Field note · Canada · British Columbia

Nanaimo

Nanaimo is the middle of Vancouver Island and it has four separate waterfronts, which is the first thing to get straight. Departure Bay, five minutes north of downtown, takes the car ferry from Horseshoe Bay and has buses at the door. Duke Point, twenty minutes south in an industrial estate, takes the car ferry from Tsawwassen and has no bus at all, so a foot passenger who books the wrong terminal is looking at a taxi. Nanaimo Harbour, downtown, is where the little Gabriola ferry goes from, where Harbour Air's floatplanes land, and where the hourly cash-only launch to Protection Island leaves from a ramp at the bottom of Front Street. A few hundred metres south at 100 Port Drive is Hullo, the passenger-only fast catamaran that opened in 2023 and put downtown Nanaimo 80 minutes from downtown Vancouver with no car and no queue. The car ferry reservation system changed in October 2025 and now bites: vehicles leaving Horseshoe Bay for Departure Bay must book and pay in advance, there is no turn-up-and-wait fare in that direction, and BC Ferries sells four different fare types with four different cancellation regimes. On the island itself the RDN's BC Transit buses run a flat $2.75 fare with one express route that crosses into the Cowichan Valley on its own tariff, and the coaches that replaced Greyhound are IslandLink, which runs to Victoria, Campbell River, Port Hardy and Tofino from the Departure Bay terminal and the Hullo dock. The railway through the middle of town has carried no passengers since 2011 and is not going to this year. And from late October to February the thing that decides whether you travel is a southeast gale in the Strait of Georgia.

Researched: 28 September 2026
Reviewed: not yet
Ways of moving: 11, 41 sources
Not confirmed: 9
Fares seen: 2026

How transport works here

11 ways of moving, each with its rule

We confirmed nine ways of moving to, from or around Nanaimo: five by water, two by air and two by road, from 41 sources. Two entries are not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. Two need a phone call or a message before you turn up.

The fares were seen in 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. Two fares carry no year, because they could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate 10 of the 11 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 28 September 2026, and ends with nine things we could not confirm.

5 ways

By water

ferry

Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay – the route where you now have to book

Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) to Nanaimo (Departure Bay), 680 Trans-Canada Highway

The scenic crossing and the one most people mean by the Nanaimo ferry. Departure Bay is in the city, 5 km north of downtown, with BC Transit routes 20, 20A and 25 at the terminal door, so this is the terminal a foot passenger wants. The important change is on the Vancouver side: since 15 October 2025 every vehicle travelling from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay has to book and pay in advance, in that direction only. The at-terminal fare and the book-ahead-pay-later Reservation Only fare simply do not exist westbound any more, and there is no standby lane to sit in. Coming back east from Departure Bay you can still drive up and pay. Fare types are the thing to understand rather than a single price. Saver is cheapest, sold only online for named sailings and pay-in-full, cancellable for $5 if you are four or more days out and $20 inside three days. Prepaid is the full fare paid at booking with softer cancellation. Reservation Only is a $20 booking fee now plus the tariff at the terminal, and it is the one to pick if you are on the Travel Assistance Program or buying a thru fare. At Terminal is first-come first-served. Check-in with a booking opens 60 minutes before and closes 30 minutes before, and if you arrive outside that window your booking is void and you join the queue. Foot-passenger ticket sales close 10 minutes before, vehicles 5 minutes before. The terminal is locked overnight, so do not arrange a pick-up for after the last boat lands.

When: Seven or eight round trips a day, roughly every two hours. Departures from Departure Bay on a weekday in late September 2026: 06:15, 08:40, 10:55, 13:20, 16:00, 20:30 and 22:40. More sailings in summer
Takes: 1 hour 40 minutes
Fare 2026: Passenger 12 and over $21.00, child 5 to 11 $10.50, under 5 free; the Saver passenger fare is $15.00 and must be bought online. Standard vehicle under 20 ft $89.00 prepaid, $34.00 to $84.00 on a Saver, $8.00 a foot over 20 ft. Car and driver together is advertised at $110 prepaid, $49 to $99 Saver and $130 if you buy the $20 booking fee separately. A 5% fuel surcharge is added at payment, and Departure Bay adds a Nanaimo Port Authority fee of $0.50 an adult and $0.30 a child. BC seniors travel free Monday to Thursday outside statutory holidays

