Nanaimo is the second-largest city on Vancouver Island, set on the east coast looking across the Strait of Georgia to the mainland. It started as a coal-mining town and still has a slightly rough-around-the-edges feel compared to polished Victoria to the south, but that is changing fast — the waterfront has been cleaned up, the old town has good restaurants and breweries, and the harbour is genuinely beautiful.
The city is best known as the birthplace of the Nanaimo bar, a no-bake chocolate-custard-coconut confection that has become a Canadian icon. Several bakeries in town compete for the definitive version. Beyond the sugar, Nanaimo is a useful base for exploring the central island: the ferry from the harbour crosses to Gabriola Island, Tofino and the Pacific Rim are a couple of hours west, and the dive sites around the harbour — including artificial reefs made from scuttled ships — are among the best cold-water diving in the world.
The Harbourfront Walkway runs from the ferry terminal past floating restaurants and kayak-rental outfits, connecting to several parks. Saysutshun (Newcastle Island), a short ferry hop from the harbour, is a provincial marine park with beaches, trails, and no cars. The Bastion, a Hudson's Bay Company fort from 1853, is one of the oldest buildings in British Columbia.