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The Nanaimo Museum is a great place to learn about the history of the area, from the Snunéymuxw culture through to the Bastion Era, the coal mining history, and much more. The museum also brings in feature exhibits from museums across the country. The museum was started in 1967, Canada's centennial year, but in 2008, the museum moved into a new facility in the Vancouver Island Conference Center in downtown Nanaimo. The museum also has a beautiful gift shop and is attached to "Serious Coffee," a coffee shop on the Nanaimo Bar Trail.

Nanaimo's Harbourfront Walkway is one of the things that makes this city so beautiful. Running all along the waterfront below Front Street, this walkway is suspended above the shore and ocean in some areas and in other parts, it skirts around parks and green spaces. Along the Harbourfront Walkway are tourist shops, restaurants with outdoor patios, docks, boats, and the seaplane base. Whale watching boats dock here. Seaplanes depart from here and take passengers to various destinations, including Vancouver, or on 40-minute Seaplane Tours over the Strait of Georgia, with views over the Sunshine Coast. For a nice meal, head to the Lighthouse Bistro on the walkway overlooking the harbor, in the same building as the seaplane passenger waiting lounge.

For a city of approximately 90,000 people, Nanaimo has a surprisingly small-town feel in the downtown area. Interesting boutiques and retail stores, restaurants, and French pastry shops, and a mix of museums and other attractions are what you'll find along Church Street, Commercial Street, and other streets in the downtown area up behind the Harbourfront Walkway.

This scenic park is a popular place for walking, picnicking, swimming, and scuba diving. You can also sometimes see orcas, sea lions, and other marine life from the lookouts in the park. A beautiful walking trail, just under two kilometers, follows the shoreline of this little peninsula, past beaches and through arbutus trees, Garry oaks, and Douglas fir. Sunset Beach, Last Beach, Indian Beach, and Finn Beach are found in the coves between the headlands and provide opportunities for swimming on every side of the park. At the far end, between Indian Beach and Last Beach, is a lookout point on a high rock. In front of the lookout is a tidal zone, which at low tide is an exposed gravel sandbar that ends at a small rock island. This is the "neck" the park is named for. This is one of the popular dive sites in the park, and divers can walk in from the neck. Divers also leave from Finn Beach, near the parking lot

Just north of downtown Nanaimo, Pipers Lagoon Park juts out into the ocean, creating an interesting tidal flat on the inland side and offering views over the Salish Sea from the outside. Walking trails lead around the small peninsula with high points that look out over cliffs and lower areas where you can get down to the water's edge. The park is popular with locals who come here to walk or relax. If you are staying in the city center, this can be a nice place to come for a nature walk.

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A scenic seaside drive offering views of English Bay, the Lions Gate Bridge, and glimpses of local waterfront activities.

Rocky cliffs and emerald waters of Howe Sound — a quick visual highlight before reaching Horseshoe Bay.

Scenic forested island views will be visible along the ferry route through Howe Sound.

Small, rugged islands and a bright, red-roofed lighthouse will welcome you to Nanaimo's harbor.

The Bastion (historic tower): Observe Nanaimo's iconic 19th-century wooden fort, a notable feature situated in the city center.

Commercial Street Heritage Drive-Through Colorful storefronts and preserved architecture that show Nanaimo’s historic character.

Pioneer Plaza Public Art Creative murals and coastal-inspired artwork visible along the roadside near the waterfront.