SeasonYear-round, with a fuller summer timetable. BookingCompulsory for vehicles westbound from Horseshoe Bay. Otherwise strongly advised on summer weekends and long weekends. Book at bcferries.com or 1-888-223-3779. A $25 no-show fee applies, $30 on an unredeemed Saver. Run byBritish Columbia Ferry Services Inc (BC Ferries), vessels Queen of Oak Bay and Queen of Cowichan.

ferry

Tsawwassen to Duke Point, and the new one-way sailing to Departure Bay

Vancouver (Tsawwassen) to Nanaimo (Duke Point), 400 Duke Point Highway; plus a direct Tsawwassen to Departure Bay sailing

If you are coming from south of Vancouver, Richmond, the airport or the US border, Tsawwassen is the sensible terminal and Duke Point is where you land. Duke Point is the catch: it sits on an industrial peninsula 15 km southeast of Nanaimo and has no bus service whatsoever, so a foot passenger needs a taxi, a rideshare or someone meeting them. Since April 2026 there is also one direct sailing a day from Tsawwassen that goes to Departure Bay instead, which is the foot passenger's answer, but it runs one way only: there is no Departure Bay to Tsawwassen service, so a return trip has to be booked as a separate one-way out of Duke Point or across to Horseshoe Bay. It is easy to book a Tsawwassen afternoon sailing and not notice which Nanaimo terminal it lands at, and BC Ferries says so itself. Fares and fare types are identical to the Horseshoe Bay route, but Duke Point keeps all four: you can still pay at the terminal and take your chances on this one. Check-in with a booking opens 60 minutes before and closes 30 minutes before.

When: Eight sailings a day each way from Duke Point, roughly 05:15, 07:45, 10:05, 12:45, 15:15, 17:45, 20:15 and 22:45, with extras through the afternoon. The direct Tsawwassen to Departure Bay sailing runs at 16:30 daily 11 June to 7 September, at 21:30 on selected dates 8 September to 12 October, and at 16:30 on selected dates 13 October to 31 March
Takes: 2 hours on both
Fare 2026: Same tariff as Departure Bay: passenger $21.00, child $10.50, Saver passenger $15.00, standard vehicle under 20 ft $89.00 prepaid or $34.00 to $84.00 Saver, plus a 5% fuel surcharge. Commercial traffic is charged per foot, $8.00 a foot up to 11 ft wide and $16.00 a foot over 13 ft, which is why this is the freight route

SeasonYear-round. The direct Departure Bay sailing is a seasonal addition and BC Ferries has not committed to keeping it. BookingBookable and worth booking. All four fare types available. $25 no-show fee. Run byBC Ferries, vessels Coastal Renaissance and Coastal Inspiration.

ferry

Hullo – the passenger-only fast catamaran to downtown Vancouver

100 Port Drive, downtown Nanaimo, to the Vancouver Ferry Terminal beside Canada Place

Hullo opened in August 2023 and is the reason a day trip to Vancouver now works from Nanaimo. It is foot passengers only, on two four-engine catamarans, downtown to downtown in 80 minutes, against about three and a half hours by BC Ferries and transit at each end. There is no check-in queue and every ticket is an assigned seat. The Nanaimo terminal is at the Port Authority on Port Drive, a short walk from the old town, with 350-odd parking spaces on site and a free shuttle bus seven days a week into downtown Nanaimo for people arriving without a car. If the lot is full there are five public parkades and lots within walking distance. Fares are tiered rather than single. Comfort-Connect is the cheap seat, a fixed number of them on early weekday departures only, sold online 30 to 60 days ahead, first come first served and non-refundable. Comfort is the standard main-deck seat. Comfort-Flex adds free seat choice and refunds. Premium is the upper deck with reclining seats and priority boarding, and the upper deck is stairs only. Bicycles are an add-on with six spaces a sailing. Watch the service notices before you travel: the operator has twice run out of a temporary terminal at W.E. Landing Marina on Front Street while work was done at Port Drive, and that is a different dock.

