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Nanaimo car rental


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Hei

I have a question. We are traveling for the first time( September) to Nanaimo and thinking if it is wise to rent a car? We do not want to take a ship tour, too many people on such tours.:eek:

We would like to visit the different parks, vineyards, beaches and viewpoints.

Found only Nanaimo Paradise Tours on Tripadvisor.

Have any of you a good suggestion. What should we do.

 

Thanks

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Nanaimo is one of those ports where most of the attractions are out of the city and for that reason a rental car would make sense. I am not sure what is on your agenda but things like Qualicum Beach, Coombs and Cathederal Grove are among the sights that I would want to see. Depending on your time even a trip up Mt. Washington or down the scenic Malahat highway toward Victoria would be a thought. Nanaimo is quite small and very easy to drive in and out of.

 

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/macmillan/

http://www.oldcountrymarket.com/

http://www.mountwashington.ca/

http://www.travel-british-columbia.com/vancouver-gulf-islands/cowichan/malahat/

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We rented a car from Budget, 33 Terminal Ave S, 250-760-7368 and they picked us up at the terminal. We went to Alberni Valley RR, Cathedral Grove, Coombs, and North Island Wildlife Recovery Center. Enjoyed it all.

Edited by pizzalady1
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Putterdude thank you for the websites we will be renting a car very helpful information.

Would you recommend a whale watch from Nanaimo or Victoria?

Where the best Nanaimo bar can be found?

Thanks

 

I would look to Victoria for whale watching. However that is just me.

 

Last spring I was on one of the large NCL ships in Nanaimo. The cruise ship terminal is only a few years old and nicely built. It is connected to the industrial harbour. The local tourist board was handing out free Nanaimo bars in the cruise terminal building. The port also operated a free shuttle that did a circuit between the dock and the downtown every 20 minutes or so with about a 5-6 stops.

 

There is a craft fair held in the public harbuor next to the Bastion that is normally held once or twice a week. It is also held on days when a cruise ships is in port.

 

The downtown core is made up of many historic buildings, well restored and combined with the upper area there quite a few unique shops. There are very few "tourist traps". The harbour is quite large and there are parks and walking paths all along.

 

Other things to do include two very small museums (but one has an interesting display that allows you to walk through a simulated coal mine. I am not into Casinos but there is also one downtown.

 

The city does not get many cruise ships and because of that it puts in a good effort to make it enjoyable.

Edited by em-sk
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  • 3 years later...
We rented a car from Budget, 33 Terminal Ave S, 250-760-7368 and they picked us up at the terminal. We went to Alberni Valley RR, Cathedral Grove, Coombs, and North Island Wildlife Recovery Center. Enjoyed it all.

 

Hi,

This is a shot in the dark as you posted this in 2014 so you may not see my reply. If you do I was just wondering how you divided the time at each of these stops? Next September we will be in Nanaimo for 8am to 6pm and love this itinerary you put together. We just want to be sure to divide our time to give each stop the attention they deserve. thanks

 

Actually if anyone else wanted to weigh in on my question I would appreciate it. :D

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  • 3 weeks later...
Hi,

This is a shot in the dark as you posted this in 2014 so you may not see my reply. If you do I was just wondering how you divided the time at each of these stops? Next September we will be in Nanaimo for 8am to 6pm and love this itinerary you put together. We just want to be sure to divide our time to give each stop the attention they deserve. thanks

 

Actually if anyone else wanted to weigh in on my question I would appreciate it. :D

 

We were in Nanaimo for a day on the Norwegian Sun this past May and visited Cathedral Grove, Little Qualicum Falls and Coombs via rental car. I didn't really keep track of times, but without rushing, we were able to see all of the above between 9:00 and 2:30 (approximately.)

 

I do have a post with lots of photos of how we spent our day in Nanaimo on my blog if you are interested in seeing what we did. Just click on this link: Our Day in Nanaimo There is also a link in the blog to a video I did as well.

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We were in Nanaimo for a day on the Norwegian Sun this past May and visited Cathedral Grove, Little Qualicum Falls and Coombs via rental car. I didn't really keep track of times, but without rushing, we were able to see all of the above between 9:00 and 2:30 (approximately.)

 

I do have a post with lots of photos of how we spent our day in Nanaimo on my blog if you are interested in seeing what we did. Just click on this link: Our Day in Nanaimo There is also a link in the blog to a video I did as well.

Thank you for the great information. much appreciated.

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