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The information here is an AI summary of the advice people in our Discord have shared. Their experiences may not always reflect the accurate process. None of this should be considered financial, immigration, or real estate advice.

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Also see How to Get to Nanaimo

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How do I get from Vancouver to Nanaimo?

There are several options, and the right one depends on whether you have a car.

• BC Ferries (with a car): Two mainland terminals — Horseshoe Bay (north of Vancouver) to Departure Bay, or Tsawwassen to Duke Point (south of Nanaimo). Tsawwassen is the better choice if you're driving up from Washington State (the “other side” is Duke Point and it’s about 10 minutes south of downtown Nanaimo).
• BC Ferries (walk-on): Walk-on passengers almost never get turned away. Reservations are rarely needed for foot passengers, especially off-season. The ferry has food, alcohol, and — per community consensus — quite good veggie burgers.
• Hullo Ferry: A passenger-only fast ferry running from downtown Vancouver Harbour to downtown Nanaimo. Faster than BC Ferries and more convenient if you're not bringing a car. No large luggage storage included. Seats range from Comfort to Business class. Tickets must be purchased in advance — you cannot just show up. Take a photo of your QR code as a backup.
• Floatplane / seaplane: Harbour Air and SeaAir both fly from Vancouver Harbour (a short walk or transit ride from downtown) directly into Nanaimo Harbour. About 20 minutes in the air. Spectacular views. Fares often start around $50. The south terminal at YVR also has floatplane service; a free shuttle connects to the main terminal.
• Sky Train to BC Ferries or Hullo: From YVR, take the Canada Line sky train to Vancouver City Centre Station, then catch the 257 Express bus to Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. Tap your credit card; the whole trip costs about $10 and takes roughly an hour. To Tsawassen terminal: take the Canada Line train to Bridgeport station and the 657 bus to Tsawwassen ferry terminal. Alternatively, from YVR to the Hullo Vancouver Harbour terminal is a 45-minute Canada Line (rapid transit) train ride from the airport to Vancouver plus a 10 minute walk.

Tip: If you're flying into Vancouver and want to go directly to the island from there, you can book a regional jet connection directly to Nanaimo Airport (Air Canada and WestJet both service this route). It's a roughly 20-minute flight, and taxis from the Nanaimo airport to downtown take about 15 minutes. Float planes also service the south terminal - you can get there on the free shuttle bus from YVR which takes 10 minutes or less.

Ferries from Washington state to Vancouver Island:

Black ball Ferries (MV Coho) - passenger and ferry from Port Angeles, Washington to Victoria, BC.

Victoria Clipper: Seattle to Victoria - passenger only.

For travel from Victoria to Nanaimo and the rest of Vancouver Island, check out the ground transportation section, Cars & Parking.

Should I reserve a spot on the BC Ferry?

Yes, always. Paying the (mostly optional) roughly $20 CAD reservation fee saves you and your vehicle a space on a specific sailing. Without a reservation, you join the line of vehicles waiting for room in the 10-30% of the vessel’s vehicle space for unreserved vehicles — and on busy weekends, that can mean waiting several sailings sitting in a parking lot. The community consensus: the reservation fee is always worth it.

One exception: if you're travelling on the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route, note that terminal renovations have made reservations mandatory for vehicle passengers on that route until 2028. Check BC Ferries' site before you travel.

If your credit card keeps getting declined on the BC Ferries website, it may be a "Secure Pay" verification glitch with Mastercard. Try calling BC Ferries directly — they can process it over the phone.

How do I get to Nanaimo from the U.S. (driving)?