Nanaimo

'The Harbour City' is a typical West Coast area, offering natures beauty at every turn, and has vast recreational possible. The city has one of the best shorelines in Canada, and a mountain background. A place where one can go from the wilderness of the island, to the heart of the city in just a matter of minutes.

The Harbour City has all the usual city services, but hasn't lost its small town charm. The locals enjoy a laid back way of life that is synonymous with west coast living.

The city is full of parks, trails and has one of the supreme wave pools anywhere. Must sees are the native petroglyphs, and the Newcastle Island Provincial Park. The Dinghy Dock Pub is the only floating pub in Canada. Visit the Museums and Bastion (fort) and the Malaspina Galleries on Gabriola Island.

The harbour is one of the major attractions in Nanaimo, with the four kilometre long Walkway offering great views of the offshore islands and the water. There are cafes, shopping attractions and parks along the walkway, as well.

The downtown area offers many attractions such as the Nanaimo District Museum, the charming Old City Quarter shopping district, the Bastion, and a great deal more! The Bastion was in point of fact erected on the waterfront in 1853 and is the oldest remaining structure of its kind in North America and one of the few Hudson's Bay Company bastions still standing. During the summer, they fire a cannon each day at noon. Check out the harbour front staircase found close by. It is a reproduction of the 1854 Princess Royal's mast and you can climb it all the way to the top!

Head up the hill from the Bastion to the Old City Quarter just off Bastion Street. Sample the coffee bars, restaurants, several specialty boutiques and stores. The Quarter is a charming blend of heritage and new architecture designed to fit seamlessly into the historical ambiance of the area.

Visitors with kids will find many family activities on hand. Take the family to the Bowen Park recreation park, which features a picturesque 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 fact, there are over 1,200 hectares of protected green spaces and park land in the city.

Nanaimo boasts 23 mulched trails making up over 58 kilometres of paths. Seven locations of paved trails make up another 28 kilometres. The 19-kilometre Parkway Trailway which winds alongside the Nanaimo Parkway is one of the most used trails in the city. There is also great hiking around Westwood Lake and up to Mount Benson. Many are wheelchair accessible. Others would challenge experienced members of the Sierra Club.

Mountain bikers should accept the challenge of the Ultimate Abyss, possibly the best-known trail on Vancouver Island because of its notorious technical challenges. A much easier riding is found nearby in the Westwood Lake area.

Day trips all over Vancouver Island are also possible from Nanaimo, thanks to the city's convenient central location. Pacific Rim National Park is found on the island's west coast in the Pacific Rim Region is a three hour drive from downtown, while the Comox Valley and Mount Washington resort in the North Central Region can be reached in just over an hour. Cowichan Valley to the south, and the Oceanside region of Parksville and Qualicum to the North, can also be fun day trips from Nanaimo.