When: Three round trips a day. From Nanaimo at 07:00, 11:00 and 15:15; from Vancouver at 09:00, 13:00 and 17:15 (checked for 15 October 2026). Extra late-night sailings are laid on for concerts and Canucks games at Rogers Arena
Takes: 1 hour 20 minutes
Fare 2026: One way, age 13 to 64: Comfort-Connect from $19.99, Comfort $42.99, Comfort-Flex $49.99, Premium $59.99. Child 2 to 12 and senior 65 plus $23.99 on Comfort, infants free. Comfort return is $81. A bicycle is $19.99 one way. Nanaimo parking is free for 30 minutes, $5 to three hours, $14 to 24 hours and $25 a day after that

SeasonYear-round, but the published calendar only runs about two months ahead; at the end of September 2026 it stopped at 30 November. BookingCompulsory, online at bookings.hullo.com. Comfort-Connect must be bought at least 30 and no more than 60 days ahead and is non-refundable. Run byVancouver Island Ferry Company, trading as Hullo.

ferry

Gabriola Island ferry – no reservations, return fare paid on the Nanaimo side

Nanaimo Harbour (160 Front Street) to Gabriola Island (Descanso Bay)

A small car ferry from the middle of downtown Nanaimo, and the one crossing here that you cannot book. It is a non-bookable route, which means first come first served and nothing to plan; you drive on or walk on and pay. The fare is charged as a return from the Nanaimo side, so you pay once and come back free, the standard Gulf Islands arrangement. An Experience Card, prepaid, knocks $4.65 off a passenger return and $9.60 off a vehicle. The sailing is 25 minutes and there are about 23 crossings a day, so the timetable is close to a shuttle from before six in the morning until nearly midnight, with a break in the early afternoon. Look at the day of the week before you turn up: on Wednesdays the 10:35 is a dangerous goods sailing and carries no passengers at all. There is no public transport on Gabriola once you land, so arrive with a bicycle, a car or a lift arranged. Nanaimo Harbour is also the terminal with overnight construction work booked through to late October 2026.

When: About 23 sailings a day each way, roughly hourly or better from 05:45 to 23:30, thinner between 12:15 and 13:10 and after 20:00
Takes: 25 minutes
Fare 2026: Return, charged from Nanaimo: passenger 12 and over $11.60, child 5 to 11 $5.80, under 5 free. Standard vehicle under 20 ft $27.55 return plus $3.20 a foot over 20 ft, motorcycle $13.80. Seniors free Monday to Thursday outside statutory holidays. 5% fuel surcharge added at payment

SeasonYear-round, one timetable from 1 April to 31 March. BookingNot possible. This is a non-bookable route; queue at the terminal. Run byBC Ferries, route 19.

ferry

Protection Island foot ferry – cash only, hourly, no bookings

Ramp at the corner of Front Street and Promenade Drive, downtown Nanaimo, to Protection Island

Protection Island sits a few hundred metres off downtown, has no road connection to anywhere, and its ferry is a small passenger launch operated by the Dinghy Dock Pub on the island. It works on a clock face: the boat leaves Protection Island on the hour and the Nanaimo side at ten past the hour, all day, every day of the year, weather permitting. You find it at a ramp on the corner of Front Street and Promenade Drive, walk down to a small waiting room, and the fare is collected on board. Two things trip people up. It is cash only and there are no reservations of any kind. And it is a foot-passenger boat: e-bikes are refused outright and ordinary bicycles fit only if there is space. Dogs are welcome on the boat and on the island, though only guide dogs may go into the pub. When it is busy the boat simply shuttles back and forth and the posted times become approximate. Do not confuse it with Saysutshun, the former Newcastle Island, which is a different boat from a different dock.

When: Hourly. Leaves Protection Island on the hour and Nanaimo ten past. First boat 07:00 Monday to Friday and 08:00 at weekends; last boat off the island 22:00 Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and 21:00 Tuesday to Thursday
Takes: About 10 minutes
Fare 2026: Adult 13 and over $15.00 return or $8.00 one way; child 6 to 12 $8.00 return or $4.00 one way. Dog $2.00 and bicycle $3.00, one way only. Excess cargo charged in $5 increments at the ramp. Cash only

Season365 days a year, weather permitting. BookingNone available. Turn up at the ramp with cash. Run byProtection Island Ferry, run by the Dinghy Dock Pub, +1 250-753-2373.

2 ways

By air

seaplane

Harbour Air floatplanes from the middle of the harbour

Nanaimo Harbour (Unit 1A, 90 Front Street, Pioneer Waterfront Plaza) to Vancouver Harbour and to YVR South seaplane terminal

The fastest way across and, door to door, often the cheapest once you count a day of your time. Harbour Air's Nanaimo base is on the downtown waterfront across from the Lighthouse Bistro, a few minutes' walk from the Gabriola ferry ramp and the Hullo dock. Twenty minutes later you are on the water at Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver, which is a genuine downtown-to-downtown time that neither ferry can approach. The second route goes to the YVR South terminal beside Vancouver International, which is the one to book if you have a connecting flight. Baggage is the thing that catches people: the cheapest Light fare allows 10 lb, Value 15 lb, Comfort 25 lb and Flex 50 lb, so a suitcase pushes you up a fare class. Flights go on a de Havilland Otter and are cancelled for fog and low cloud rather than wind, which makes winter mornings unreliable in a different way from the ferries.

