Nanaimo is a classic West Coast community, offering natural beauty at every turn, and vast recreation potential. Nanaimo has one of the longest shorelines in Canada, and a forested mountain backdrop just outside downtown. Here, you can go from the wilderness to the city centre in just a few minutes, and spend more time in the places you want to be. As the second largest city on Vancouver Island, Nanaimo promises a lively and unique urban experience. Downtown along Commercial Street, Victoria Crescent, and Fitzwilliam Street is a thriving mix of restaurants, music venues, shops, First Nations galleries, and exciting nightspots. The outdoors can be enjoyed with hiking, mountain biking ,ziplining, bungee jumping, fishing and more! Seaplane and helicopter tours are available from the Nanaimo Harbour. Take a day trip to Saysutshun Island, it’s only a ten minute ferry ride from Maffeo Sutton Park.

Tofino will captivate your every sense.

It’s the feeling of peace you get from gazing at the calm inside waters of Clayoquot Sound. It’s the bobbing heads of surfers braving legendary swells on endless beaches. It is food so fresh that you often pass it on your morning stroll. It’s muted silver skies ushering in brilliant coloured horizons just for you, or it seems. It’s salt bathed streets scattered with restaurants, First Nations galleries, and resorts constructed in true West Coast fashion. It’s living history nestled into surreal landscapes: this is Tofino, and you have to see it to believe it. 20 minutes south of Tofino is the town of Ucluelet, home of the Wild Pacific Trail and a fantastic location for winter storm watching!

Ladysmith offers you the perfect combination of small town charm, spectacular natural surroundings and world-class recreational amenities. Visit the 49^th Parallel marker in Aggie Plaza near the downtown centre. Hike the trails for views of the tranquil Stuart Channel, and the Gulf Islands, and don’t forget to stop at the wonderful bakeries and café’s in the heart of Ladysmith along First Avenue, one of Canada’s Great Streets!

An adventure-filled vacation waits for you in Parksville and Qualicum Beach… amazing sandy beaches, picture postcard views, world-class biking and hiking trails, salt-tinged ocean air, and the small-town charm of our communities. Parksville and Qualicum offer activities for all ages! Come camp near the beach or stay at one of the luxury resorts and visit the spa. Kids and adults will have fun at the annual sandcastle competition. For the ultimate West Coast experience, go whale watching and take a walk through the old-growth forests. A truly unique experience can be found at the Coombs Country Market where you may find goats on the roof!

Visit the Cowichan Valley where incredible natural beauty is the backdrop to your dream vacation. Come relax and take in some sunshine at Shawnigan Lake, stroll the docks in Cowichan Bay and tour the award winning vineyards of Cobble Hill. Take a totem tour in Duncan, river tube in Lake Cowichan and see breathtaking views from the Malahat Skywalk. The fun doesn’t end there! Don’t miss the Sunfest Country Music and Laketown Shakedown Festivals. Go hiking and mountain biking on the trails in Maple Bay and then visit the Chemainus Theatre for dinner and a show. There is something fun for everyone.

Get back to nature! Fishing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, camping, hiking; Port Alberni has it all., The Alberni Valley is the best place on Vancouver Island to adventure the way you want. From the sea to the mountains, you will find adventure everywhere.

Explore classic coastal temperate rainforest on mountain bike, or make your way through ancient crystal caverns on a cave excursion as the Comox Valley’s alpine to ocean geography offers adventures to suit every age, skill and budget. Visit the art galleries and museum to learn about First Nations culture. Spend the day at Mount Washington skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, or snow tubing. Take a fishing charter or learn to scuba dive in the Salish Sea! You can relax at the golf course or the spa! The Comox Valley has a diverse range of activities to suite everyone.

The Island stretches for 460 kilometres, among this rugged paradise combines old-growth forests, snowcapped mountains, and untamed shorelines to create one of the planet’s most diverse ecosystems.

More flights mean more choices, and more savings for travelers from Nanaimo Airport YCD. Central Island residents can wake up in their own beds and be in sun-soaked destinations or many other locations around the world that same day, thanks to connections from Nanaimo Airport YCD.

Daily flights to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton plus Toronto Seasonally – let local travelers connect to hundreds of other flights, bringing Mexico, Hawaii, and the rest of Canada and the U.S. within easy reach. Residents can also connect to most other locales around the globe.