Qualicum Beach
Q ualicum Beach is a seaside community in Central Vancouver Island known for its award-winning gardens, quaint village atmosphere and safe, sandy beaches. With one of the highest concentrations of Provincial Parks on Vancouver Island, Qualicum Beach also offers great outdoor leisure opportunities.
This peaceful, quiet town is favoured by retirees and those escaping the hustle and bustle of life elsewhere. Leisurely morning strolls are a popular way of enjoying the pretty, pedestrian-friendly streets, lush, well-tended gardens and sweeping ocean views. Qualicum Beach hosts a very vibrant arts scene, great hiking, birding and fishing, numerous spas and plenty of child-friendly tours and attractions.
Transportation to 2010 Winter Games Venue Cities
Qualicum Beach is 49 km (30mi) from Nanaimo which has two ferry terminals offering car and passenger service to mainland British Columbia. Departure Bay terminal connects to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver which provides easy access to downtown Vancouver. Duke Point ferry terminal services Tsawwassen which is convenient for those needing to get to the city of Richmond.
Transit passengers can take an Intercity Connector bus from Qualicum Beach to Nanaimo to catch ferries.
To Richmond:
Transit buses and taxis meet ferry arrivals in Tsawwassen and take passengers to Richmond.
Flights leave from Qualicum Beach Airport to Vancouver International Airport in Richmond. Floatplanes depart Nanaimo Harbour and get passengers to Richmond via shuttle on the mainland.
To Vancouver:
Scheduled bus service is available between Qualicum Beach and Vancouver via BC Ferries.
Transit buses and taxis meet ferries arriving at Horseshoe Bay to take passengers into downtown Vancouver.
A float plane service connects Nanaimo to downtown Vancouver’s harbour front. You wanna get your ex back? - It’s so easy!
To West Vancouver:
Once in Horseshoe Bay, passengers can take one of the transit buses or taxis that meet arriving ferries to travel the short distance into central West Vancouver.
To Whistler:
Coach services transport passengers from Nanaimo onto the ferry and then up the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler.
Accommodation
Visitors to Qualicum Beach can choose to stay in hotels or motels, resorts, bed and breakfasts or RV parks. The resorts in Qualicum Beach are close to the waterfront, giving guests the chance to walk the beachside promenade and enjoy seaside dining. Some RV sites have oceanfront, riverside, and forest locations.
Things To Do
Qualicum Beach is a great base for outdoor activities like hiking, biking, birding, spelunking and horseback riding, which are all possible through winter.
Hiking trails lead from downtown to nearby Provincial Parks containing dense forests, waterfalls, caves, mountains and coastline. Guided spelunking tours of the beautiful crystal formations and ancient fossils of Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park are offered all year round. Scuba divers can also take a guided dive off Qualicum Beach with water clarity best in winter.
Qualicum Beach is one hour’s drive from Mt. Washington, Vancouver Island’s biggest skiing and snowboarding destination. Snow enthusiasts can try cross-county skiing, snowshoeing, luge, night skiing and snow tubing and make it back to Qualicum Beach for an afternoon round of golf.
Visitors wanting to explore the culture of the area can tour the town’s galleries, artists’ studios and heritage sites and see one of the best-preserved Ice Age walrus skeletons in the world at The Qualicum Beach Museum and Historical Society.
Vancouver:
