Getting to Nanaimo
CAR RENTAL
There are two car rental companies that are located at YCD airport.
seaplane
SeaAir and HarbourAir offer seaplane rides to Nanaimo with departure from downtown Vancouver and YVR south.
Luggage may be limited on these services.
FLY
Nanaimo Airport is located 18km south of Nanaimo. You can fly into YCD directly from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, and Toronto (seasonally).
Alternative airports are Victoria (YYJ) which is 2 hours away from Nanaimo, and Vancouver (YVR) which would require transfer to a ferry or seaplane (both easily accessible by transport and can bring you right into downtown Nanaimo).
Nanaimo airport has 98% weather reliability.
Ferry
To take a ferry to Nanaimo you have two options.
If you are driving, you will need to book a BC Ferries sailing and drive into downtown Nanaimo. Ferry sailings depart from Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen.
If you do not have a car, Hullo ferries leaves from downtown Vancouver and takes just 70 minutes. Hullo ferries have on-board WIFI and a free shuttle to drop you off downtown (if you’re a walker and don’t have much luggage, it’s an easy walk).