Most travellers to Nanaimo will arrive from Vancouver. BC Ferries (http://www.bcferries.com) operates car ferries to Nanaimo from Tsawwassen South of Vancouver to Duke Point in Nanaimo, and from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay. These ferries run about every 2 hours. The ferry ride is approximately 1 hour 35 minutes long. It costs about $47 for a car and $14 per person each way for the ferry. Reservations are never required, but recommended for vehicles during peak travel times. There is a $20 charge for reservations.
The Departure Bay ferry terminal is served by Nanaimo Regional Transit (http://busonline.ca/regio...) to Nanaimo. Greyhound (http://greyhound.ca) Phone: 1-800-661-8747 operates a coach service from Vancouver that goes on the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay Ferry. The cost is $22 plus ferry fare and is timed to meet every ferry departure.
Baxter Aviation (http://baxterair.com) and Harbour Air (http://www.harbour-air.com) operate float plane service from downtown Vancouver into Downtown Nanaimo. Baxter Aviation flys the De Havilland Beaver while Harbour Air operates the De Havilland Otter. Both of these service operate about hourly from about 7AM to 6PM. The cost is about $55. Baxter Air is currently being bought and ownership is possibly making changes. These are small planes heavily used by business travellers so reservations are recommended. From May through September, Kenmore Air (http://www.kenmoreair.com) also offers daily scheduled seaplane service to Nanaimo.
Air Canada Jazz operates air service from the Vancouver airport to the Nanaimo airport. The cost to add this onto a Air Canada flight into Vancouver is often minimal. The Nanaimo airport is about 20km from downtown Nanaimo.
Travellers may also come to Nanaimo from Victoria. It is about a 90 minute drive from Victoria. Vancouver Island Coach Lines (http://www.grayline.ca/vi...) operates a coach service from Downtown Victoria to Downtown Nanaimo.
VIA (http://viarail.ca) operates a daily passenger service from Victoria to Courtenay with a stop in Nanaimo the cost for Victoria to Nanaimo is $23.
