Harbourfront Walkway
Harbourfront Walkway
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
632 reviews
Excellent
412
Very good
181
Average
30
Poor
6
Terrible
3
phil_rie
Saskatoon, Canada57 contributions
Apr 2022 • Family
This is an okay walk along the ocean. Cool watching the float planes take off. Was a bit shocked of all the street people downtown roaming around. Seen some things that were unexpected. The downtown seems to be a gathering place for homeless wandering people day and night.
Written April 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
C8349XI
Portsmouth, UK23 contributions
Sept 2022 • Solo
The waterside is an ok walk and it is nice watching the boats and the sea planes however the area is very run down. A number of shops or restaurants in the area closed down and a large presence of undesirable people hanging around. Probably best to avoid at night.
Written September 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jayelle1ca
British Columbia, Canada32 contributions
Feb 2020
Took a walk along the waterfront today. The weather was co operating with blue skies and needed a break from errands.
I love the sights and sounds of the harbou, very relaxing. Great to see the shops along the front also.
I love the sights and sounds of the harbou, very relaxing. Great to see the shops along the front also.
Written February 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
spud0018
Mississauga, Canada855 contributions
Jul 2022
Decent walk along the waterfront overlooking the marina where you can also watch seaplanes land and take off. Nothing spectacular though. Significant number of homeless people walking around.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert G
5 contributions
Mar 2020
The extensive walkway at long the Nanaimo Harbour extends from Port Place Mall and Gabriela Ferry Terminal to The Departure Bay Ferry terminal. It passes th the boa basin with mixture of fishing boats and pleasure yachts. One can purchase ice creams, speciality coffees and wide selection of island gifts. Harbour Air Sewplane terminal is located on walkway. After passing the Bistro pub and restaurant you will come to Mateo-Sutton Park. Continuing on are the Yacht Club and other marine establishments.
Written April 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wallybee43
Sherwood Park, Canada375 contributions
Jul 2021
A wide trail along the water front of this pretty little city. Lots of marinas, boats and a seaplane base make this an interesting stroll. There is lots of free parking, public washrooms and a playground area for the kids. There is a mast head where one can climb a few flights of stairs for an incredible view of the harbour and a great place to take pictures. A must see when in Nanaimo!
Written July 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
celiamckennapink
Vancouver, Canada21 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
I use to live on Gabriola ; traveling by ferry to highschool in Nanaimo . I loved the Nanaimo downtown core in my teens . I moved to fraser valley in my early 20s . 40 plus years later I am back for a visit . I was saddened to see Nanaimo downtown has fallen on rough times . Graffiti , garbage everywhere, drug attics shooting up , a once upon a-time beautiful harbour park mall now a dirty eyesore . I would not call this a holiday destination anymore. Take the newer highway and go around it all together.
Written January 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tdsuperstar
Toronto, Canada19,501 contributions
Oct 2021 • Family
The Harbourfront Walkway has seemingly seen better days. Possibly, it’s Covid related, but many of the shops were closed down and the walkway itself seemed a tad on the dirty side and many vagrants were around. The views were good, but just not the best spot to check out Nanaimo based on my visit.
Written November 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelNReviewer
San Diego153 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
We were one of the lucky cruise ships to visit the town of Nanaimo (the locals pronounce it "Naimo", leaving off the first "Na" and it rhymes with Eye Mo). A lovely town with extremely friendly people that made us feel welcome. They are trying to encourage the cruise ships to stop here, and created an expensive dock that is largely unused, which is a shame.
The harbor area boasts many good restaurants and shops, with a plaza above that has two historical cannons that were fired at noon, following a local teacher who played bagpipes in full constume. Very fun indeed. Be sure to walk a few blocks up hill to the historic district and see the very cool old buildings and bars. The city has a colorful past involving red light districts and miners, from the days of coal mining. There are no signs of any mines today, and I recommend this town even if not on a cruise ship.
The harbor area boasts many good restaurants and shops, with a plaza above that has two historical cannons that were fired at noon, following a local teacher who played bagpipes in full constume. Very fun indeed. Be sure to walk a few blocks up hill to the historic district and see the very cool old buildings and bars. The city has a colorful past involving red light districts and miners, from the days of coal mining. There are no signs of any mines today, and I recommend this town even if not on a cruise ship.
Written June 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fluxielili
Wiener Neustadt74 contributions
May 2019 • Family
I suppose it might be a very lovely place with a lot of nice spots/restaurant. Outside of the season in may and on a saturday it was really a bit "dead". The walk is nice and you can enjoy the view on the sea, The bastion was closed too.
Written May 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My family of four (including two kids, age 8 and 5) will be visiting the area during spring break this year. We will be spending two days on Gabriola and one night on Protection Island. We'll have one day to spend in Nanaimo, or nearby, before taking ferry to island. My question is, do we focus our half day in Nanaimo (Harbourfront walkway, Maffeo Sutton, etc.) or should we venture a little further north to Parksville, Qualicum Beach, etc? I would really love to see the Cathedral Grove (Port Alberni), but that may be too ambitious with extra driving? Thanks to everyone in advance!
Written January 28, 2019
There is no right answer. Qualicum Beach is a charming small town with several charming stores. It is the home to senior millionaires with several good restaurants. Parksville is not worth spending a half day. Nanaimo is interesting if in addition to the park and Harbourfront you see other interesting areas such as Hammond Bay Road.
Written January 28, 2019
Does the bc ferry arrive at the walkway. Thinking of not taking car on ferry
Written June 19, 2018
No the closest BC Ferry Terminal is in Departure Bay. It is about 45 minute to an hour walk from the waterfront. Lots of taxis to meet you if you want to walk on. Of course the local bus transit stops at the ferry terminal as well.
Written June 20, 2018
Where is the walkway in relation to cruise ship dock?
Written April 28, 2017
Hi, sorry for the delayed response. We just moved to Nanaimo recently and I wasn't sure about the cruise ship terminal so I wanted to get more info. Just walked down there this morning to check it out. Since the terminal is private property I couldn't get right inside as a regular pedestrian. It's about 500 metres south of Port Place which is where the seawall walk starts (or ends I guess). If you are on foot, looks like you'd have to use the city sidewalk to get to Port Place. Like I said, I couldn't get inside the terminal but there is a rail yard between the terminal and Port Place and from the road it didn't look like there was a walkway down there. Not the most picturesque area, with the rail yard there, but once you get to Port Place and to the seawall walk itself, it's very nice. Hope that helps
Written May 4, 2017
What is the distance of the walkway?
Written August 7, 2016
Hello... thank you for your question. Between Cameron Island (across from Thrifty Foods) and the end of the Harbourfront Walkway is just over 3 km one way and takes about 45 minutes to walk. You can walk shorter distances by turning around at any point.
Written August 9, 2016
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