Qualicum Beach

Qualicum Beach is a town in Central Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Informally considered a twin city with neighbouring Parksville, it's a popular vacation area in summer with a number of provincial parks, warm beaches, family fun parks and charming downtown.

Understand

Qualicum Beach has a population of 9,000 (2016), and sits at the foot of Mount Arrowsmith, along the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island's eastern coast. Qualicum's natural environment and proximity to Victoria and Vancouver have made it a tourist destination, with rental cottages along its coast. It is also a retirement community, and has one of the oldest average populations in Canada.

History

The name "Qualicum" comes from a Pentlatch language term that means "Where the dog salmon (chum salmon) run."

In May 1856, Hudson's Bay Company explorer Adam Grant Horne, with a group of Indigenous guides, found a land route across Vancouver Island from the Qualicum River to the Alberni Inlet.

In 1864, the botanist and explorer Robert Brown led the Vancouver Island Exploring Expedition through the area. He found the area deserted as a result of the smallpox epidemic of 1862. The first settlers arrived in the 1880s. A road was built from Nanaimo to Parksville in 1886 and extended to Qualicum in 1894. The E and N Railway reached Parksville in 1910 and Qualicum in 1914. H.E. Beasley, a railway official, sponsored the creation of the Merchants Trust and Trading Company which organized the original layout of the town and built the golf links and a hotel in 1913.

Qualicum Beach was incorporated as a village in 1942, and became a town status in 1983. The area is growing quickly with new housing subdivisions and a major new highway. It is a favoured retirement and golfing community.

Get in

By car

Qualicum Beach is just off of the Island Highway (Highway 19), about 35 minutes north of Nanaimo, take exit 60. The nearest ferry terminal with connections to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland is in Nanaimo.

By bus
  • IslandLink Bus, . Operates daily using a hub and spoke bus service with hubs in Nanaimo and Buckley Bay. Trips run non-stop from the hub to the destination area. This system works well if direct travel would run by a hub anyway, but can result in significant detours if direct travel would not pass by either hub. Using this service, the hubs connect to Campbell River, Oyster River, Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland, Parksville, Nanaimo, Duncan, and Mill Bay, and Victoria. (updated Mar 2022)
  • Tofino Bus (Vancouver Island Connector). Seasonal service operating between May to October with route daily between Victoria and Campbell River with stops in Langford, Duncan, Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Bowser, Courtenay, and Oyster River. This service provider also operates a daily route between Victoria and Tofino. It is possible for passengers to travel between Tofino and Campbell River in a single day with a transfer at Parksville. (updated Jan 2023)

By plane

Get around

By public transit
  • BC Transit (Regional District of Nanaimo Transit System), ☏ +1-250-390-4531. Operates buses connecting communities within the Regional District of Nanaimo, including: Bowser, Lantzville, Nanaimo, Nanoose Bay, Parksville, and Qualicum Bay, and Qualicum Beach. $2.50 cash fare, children 5 and under free. (updated Jun 2020) Routes in Qualicum Beach include:
    • Route 91 Intercity provides multiple times daily service between Qualicum Beach and Nanaimo's Woodgrove Centre with stops in Parksville and Nanoose Bay.
    • Route 98 provides service around Qualicum Beach.

See
  • 🌍 Qualicum Beach Museum, 587 Beach Road, ☏ +1 250-752-5533, . Chronicles the history of Qualicum with a collection of objects displayed in period settings. The Museum features a grand mural by local artists depicting the early days of Qualicum which three walls of the second floor galleries. The museum also houses fossils primarily found in British Columbia, the collection was assembled and is curated in conjunction with the Vancouver Island Paleontology Museum Society. (updated Jun 2020)

Do
  • 🌍 Qualicum Beach, Island Hwy West (stretches from Crescent Rd to Memorial Ave (Hwy 4)). A long stretch of sand that is popular for walking, swimming, skimboarding, kayaking and stand-up paddle boards. A paved walking path beside the beach for much of its length provides some nice views. There are several free parking areas along the side of the Island Highway. (updated Jul 2017)
  • 🌍 Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Course, 469 Memorial Ave, ☏ +1 250-752-6312, . This public golf course was opened in 1913, making it the fourth oldest course in British Columbia. One of Canada's most scenic courses, offering breathtaking ocean views, it's open year round due to a mild climate and boasts excellent drainage. (updated Jun 2020)

Buy
  • Qualicum Beach Downtown (the Village). Wander the pedestrian-friendly streets in the Qualicum Beach downtown core exploring unique shops, bookstores, antique shops, restaurants, outdoor cafes, and galleries. (updated Jun 2020)

Eat
  • 🌍 Bistro 694, 694 Memorial Avenue, ☏ +1 250-752-0301. Th-Su 4-9PM. (updated Jun 2020)
  • 🌍 Giovanni's Ristorante, #4 180 West 2nd Ave, ☏ +1 250-752-6693, . (updated Jun 2020)
  • 🌍 Lefty’s Fresh Food Restaurants, 710 Memorial Ave (corner of Fern Rd & Memorial Ave), ☏ +1 250 752-7530. Su-Th 8AM-8PM, F Sa 8AM-9PM. Local chain (the other in Parksville) that does breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast options include pancakes, toast, granola and a variety of egg dishes. Lunch covers sandwiches, salads, burgers and pizza. Dinner options include pizza and a variety of meat, fish and pasta dishes. Portion sizes are good and both locations have small patios. $10-20 for breakfast and lunch, $15-25 for dinner. (updated Jun 2020)
  • 🌍 Shady Rest Pub & Restaurant, 3109 Island Hwy W, ☏ +1 250 752-9111. 11AM-9PM daily (restaurant), pub open until 11PM M-Sa and 10 PM Su. On the beach with a wrap-around patio. Sandwiches, burgers and pizza, with some fish, seafood and steak/rib options, too. Brunch is served on weekends from 11AM-2PM. $10-25. (updated Aug 2015)
  • 🌍 French Press Coffee Roasters, 692 Primrose St, ☏ +1 250-594-4477. M-Sa 8AM-4PM, Su 9AM-2PM. Coffee shop with sandwiches, all day breakfast and baked goods. Food is good quality and the breakfasts are particularly good value. Baked goods are freshly made in-house. Breakfast $7, sandwiches $11.50, teas and coffee $2.60-$5. (updated Jul 2019)

Drink

Sleep

Cope
  • The nearest hospital is in Nanaimo.

Go next
Routes through Qualicum Beach
Tofino ← Coombs ←  W  E  → ENDS at
Campbell River ← Lighthouse Country ←  N  S  → Parksville → Nanaimo


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