Sharing is caring and I am happy to publish fellow travel blogger Samantha’s blog post from Travel VV Remixes about her trip to Nelson. When we lived for 7 months in Canada, we stayed mainly in British Columbia, but back then our blog wasn’t quite ready. So, it’s great to get a post about a region that we visited! Get inspired by Samantha’s visit to one of British Columbia’s countless tourist spots and share the love for her article if you enjoy it as much as I do!

‘A Trip To Nelson, British Columbia’ Originally published by Samantha Collier on Travel VV Remixes:

Ian and I took a road trip across BC during the Summer of 2015. Although we went to many places, our favourite by far was Nelson, a quaint town of about 10,000 people in the mountains of BC. In the summer it is an easy going town filled with happy, smiling people! In the winter, as it does get cold (-15 celsius is a thing there) and it does snow, I’ve heard the town caters more to snowboarders and the “snow bunny” clientele.

The people are friendly, the coffee is plenty, the food is heavenly and the shops are lovely. Oh, and the views are a PLENTY!

This town can be expensive, but can be visited on any budget.

The transit system around this area is fantastic. We went in the summer, and there were plenty of backpackers and drifters. Though we travelled by car, I would imagine if you have a lot of time, seeing this area of BC via transit is most definitely a worthwhile trip, and is something I would like to do!

There is a yearly music festival that takes places very close to Nelson called “Shambala” – though I have never gone, it definitely caters to the more “hippie” type person. If this isn’t your scene, I would avoid visiting the first weekend of August. That being said, the people that attend Shambala are extremely friendly and are not the drunken type.

Where we stayed

 

We stayed at The Adventure Hotel for all three nights. We didn’t plan ahead and made our reservations for that night as we drove during the day (a big mistake!) That being said, we were lucky enough to get in to this gem! One night we stayed in a room with it’s own shower (which was nice), the second night we stayed in a room with no shower (though there was one just down the hall that seemed to be a once at a time situation). It honestly was not that bad at all (having to share a shower), and no one was disrespectful. There was also a large communal common area including a kitchen. We had leftovers the evening we arrived, and it was nice to save a few dollars eating in. There is also a large deck that faces the street, which also had a infrared sauna (but was only available to the more fancy rooms).

 What We Did

The first night we arrived we went for a late night coffee and snack. We wandered the streets for about an hour, and then went back to our hotel to get some rest.

Our first full day was spent shopping and wandering. It was surreal – everyone was in a good mood. Everyone was happy to be alive. The vibe was something I had never experienced. It was refreshing! We also walked down to the beach from our hotel around 3:30 pm, which is a little late, but we still had a great time.

The next morning, we took a plane ride over the Valhalla Mountains and the Kokanee Glacier. The views were some that I will never forget! If you’re interested – we flew with Kootenay Lake Aviation (and we highly recommend the experience!)

Views of Nelson:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent the remainder of our time going back to a few more shops, and eating – but then we had to head out for out Kokanee Moutain Zipline Tour! Though it wasn’t the cheapest activity, it was certainly worthwhile! The hosts were full of energy, extremely friendly and easy going, and really made the experience that much more enjoyable.

Where we ate:

The Yellow Deli (I had the Nelson Yoga Burger and the Mango Maté) and Itza Ristorante + Pizzeria – I succumb to my love of cheese and enjoyed their pizza A LOT.

Jagannatha Express – Easily and honestly the best food I’ve ever eaten. The food is served buffet style by one person to you. The people who run it are Hare Krisna – I bought a couple of their cookbooks too!

Empire Coffee – They have iced coffee ON TAP. ‘Nuff Said.

I highly recommend visiting Nelson – it is so far one of my favourite places I’ve visited!

Thanks again for sharing your experience in Nelson. It sounds like a lovely place to visit. If you liked Samantha’s article, give her some love and visit her page! Happy travels all 😀