When: Up to seven a day each way on each route. Vancouver Harbour to Nanaimo departures in autumn 2026 at 07:45, 08:30, 13:00, 15:40 and 17:20; Nanaimo to Vancouver Harbour at 07:45, 08:30, 10:05, 11:45, 13:45, 16:25 and 18:10
Takes: 20 minutes
Fare 2026: Downtown Vancouver to Nanaimo from $65 one way and YVR South to Nanaimo from $69, booked 45 days ahead; walk-up fares are considerably higher. Four fare classes from Light to Flex differ mainly in baggage allowance and cancellation rights

SeasonYear-round. Some Harbour Air routes are seasonal, but Nanaimo is not one of them. BookingOnline at harbourair.com. Book early for the low fare; the published PDF timetables lag the booking engine, which the airline says itself. Run byHarbour Air Seaplanes.

scheduled flight

Nanaimo Airport (YCD) at Cassidy

3350 Spitfire Road, Cassidy, 20 km south of downtown Nanaimo, to Vancouver, Calgary and Kelowna

YCD is the runway airport, as against the floatplane harbour, and it sits well out of town between Nanaimo and Ladysmith. Air Canada Express runs four daily turboprops to Vancouver, and the connection onto a long-haul at YVR is usually cheap to add to an existing Air Canada ticket. WestJet flies four times a day to Calgary and once to Vancouver, and Pacific Coastal flies twice a day to Kelowna, daily except Saturday on the afternoon rotation. Getting to the terminal is the part to plan: BC Transit route 78 links the airport to Cassidy and downtown Nanaimo and route 70, the Cowichan Express, also calls there, both on the ordinary transit tariff, but neither is frequent. The alternative is the Nanaimo Airporter, a 24-hour door-to-door shuttle covering Lantzville, Cedar, Extension, Yellow Point, Ladysmith, Duncan, Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Nanoose, booked online or on +1 778-441-2133. Car hire is available at the terminal, at Departure Bay and downtown.

When: Air Canada to Vancouver 05:50, 08:45, 11:35 and 14:45 daily; WestJet to Calgary 05:45, 10:40, 15:25 and 20:20 and to Vancouver 15:45 daily; Pacific Coastal to Kelowna 11:30 and 15:45, the second daily except Saturday
Takes: Vancouver 30 minutes, Calgary about 1 hour 45 minutes
Fare 2026: No published walk-up tariff; fares are sold by the airlines and vary. Bus routes 70 and 78 to the terminal are the ordinary $2.75 or $5 transit fares

SeasonYear-round; the airlines adjust the timetable seasonally. BookingThrough the airlines. The Nanaimo Airporter shuttle is booked online or by phone. Run byNanaimo Airport Commission; Air Canada, WestJet and Pacific Coastal Airlines.

2 ways

By road

bus

RDN Transit – one flat fare, and one route that is not on it

Regional District of Nanaimo: Nanaimo, Lantzville, Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Bowser, Deep Bay, Cedar and Cassidy

Local buses are run by BC Transit for the Regional District of Nanaimo and the fare structure is the useful part. A single ride anywhere on the regional system is one flat $2.75 no matter how far you go, so the hour-long run up to Qualicum Beach on route 9 or 98 costs the same as a stop in town. A DayPASS is $5.50, which pays for itself on the third ride, and the 30-day adult pass is $65 with concessions at $45. Children 12 and under ride free. Pay by cash, by Umo card or app, or by tapping a contactless card. The exception is route 70, the NCX Nanaimo to Cowichan Express, which leaves the regional system and runs down to Duncan: it is a separate $5 single, with its own 30-day passes at $125 for the express alone and $175 if you also want the two regional systems at either end. For arrivals, route 20, 20A and 25 serve the Departure Bay ferry terminal, with 25 branded the Ferry Shuttle and the quickest link north to Woodgrove; route 1, the Nanaimo Rapid Line, is the frequent spine between the downtown exchange and Woodgrove; routes 70 and 78 both call at Nanaimo Airport. Nothing at all serves Duke Point.

