Parksville is a city on Vancouver Island known for its scenic, superb sandy beaches at Parksville Bay and Craig Bay. It is also famous for hiking trails, magnificent waterfalls, wildlife and spectacular parks. You can find several first-rate restaurants and shops in Parksville. The city's most popular annual festival is Sandcastle Competition that takes place from mid-July to mid-August from 1982; people also call it 'Parksville Beachfest.' The interesting fact about Beachfest is that it is the only World Championship Sand Sculpting event in Canada.
Human habitation in Parksville and the area has occurred for thousands of years. Several Coast Salish people have been living in Parksville throughout the years, including Qualicum, Snaw-now-as (Nanoose), and Snuneymuxw. The most significant part of the Parksville economy is the service industry which is the occupation of most people in the Parksville area.
Parksville has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. The max and min temperature in Parksville is 24°C (75.2°F) in July and 1°C (33.8°F) in December.
The best time to visit Parksville is from May 28th to September 23rd. It is when the city is most beautiful.
You can fly from Vancouver to Nanaimo, Nanaimo Harbour, Departure Bay, or Comox Airport. From there, car rentals and buses are available to take you to Parksville.
Harbour Air Seaplanes and Pacific Seaplanes have a regular flight from Vancouver to Nanaimo, and you can take a bus or taxi or drive for about 40 km (23.6 miles) to Parksville.
The Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal is in Vancouver. The ferry to Duke Point will put you near downtown Nanaimo. Drive up or take a bus or rent a car to Parksville on the Island Highway.
Parksville doesn't fail to offer more than the wonderful sandy beaches that it is so famous for.
The city has other natural beauties such as waterfalls like Englishman River Falls and Little Qualicum Falls. You can also enjoy great parks in Parksville like the Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, and Top Bridge Community Park. As for the entertainment, Parksville provides various options such as Riptide Lagoon Adventure Golf, an amusement center, Bowling & Sports Lounge, GroundZero Acoustic Lounge, a live music venue, and many fantastic restaurants and pubs.
Public transportation in Parksville includes buses and taxis on land and ferries such as BC Ferries and C-Force Marine Ltd on water.
Parksville has all sorts of accommodation with a wide range of prices, from simple guesthouses to luxury hotels. Of course, if you want to be close to everything the city offers, then pick somewhere downtown.
Hotels:
The Bayside Resort
The Beach Club Resort - Bellstar Hotels & Resorts
Coast Parksville Hotel
Both downtown
The Bayside Resort
Ocean Trails Resort
Ocean Sands Resort
Sunrise Ridge Waterfront Resort
Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre
Hostels:
Travelodge by Wyndham
Sandcastle Inn
Skylite Motel
Arbutus Grove Motel
Guesthouses:
Tanglewood Beach House
Morning-Glory Guest House
Beachwalk Guesthouse
Potter's View Guesthouse B&B
If you plan to visit Parksville and want to buy gifts or clothes, take a look at these shops, they are some of the best shops in Parksville.
Coast & Cottage, Shades Of Green, Mystic Lotus, SOS Thrift Shop, Wilde And Sparrow, Refresh Clothing, Close To You Ladies Fashion & Lingerie
It's hard to pick just one place out of many good restaurants and cafes in Parksville. Most of them are around Island Highway West.
Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, Boston Pizza, Mekong River Restaurant Vietnamese Cuisine, Brazen Poppy Bakery Restaurant, Sushi Ichi, Papa's Burgers, Lefty's Fresh Food – Parksville, Dosirak restaurant, Samurai Sushi & Teriyaki, Lan Vietnamese Express, Poppa's Pizzeria, Masalahut Indian cuisine, Aioli Seafood Restaurant's, Chameleons, British Bobby Restaurant, Cedars Restaurant & Lounge, Bradley's on Jensen, Pacific Coastal Roast, Coyotes Coffee & Tea, Taste Cafe & Bistro
Misguided Spirits Craft Distillery and Bespoke Spirits House are the Parksville's distilleries; the former is southwest, and the latter is downtown.
Here is a list of breweries and wineries around Parksville:
LoveShack Libations, Fern + Cedar Brewing Company, The Blind Pig Home-brew Supplies, Mount Arrowsmith Brewing Company, Millstone Estate Winery, Chateau Wolff Estate Winery, and Vineyard, Wine Kitz Metral Place Mall, Hopfingers U-Brew & Winemaking, Oceanside Wine Works, The Winery, Qualicum Village Winery.
