The easiest way from downtown Nanaimo to Woodgrove Centre is the BC Transit Route 1, a rapid line that runs direct from the downtown exchange and takes about 25 minutes. By road it is about 10 km and 20 minutes, so a car or taxi is only slightly quicker.
Route 1 from the Front Street exchange
Nanaimo’s downtown bus exchange sits on Front Street beside Port Place Mall, between Esplanade and Port Drive. Route 1 leaves from there, stops at Country Club Mall on the way, and finishes at Woodgrove. No second bus is needed.
Route 20 also reaches Woodgrove, but it winds through Departure Bay and Hammond Bay and takes a good deal longer, somewhere around 40 to 55 minutes. Pick it only if your stop is along that corridor.
Frequencies and first and last trips change with the season and with the day of the week. Check the BC Transit Nanaimo trip planner or app for the times that apply on your date, and use it for live arrivals.
Driving across town
Driving works well outside the afternoon rush. Enter Woodgrove Centre in a navigation app before you leave, because roadworks and traffic shift the best route from day to day. The mall has large parking lots, so arriving from the north or the south rarely causes trouble.
Coming off the ferry
If you are arriving on a BC Ferries sailing from the Vancouver area, the Departure Bay terminal is on the same side of town as Woodgrove. Route 25, the Ferry Shuttle, links the Departure Bay terminal with Woodgrove Exchange, Country Club Exchange and downtown. Look up the sailing and the shuttle times together in the BC Ferries and BC Transit schedules, since the shuttle is timed to the ferries.
With heavy luggage or a late arrival, a cab is simpler. The taxi fare estimator gives a rough fare in advance, and local companies are listed on the Nanaimo taxi page.
- Bus: Route 1, about 25 minutes from the downtown exchange
- Car or taxi: about 10 km, 20 minutes
- From the ferry: Route 25 to Woodgrove Exchange, or a taxi