BC Cycle Tourism Society

To and Fro: moving your bike around British Columbia

My bike and I are in and we’d like to be in .
We show what transit connections accept bikes. Check with the operator for prices, schedules, and reservations.
Same place twice. You’re already there, so enjoy the ride.

Good news: buses, ferries and flights can carry you and your bike from Nanaimo to Saanich.

For scale
As the crow flies90 km
Biking whole way160 km Β· 6 h 30 m
By car109 km Β· 1 h 23 m

We found seven ways to get you there.

πŸŽ’ Riding a coach? Most BC coach operators want your bike bagged or boxed. Our field note walks through packing it, including an inexpensive packable bike bag we like: How to bike-and-bus in BC ›
Note: Most carriers carry only a handful of bikes, and summer weekends fill up fast. Reserve where you can. Where you can't, go early or have a backup plan.
Option one · two legs
Two city buses, changing in Duncan.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚎BC Transit70 NCX Nanaimo - Cowichan ExpressBay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch β†’Duncan46 kmFront rack, no fee β€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only β€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚎BC Transit66 CVX Cowichan - Victoria ExpressDuncan β†’Hwy 1 & Tillicum (Saanich)49 kmFront rack, no fee β€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only β€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚲You arrive at Hwy 1 & Tillicum (Saanich).
Option two · two legs
The same idea as Option one, on different routes.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚎BC Transit70 NCX Nanaimo - Cowichan ExpressBay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch β†’Duncan46 kmFront rack, no fee β€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only β€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚎BC Transit66 CVX Cowichan-Victoria ExpressDuncan β†’Douglas St at Pandora Ave (Victoria)46 kmFront rack, no fee β€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only β€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚲Travel the short hop from Douglas St at Pandora Ave (Victoria) to Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich), about 2.5 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Bluebird Cabs, Sidney Taxi might help.
🚲You arrive at Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich).
Option three · three legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Option one, plus a city bus at the start.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚎BC Transit70 NCX Nanaimo - Cowichan ExpressBay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch β†’Duncan46 kmFront rack, no fee β€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only β€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚎BC Transit8 Mill Bay via Telegraph Rd/Duncan via Shawnigan Lkor the 9 Mill Bay via Shawnigan Lk/Duncan via Telegraph RdDuncan β†’Deloume Park & Ride (Mill Bay)17 kmFront rack, no fee β€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only β€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚎BC Transit99 SVX Shawnigan Lake - Victoria ExpressDeloume Park & Ride (Mill Bay) β†’Douglas & Finlayson - Mayfair (Victoria)28 kmFront rack, no fee β€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only β€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚲Travel the short hop from Douglas & Finlayson - Mayfair (Victoria) to Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich), about 4.4 km.
🚲You arrive at Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich).
Option four · three legs
The views come built in.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesTsawwassen – Duke PointDuke Point (Nanaimo) β†’Tsawwassen (Delta)58 kmRoll on, free β€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK β€” no charging on board
⛴️BC FerriesTsawwassen – Swartz BayTsawwassen (Delta) β†’Swartz Bay (North Saanich)41 kmRoll on, free β€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK β€” no charging on board
🚎BC Transit70 Swartz Bay / Downtownor the 72 Swartz Bay / Downtown (via Saanichton)Swartz Bay (North Saanich) β†’Douglas St at Pandora Ave (Victoria)29 kmFront rack, no fee β€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only β€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚲Travel the short hop from Douglas St at Pandora Ave (Victoria) to Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich), about 2.5 km.
🚲You arrive at Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich).
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Option five · two legs
Just one connection.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesTsawwassen – Duke PointDuke Point (Nanaimo) β†’Tsawwassen (Delta)58 kmRoll on, free β€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK β€” no charging on board
🚌Wilson's Transportation (BC Connector)BC Ferries Connector β€” Vancouver / VictoriaTsawwassen (Delta) β†’Douglas St at Pandora Ave (Victoria)70 kmRides in the hold β€” bagged or boxed$42 per bike β€” 50 lb maxReserve bike spot β€” recommended
⛴️ Downtown to downtown via the Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay ferry crossing.
🚲Travel the short hop from Douglas St at Pandora Ave (Victoria) to Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich), about 2.5 km.
🚲You arrive at Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich).
Option six · three legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
The same idea as Option four, on different routes.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesTsawwassen – Duke PointDuke Point (Nanaimo) β†’Tsawwassen (Delta)58 kmRoll on, free β€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK β€” no charging on board
⛴️BC FerriesTsawwassen – Swartz BayTsawwassen (Delta) β†’Swartz Bay (North Saanich)41 kmRoll on, free β€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK β€” no charging on board
🚎BC Transit76 Swartz Bay / UVicSwartz Bay (North Saanich) β†’Royal Oak Exch Bay H (Saanich)21 kmFront rack, no fee β€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only β€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚲At the far end, Central Saanich is about 5.5 km from Royal Oak Exch Bay H (Saanich). Ride it, or take a local bus or taxi.
Option seven · two legs✈ the splurge
One long leg does most of the travelling.
CarrierRideYour bike
πŸ›©οΈHarbour AirVancouver Harbour – Nanaimo HarbourNanaimo Harbour β†’CXH (Vancouver)60 kmFront wheel must come off$20 handling fee β€” bike weight counts toward your baggage allowanceNot on the Twin Otter β€” other floatplanes are fine; confirm when booking
πŸ›©οΈHarbour AirVancouver Harbour – Victoria HarbourCXH (Vancouver) β†’Victoria Belleville Terminal98 kmFront wheel must come off$20 handling fee β€” bike weight counts toward your baggage allowanceNot on the Twin Otter β€” other floatplanes are fine; confirm when booking
🚲Travel the short hop from Victoria Belleville Terminal to Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich), about 3.2 km.
🚲You arrive at Douglas St at Kelvin Rd (Saanich).
Route facts last checked August 2026. We check that every leg here carries bikes, but policies and seasons change. Check times and book with the operator. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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Heading back: Saanich to Nanaimo (best: bus)

Connections from Nanaimo: North Cowichan (Chemainus & Crofton) (best: bus) · Comox (best: rental car) · Vernon (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus) · Calgary, AB (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus)

Connections from Saanich: Salt Spring Island (best: bus + ferry) · Qualicum Beach (best: bus) · Port Hardy (best: bus + rental car) · Prince Rupert (best: bus + rental car + ferry)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Nanaimo and Saanich