When: Frequent on route 1 and the Departure Bay routes daily; route 9 to Qualicum Beach hourly Monday to Saturday with a reduced Sunday service; route 70 a handful of trips Monday to Saturday
Takes: Downtown to Departure Bay about 10 minutes; Departure Bay to Woodgrove 23 to 35 minutes; downtown to Duncan about 1 hour 15 minutes on route 70
Fare 2026: $2.75 single, $5.50 DayPASS, $65 a 30-day adult pass, $45 concession. Children 12 and under free. Route 70 NCX $5 single, $125 or $175 for a 30-day NCX pass depending on zone

SeasonYear-round with a reduced holiday timetable. BookingNone. Pay on board with cash, Umo or a contactless card. Run byBC Transit, Regional District of Nanaimo Transit System, +1 250-390-4531.

bus

IslandLink coaches – what replaced Greyhound on Vancouver Island

Nanaimo to Victoria; Nanaimo to Courtenay and Campbell River; Nanaimo to Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino; Campbell River to Port McNeill and Port Hardy

Greyhound left Western Canada in 2018 and the island network that grew back is IslandLink, a Nanaimo-born operator that started in 1998 running Parksville and Qualicum passengers to the Departure Bay ferry and now covers most of the island with up to 18 buses. It brands the routes separately: Victoria Express, Island Express north to Courtenay and Campbell River, Tofino Express across to Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino, and Port Hardy Express from Campbell River up to the north end. In Nanaimo it calls at the Departure Bay ferry terminal and at the Hullo terminal, which makes a foot-passenger chain from Vancouver right through to Tofino possible. Booking is online and closes at midnight the night before; if you want to travel today there is a separate Today's Travel page that shows the remaining seats and the price for that day. Buses have free wi-fi, seat belts and no fixed baggage limit beyond what you can carry. The seasonal walk-up alternative is the West Coast Trail Express, which runs from Nanaimo to Bamfield and Port Renfrew from 1 May to 30 September for hikers.

When: Victoria and Campbell River seven times daily each; Tofino daily year-round; Port Hardy less often. West Coast Trail Express 1 May to 30 September only
Takes: Nanaimo to Victoria about 2 hours; Nanaimo to Campbell River about 2 hours 30 minutes; Nanaimo to Tofino about 4 hours 30 minutes; Nanaimo to Bamfield 4 hours
Fare 2026: Advertised from $5 to $10 one way on the Tofino Express promotion; full fares vary by day and demand and are shown only once you run a booking, so treat this as a floor and not a price

SeasonYear-round on the four Express routes; West Coast Trail Express seasonal. BookingOnline at islandlinkbus.com until midnight the day before travel. Same-day seats through the Today's Travel page only. Run byIsland Express Bus Inc, trading as IslandLink, Tofino Express Bus and Port Hardy Express Bus; West Coast Trail Express for the trailhead runs.

2 ways

Rules, permits and closures

service status

The Island Rail Corridor – track through the middle of town, no trains

Victoria to Courtenay via Nanaimo, with a branch to Port Alberni

There is a railway running the length of eastern Vancouver Island and through Nanaimo, and it is worth knowing that it does not work, because it appears on maps and in old guidebooks. The E&N was built in 1886, and VIA Rail's Victoria to Courtenay passenger train ran on it until March 2011, when it was suspended for track-safety reasons. It has not run since, and freight has also been discontinued on most of the line. The corridor is owned by the Island Corridor Foundation, a partnership of five regional districts, fourteen municipalities and fourteen First Nations including the City of Nanaimo, the Regional District of Nanaimo and the Snuneymuxw First Nation, and both the Victoria and Port Alberni subdivisions are still legally classified as active track while being dormant in practice. The money is the obstacle: a 2020 provincial report put the cost of reopening at more than $700 million, the Foundation's own 2020 report said $254 million, and neither Ottawa nor Victoria has committed the capital. As of June 2026 the line continues to deteriorate. What is actually being built on the alignment is the E&N Trail, a walking and cycling path that Nanaimo extended by almost another kilometre in July 2026. Plan on no train, and use IslandLink or BC Transit instead.

