Tofino is a small town located at the tip of Vancouver Island and is British Columbia's paradise! This place has everything you could want from a coastal town - great food, marine life, surfing, and amazing views. This guide will cover where to stay, where to eat, what to do, and a few bits of other information. Read more to find out everything you should be doing whilst visiting this slice of heaven!
You cannot go wrong anywhere you decide to stay in Tofino as most of the spots are either close to town or have amazing views of the coast. Personally, we think that staying at a lodge on the beach front is the right decision in Tofino as you get the most out of it being able to wake up early to surf, hear the sound of the waves, or catch the sunset with a drink on your balcony. Here are a few spots we suggest:
This is where we stayed during our visit and WOW it is probably one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in. We stayed in a one bedroom suite with an ocean view and it did not disappoint. We had huge floor to ceiling windows that we could pull out the couch in the living room and watch the sunset from the coziness of the couch, our own separated bedroom, a cute kitchen (but with so many great restaurant options we didn't really use it), a balcony to dry out all our gear and admire to view from, and great facilities. The hotel itself had so much to offer with its own on-site surf shop rentals, restaurant, bikes to use (which was handy for getting into town as its a short walk), and it was right on the water for all day surfing and walking options! I really really REALLY recommend this place.
Also located on Cox Bay Beach close to Pacific Sands is the Long Beach Lodge Resort - so you know the setting will be just as amazing. Not too far from town, but far enough to enjoy the quiet hours, this lodge is a perfect spot to be right on the ocean.
A 5 minute walk from downtown lies the cutest collection of cabins on the waterfront. The cabins not only are adorable but overlook the docking area with the cutest views. This place is for those looking for a quiet and private get away to their own slice of heaven!
This modern resort is located right on the shore right beside the heart of tofino - so if you want to cut your walking times this is a great spot! Every room has an ocean view so you can have your morning coffee or sunset drink with an amazing view.
Located on the MacKenzie beach is this stunning resort with the cutest modern cabins. This spot just looks insanely cozy and has quick access to the ocean for all your surfing and swimming wants. It's also not too far of a walk from the main town!
Another spot right on the beach where you can hear the ocean from your room is this spot on Middle Beach. Again, not too far from the main town but you might not even have to go far with a place like this!
This location is also on Cox Bay Beach (it really is a great beach) and has a modern vibe with quick access to the ocean. The location is great just 10 minute drive from Tofino or a nice afternoon walk or bike into town. You couldn't go wrong in a place like this!
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WHERE TO EAT
Tofino has so many great spots for the foodies! Here are our faves for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some are so good you'll probably hit them up more than once.
Probably one of the most popular spots in the morning (for good reason) is the Rhino Coffee House. With good options for both breakfast and lunch this will likely be one of your favourite spots too! They have a huge selection of donuts, breakfast sandwiches (including breakfast sandwiches ON a donut), and wraps, and lets not forget the coffee. This spot will get pretty busy so either go early or order online via their website to pick-up and avoid the lines. But DEFINITELY check this place out.
Located at pacific sands, there is no better place to have your morning coffee and breakfast before heading to surf or relax on the beach. They have a variety of stuff to offer here!
My favourite thing about this place - the view. Behind the Tofino Sea Kayaking building is the harbour view coffee house that has a variety of tea, coffee, and goodies for you to enjoy whilst overlooking what Tofino really has to offer!
This spot is located at the Wickaninnish Inn which has a ton of great eats and drinks. This cafe offers breakfasts, hot drinks, smoothies, and pastries. The setting alone makes the trip worthwhile!
This spot is mainly just GREAT coffee (and tea) beverages with a few pastries but located downtown and with their own coffee roasts for sale, it's a great spot for real coffee lovers to try out.
Great drinks, great food, great location - you can't go wrong with this spot for some food (lunch or dinner). We found this spot usually had some openings available, but Tofino is a busy place so plan accordingly!
Another great spot at Pacific Sands (on Cox Bay Beach) is the grill! For lunch or for dinner, this is a great place in an amazing setting where you can hear the ocean. Casual beach eats and drinks is what you will find here.
Burgers, bowls, brews are what this place is all about! This spot is conveniently located and offers dine in, but what we liked was the take-out option so you can bring it back to your own cozy spot sea-side for a meal with a view.
Honestly the name alone convinced us. But who doesn't love a good fish and chip shop on the coast!? They have a bunch of stuff up for offer with a place to eat or take it to go!
This was one of our favourite restaurants to date with such a memorable menu and meal! This place is a popular spot so either make a reservation in advance or try and get there early to get a walk in spot (we were able to snag one on the patio but had to wait a bit). The patio has views over the town square and water area - we highly recommend this place!
