Floatplanes land between the sailboats, ferries glide toward the neighbouring islands, and the peaks of the Coast Mountains close off the horizon: Nanaimo's harbour lives at its own pace. The second-largest city on Vancouver Island, a former coal town turned boating hub, welcomes ships at its dedicated terminal, just over a kilometre from the shopping streets, usually served on port days by a free shuttle that stops at the main points of interest.

A Stroll Along the Water

The best starting point remains the Harbourfront Walkway, a four-kilometre landscaped promenade that hugs the harbour. You pass marina docks and fishermen's wharves where spot prawns and Dungeness crabs are sold straight off the boats — locals come to fill their coolers on weekends — then Maffeo Sutton Park and its swimming lagoon, with floatplanes coming and going in the background. Well-placed benches invite you to linger; photographers watch for the next landing, announced by a distinctive hum above the masts.

The Bastion and the Memory of Coal

Above the harbour rises a white, three-storey wooden tower, octagonal and pierced with loopholes: the Bastion, built in 1853 by the Hudson's Bay Company to protect the fledgling mining post at a time when the island's coal fuelled the steamships of the Pacific. It is now one of the few structures of its kind still standing in the country. In summer, a daily noon cannon firing preceded by bagpipes draws onlookers and delighted kids. The city museum, a few streets away, completes the story: the culture of the Snuneymuxw people — from whose name the city's own name derives — the coal tunnels that once ran beneath the streets, great fires and the port's revival. Miners from Scotland, England and China left entire neighbourhoods here, and this mosaic can still be read in the records on display.

Old Quarter and Local Sweets

Climbing the hill, you reach the Old City Quarter, an area of restored former shops where independent booksellers, coffee roasters and restaurants focused on island products occupy early-20th-century façades. It is also the territory of a sweet institution: the Nanaimo bar, the quintessential Canadian dessert, three layers of chocolate, custard and coconut, whose creation the city proudly claims. An official dessert trail, whose map you can pick up at the visitor information centre, lists the dozens of establishments offering their own version, from classic to wildly extravagant, frozen or even deep-fried. Tasting one on the spot is a traveller's duty, ideally with a locally roasted coffee, seated in front of a period façade.

Saysutshun, the Island Opposite

Ten minutes by ferry from downtown, Saysutshun (Newcastle Island) spreads out its car-free provincial park, coastal forest trails and pebble beaches where seals lounge. The Snuneymuxw people, who manage the destination, offer cultural interpretation around medicinal plants and the founding stories of the territory. On clear days, the shoreline loop offers open views of the harbour and the snow-capped peaks of the mainland coast; allow two to three hours to enjoy it without rushing, with a picnic in your bag and a full water bottle.

Casting Off

Nanaimo doesn't overwhelm its visitors: it wins them over. A wooden tower, a noon cannon, a chocolate bar, a floatplane taking off into the sun — so many small scenes that, put together, paint the portrait of a port city comfortable in its time. You go back on board relaxed, feeling you have spent the day with people happy to be there.