Chemainus is a small town on the east coast of Vancouver Island in Canada full of Street Art, or beautiful murals. In total there are almost 100 murals in this town and you can see them all in about half an hour. You walk right through it!
The murals in Chemainus are unique and definitely worth a visit. The city is nice for a short stopover and to spend the night at one of the free motorhome pitches. In this article I will tell you more about the artworks and about the free overnight stay in the city.
Also read: Tips for Vancouver | Complete travel guide – by a local (!)
Our journey through the United States and Canada
This article is part of a large one-year tour the United States en Canada, with a Dutch 4×4 camper that we shipped ourselves… It is a bucket list worthy and an once in a lifetime experience that will never be forgotten.
We wrote almost 100 articles about this ultimate tour. Visit our North America page for more information.
About Chemainus
Chemainus (Location here), is a town on the east coast of Vancouver Island about 30 km north of the city of Victoria and 30 km south of Nanaimo. Chemainus has long been ignored by tourists visiting the island, as there was simply little to see or do.
That has changed in recent years. In an effort to attract tourists, the residents and the municipality have drawn up a plan together. They hired a number of Street-Art artists from all over the world to decorate their city with countless murals. Many of these murals tell a story about the history of the city, the region and the indigenous inhabitants, which makes it unique.
Free motorhome pitches in Chemainus
To make the city even more attractive for travelers, they have designated a street for free overnight stays with your camper. This street and the RV parking spaces are therefore purely and only reserved for camper travelers who want to spend the night for free. You are not allowed to park there with a normal car. It is hoped that this new approach will attract more tourists to view the murals and spend money in the city, for example in one of the restaurants or shops.
This seems to be a success because the street is often used by camper travelers. It is very difficult to legally park somewhere overnight in this part of Vancouver Island. It's one of only a handful of free standing spots in the southern part of Vancouver Island.
There are two streets marked where you can park for free and spend the night with your camper. These are Victoria street en Croft Street, see image above. To navigate directly there, click here to open Google Maps.
Street Art Murals in Chemainus
Conclusion
Those who love Street-Art and murals will really enjoy themselves in Chemainus. I have never seen so many beautiful works of art in such a small area! The Street-Art District Wynwood, Miami I also thought it was very cool, but what makes the murals in Chemainus so special is that they have really tried to transfer a piece of history in the various works of art. It's like walking through a large open-air museum.
The fact that you can stay overnight with a camper for free is also a good reason to visit the town. Free places to stay are scarce on the southern part of Vancouver island. If you are in the region of Nanaimo and / or Victoria If you are looking for a place to stay, definitely consider Chemainus' free overnight parking spots!
Are you thinking of following our footsteps and renting a camper(van) with friends, your partner or with your whole family? Then ask free of charge and without obligation submit a quote to Travelhome from ANWB. They have both campervans and full-fledged family campers on offer.
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Plan your vacation to Canada here
- Camper trips compare to Travelhome from ANWB.
- Itineraries : TUI, canada plus, sawadee.
- Winter sports in Canada book yourself OAD.nl.
- Flight tickets For Canada you can book via Skyscanner.
- Rental cars : Sunnycars, Alamo en rental cars.
- Tours and Activities in Canada you book through GetYourGuide.
- Campsites in National Parks you book on Park Canada.
- Hotels & Resorts in Canada you book with Booking.com.
- Travel insurance for Canada you close at Allianz.
- SIM cards en e-sims for Canada you buy at International sim.
- Parking at the airport you can arrange via Parkos, Central parking of iParking.
- travel items (you can order suitcases, world plug adapters, etc Bol.com.