When: No passenger service since March 2011. None scheduled
Takes: Not applicable
Fare: No passenger fare exists; the service could not be confirmed as running at all

SeasonNot applicable. BookingNot applicable. Tourist operations survive only on part of the Port Alberni subdivision. Run byIsland Corridor Foundation owns the corridor; VIA Rail was the last passenger operator.

service status

Winter gales in the Strait of Georgia

All Nanaimo crossings

From late October through February the Strait of Georgia gets southeast gales, and when Environment Canada forecasts high winds and wave height BC Ferries cancels sailings in blocks rather than one at a time. On 22 December 2025 every sailing on the Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay route was cancelled from 10:55 to 18:20 and every sailing on Duke Point to Tsawwassen from 09:00 to 17:45, with service resuming only at 20:30 and 20:15 respectively. BC Ferries phones passengers with affected reservations, but a Saver ticket is tied to a named sailing, so the practical advice is not to put a Vancouver flight the same evening behind a winter afternoon crossing. Hullo's catamarans are smaller and stop sooner: across the 18 months to September 2026 the operator flagged 103 sailings for weather, clustered in October and December, with wording ranging from longer crossing times to outright cancellation. The floatplanes fail on a different trigger, fog and low cloud, so on a windy clear day the planes fly when the boats do not, and on a still grey morning the reverse. Check bcferries.com current conditions, the Hullo current conditions page, and DriveBC if you are driving to Horseshoe Bay, where the Sea to Sky approach and the Lions Gate Bridge close for overnight work as well as weather.

When: Episodic, a few times each winter, typically half a day at a time
Takes: Cancellations usually run half a day and service resumes the same evening
Fare: No fare. A cancelled sailing is rebooked or refunded by BC Ferries, but nobody covers a missed connecting flight or a hotel night

SeasonLate October to February is the worst of it; a summer squall can also stop the small boats. BookingWatch bcferries.com/current-conditions and @BCFerries, or phone 1-888-223-3779. The Protection Island and Gabriola boats stop first and are announced nowhere but at the dock. Run byBC Ferries decides its own cancellations on Environment Canada forecasts; Hullo decides its own.

Not confirmed

What we could not find out

9 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.

01
Correction to the brief: the two car-ferry routes are no longer a simple pair. Since 1 April 2026 BC Ferries also runs a direct one-way Tsawwassen to Departure Bay sailing, and since 15 October 2025 vehicles from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay must book and pay in advance, so there is no walk-up vehicle fare in that direction at all. Any description of the reservation system as optional on both routes is now wrong.
02
Correction to the brief: the Tofino coach is not Tofino Bus. Tofino Bus Services and the VI Connector, now under Smith Transportation, state on their own site that they are currently not operating and that no schedules are available. The Nanaimo to Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino service is IslandLink's Tofino Express Bus.
03
No individual IslandLink fare could be quoted. Their booking engine only prices a trip inside a session and shows nothing to a plain fetch, and the only figures on their public pages are promotional floors of $5 and $10. Ask through islandlinkbus.com's Today's Travel page for a same-day price.
04
Harbour Air's published PDF timetable for route 1100 ends on 30 September 2026 and the airline warns its PDFs lag the booking engine, so the flight times given are the last published pattern rather than a confirmed winter timetable. Check the booking widget on harbourair.com for dates after early October.
05
Seair Seaplanes is listed on Wikivoyage as flying to Nanaimo from downtown Vancouver and YVR, and Kenmore Air as running a summer Seattle service, but seairseaplanes.com returned an empty response on every attempt and neither could be confirmed. Do not assume either route still exists.
06
Hullo publishes its sailing calendar only about two months ahead; on 28 September 2026 it ran out on 30 November. Winter frequency beyond that could not be established.
07
The Island Corridor Foundation's own domain, islandcorridor.ca, now redirects to the E&N Division of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association's site, and islandrail.ca sits behind a browser check that would not pass. The corridor's status here is taken from the Nanaimo News Bulletin of 12 June 2026 and from the heritage society. A current official position should be sought from the Foundation directly.
08
bcferriesapi.ca, used here for vessel names and live deck-fill percentages, is a third-party service mirroring BC Ferries data rather than an official BC Ferries API. Schedules and fares in this file come from bcferries.com and its published fare guide instead.
09
BC Ferries puts its schedule pages behind a Queue-it waiting room that a plain fetch cannot pass; the schedules here were read by following the queue redirect chain. Expect the same wall on a retry.

In the planner

What the planner can route today

The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Nanaimo is this.

Y: Scheduled flightsVancouver (YVR), 55 km
Y: Trains and coachesTransitous carries 26 timetable feeds for this country, 1 with real-time
Y: FerriesNanaimo, 0 km, Dinghy Dock Pub; sailings estimated
Y: Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
N: Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
N: Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known.