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Practicalities
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Nelson is served by Greyhound
buses
(tel 352-3939) that run west to Penticton (for connections to Vancouver, the Okanagan and Kamloops) and east to Cranbrook (connections to Calgary via Banff or Fort Macleod). There are infrequent minibus services to Kaslo (tel 353-2492 for details) and Nakusp (tel 265-3674), but check with the infocentre before building a trip around these. The depot is on the lakeshore, just below the town proper at Chahko-Mika Mall. If you need a car, Rent-a-Wreck has an outlet here (tel 352-5122).
There's a reasonable spread of accommodation , but comparatively little in the downtown area: among the central choices are the characterful Heritage Inn , 422 Vernon St (tel 352-5331, www.heritageinn.org ; $60-80) with cosy, old world rooms, and the cheaper and equally central Dancing Bear Inn , 171 Baker St (tel 352-7573; up to $40), a nicely renovated HI-affiliated youth hostel . For something around twice the price you could try downtown B&B options such as the four-room Emory House , 811 Vernon St (tel 352-7007; $60-80), or the highly regarded Inn the Garden , a restored Victorian home one block south of Baker Street at 408 Victoria St (tel 352-3226; $60-80). Most of the motels are on Hwy 31A at the north end of town or over the miniature Forth Road bridge on the north side of the lake. Here you can try the Villa Motel , 655 Hwy 3A (tel 352-5515 or 1-888/352-5515; $40-60), with the use of an indoor pool, or the North Shore Inn , 687 Hwy 3A (tel 352-6606 or 1-800/593-6636; $60-80), where rates include a coffee and muffin breakfast. The nearest campsites are the City Tourist Park , on the corner of High Street and Willow (tel 352-9031; $13-16; mid-May to early Oct), and Shannon's RV Park (tel 825-9648; $16-22; mid-May to Sept), 7km from town on the north shore of the lake at 1940 Hwy 3A. If these are full, head east towards Balfour and the three or more sites near the ferry terminal .
The choice of
restaurants
is broad, and you can't go far wrong wandering around and choosing something that looks tempting.
Stanley Baker's
, a locals' place on Baker Street next to the Nelson Shopping Company mall, is good for cappuccino, snacks and big, cheap breakfasts. The
Vienna
, an alternative cafAŠ and bookshop just off Baker Street opposite the Bank of Montreal, is also worth a try, as is
Orso Negro
on Victoria, a block up from Baker, with bagels and excellent coffee. For lunch or evening meals, downtown residents head to the
Main Street Diner
, 616 Baker St (tel 354-4848; closed Sun), or the top-flight
All Seasons CafAŠ
, The Alley, 620 Herridge Lane (tel 352-0101) which also has a nice patio dining area. Also worth a look is
Max Irma's
, 515a Kootenay St (tel 352-2332) while for novelty value you could do worse than spoil your breath at the
Outer Clove
, 353 Stanley St (tel 354-1667), where everything from decor to dessert features garlic (it's better than it sounds). At 301 Baker St,
The Rice Bowl
(tel 354-4129), a local favourite, uses mainly organic ingredients to serve up fine seafood, sushi and vegan meals in a buzzing environment - note that it closes early, normally by 8pm. For
drinking
, make for
Mike's Bar
round the side of the
Heritage Inn
, 422 Vernon St, which sells the full range of Nelson Brewing Company beers (the brewery was founded in 1893): top tipple is the flagship Old Brewery Ale (OBA). If you're shopping for your own meals, the big
supermarkets
are in or near the mall alongside the bus depot, whilst the excellent Kootenay Co-Op in town at 295 Baker St can satisfy all your organic and wholefood needs - the organic bakery turns out a supreme loaf of bread. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Canada,
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