DELICIOUS DAY TRIP FROM VANCOUVER TO NANAIMO
HOW FAR I'LL TRAVEL FOR A SWEET TREAT
If you’re visiting Canada you surely know you need to sample some poutine or get a bag of ketchup chips. When you’re in Vancouver you are just a day trip away from the home and birth place of one of the best Canadian treats that—IMO—is severely overlooked. Yes, I love cookies, I love cakes, I love cinnamon rolls, and I love a sweet treats but I especially love the iconic, BC dessert, the Nanaimo Bar. It’s one of the treats I miss most when travelling because you just don’t come across a bakery with a nanaimo bar outside of Canada…
Let me plan your delicious day trip from Vancouver to Nanaimo
First... what is a nanaimo bar?
The Nanaimo bar is a three-layer dessert, with an unbaked chocolate base with shredded coconut, a thick filling layer of custard-flavoured butter icing, and then a final layer of dark chocolate ganache on top.
A truly spectacular combo!
WAIT — if you’re about to click away because you hate coconut please give them a chance – a nanaimo bar is not a coconut-y dessert in the slightest. The coconut is not a core flavour and it really is just there to give the some good texture. Some nuts could do the same but are much more prominent and crunchy.
Origins
Although the exact origin of the recipe remains a bit of a local mystery, the nanaimo bar gets it’s name from the City of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. A fitting destination to eat one of the best treats around.
The first known recipe was included in the 1952 Women’s Auxiliary to the Nanaimo Hospital Cookbook, which has three nearly identical recipes for the dessert that differ only slightly from the modern version, under the names Chocolate Square (twice) and Chocolate Slice. ¹
I have a family recipe passed on to me from a friend who’s mother-in-law’s mom sourced it from someone who claims to be the originator of the bar… Perhaps I am just 5 steps removed from the original recipe, but the truth might forever be an enduring mystery from before I was born.
nanaimo's nanaimo bar trail
Though we don’t necessarily have a singular recipe creator to thank, I will give credit where credit is due — the City of Nanaimo is the birth place of the nanaimo bar and it is worth paying a visit to taste your way around town.
All the cafes, restaurants and bakeries in Nanaimo want to show off their stuff and earn the title of best nanaimo bar in the city. Technically, the mom and pop bakery downtown, Red’s Bakery, has already held that title for 7 consecutive years so is it even a competition anymore? Red’s Bakery is in fact my personal favourite Nanaimo nanaimo bar, but you can chow your way through town and decide for yourself. It’s worth it.
RED'S BAKERY
The Vault Cafe
White Rabbit
Day trip details
I say this with all my respect to the City of Nanaimo but I think you can visit the town in just a day… You don’t need to extend your stay overnight unless you are planning to rent a car and continue exploring the rest of Vancouver Island.
To get across to the Island you have a couple fun options (depending on your budget): fast ferry, float plane, helicopter, or the big ol’ car ferry.
hullo ferry — fast ferry
The newest addition to Vancouver’s harbour is the fast ferry. It is by far one of the most convenient and budget friendly ways to get to and from the island. It is a passenger ferry that connects downtown Vancouver to the central port in Nanaimo (just a bit outside of downtown but can easily be walked).
Harbour air — float plane
Yes you read that right, floating planes that take off and land on the water. Very Vancouver. Definitely these cost a bit more each way but if you’re a plane enthusiast you can’t skip a ride in a float plane. Plus, think about the scenic views.
Helijet — Helicopter
Likely the most expensive journey between Vancouver and Nanaimo but it can feel very cool, very mission impossible to ride in a helicopter. As with the float plane you get beautiful views of the coast mountains during the flight over.
BC Ferries — Car Ferry
I’m including BC ferries for if you have a vehicle because you want to travel around more of Vancouver Island but ultimately I probably wouldn’t try and use BC ferries if you’re trying to make this a simple day trip from Vancouver.
Best choice if you have a car, although technically you can do walk-ons but once you get to Vancouver Island and disembark it is much more difficult to get around if you don’t have your own transportation. The ferry terminals are not central in either Nanaimo or Victoria and public transit is generally more limited.
If you do end up taking a car over to Vancouver Island I would highly recommend the journey to Victoria instead of Nanaimo because the ride through Active Pass and through the gulf islands is stunning! It will add about 2 hours of driving on the island to get from Victoria up to Nanaimo but it is well worth it for the scenery.
Other things to do in nanaimo
While you’re in Nanaimo be sure to take a nice stroll along the waterfront, wander up to the Old City Quarter (don’t worry, if you’re following the Nanaimo Bar Trail you’ll likely end up there too), and stop and shop in downtown Nanaimo. If you’ve got the time be sure to go on a whale watching tour or take the 20 minute ferry over to Gabriola Island to experience an afternoon one of the Gulf Islands — there is also a great nanaimo bar over there at Mad Rona’s.
More Canada Travel Guides
Happy trip planning!
From one traveller to another, I hope this guide was helpful for you as you make your plans and set out on your next adventure!
If you read through this guide and still have questions about the experience or have other questions… fear not, because I can still help! I have a personalized trip planning and advice service available to all Everywhere Travel Club readers. I’d love to chat for an hour with you and help answer any questions you’re working through, share fun ideas, and help bring your big trip into reality! For more info about the one-on-one call for advice, check out the details of my Personalized Travel Planning Sesh.
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