The Wickaninnish Inn is such a beautiful place and setting, so combine it with a top notch menu and you are winning. Theres a wine cellar and a bar in the restaurant so you really have everything you could need for a great evening - including the panoramic views! Make sure to reserve in advance and ask for a window table.
This food truck is THE place to grab some Mexican food and drinks and head back to the water with (or stick around and eat - there's some room for that too!). This spot is so popular (for good reason!) so make sure to show up early and be prepared to wait in line.
I still dream about this ice cream shop. It's next level. We got our ice cream served in waffle bowls with a chocolate surf board added which was the cutest touch. Every single bite of their gelato was insane. It's also close to a few other bite spots so it's a perfect post dinner treat!
Pies, warm beverages, fresh baked goods, AND great views? Sold.
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WHAT TO DO
Tofino has SO many options for activities if you don't want to just kick back and relax (which is also an option you will thoroughly enjoy ESPECIALLY if you stay at some of the spots listed above).
Surfing
Surfing is THE thing to do in Tofino. Local spots will provide you with all the equipment, wet suits (the ocean is cold year round), and even lessons if that's what you want! Either way, you should definitely try it, even if its just for one morning. When we visited, we rented through surf sister surf school - they have a spot in town for rentals, but also a spot at Cox Bay Beach (right where Pacific Sands Resort is) so it was super convenient.
This was right beside our resort (Pacific Sands) at Cox Bay Beach but they are also located in town for lessons, rentals, and information! Surfing is a must in Tofino so be sure to work this place into your plans.
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Beach Hop
There are SO many great beaches in Tofino and each one offers a different slice of paradise. The best website to get the ins and outs of each beach are listed on the Tofino website linked below!
Most of the tours we took in Tofino we were able to book the day of (or the day before) and we found just by walking downtown. They have tons of tours with a wide range of activities offered. We chose to do the whale watching and marine life tour (whale watching is huge in Tofino) and we were literally right beside hump back whales (we kept our distance - the whales travelled right under us). We also saw SO MANY sea otters, they are the cutest things. And then we got to sea some sea lions and also learnt about the local marine life and area - it was such a great way to spend our day.
If a private tour is more your thing or you are in a large group, here is one on offer. It is on the expensive side (Tofino is also not cheap) but if you're splitting it between a group of 8 and looking to get a full day of activities in (fishing, fishing equipment, local insight into the best spots of marine life, etc) this could be a great option!
There is also a photography option which may be interesting to look into - especially if its a special occasion! Tofino has the most STUNNING scenery and is well worth the pictures to remember it by. Here is an option:
One of the best ways to see Tofino for us was to grab some bikes (Pacific Sands Beach Resort had them available for free) and visit a few different places for drinks, bites, and views! We biked from our hotel to the main town and back, but there's also many biking routes / paths to go further out into the nature. If you don't plan on bringing a car, a bike is a great way to get around.
Afternoon Drinks
Tofino has some of the greatest places to test some local products! These two were our favourite places to grab a drink in the afternoon whilst biking around the town:
Get a flight of beer (and other drinks such as cider on offer) and enjoy the industrial building set-up here! This, along with some of their snacks, was a great place to relax in the afternoon. They also now have a food truck serving Japanese style dishes that you can eat whilst enjoying one of their brews. This is a great spot to hit up! Note that it can get busy depending on time of year and day, so you may want to choose a low period or have other plans (i.e. visiting the distillery across the street) whilst waiting.
This spot was one of our favourites and such a unique experience! They sell spirits here which are usually not for the faint of hearted to taste straight-up, but my favourite part were that they let you do a tasing flight of their spirits in mini-cocktail form! It was so fun to try different mini cocktails in a relaxed setting, and this place wasn't busy when we visited either.
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Storm Watch
Storm watching in Tofino is a big thing and sounds like the cosiest way to spend a weekend. The storm season is mostly between November - February but October and March are usually pretty rainy as well. A lot of the lodges will actually offer storm watching packages to make your stay extra cosy. Rain gear and rubber boots can be found in the rooms for you to dress up and head to the beach to watch the waves crash against the rocks, and a post-storm watching spa is ALWAYS a good idea.
Take a Hike
Tofino is all about the outdoors and offers insane coastal views so hiking + great views just makes sense. We use the application all trails for our hikes, and here are the top listed hikes in the area! However a lot of the resorts / lodges will have great walks, paths, and hiking information to really take in all the location has to offer. Tofino offers some really unique views.
Tofino has options year-round for visiting. Note that summer holidays are during the summer for Canadians (late June - early September time frame) thus families will most likely visit during this time period.
June - September are the most popular months (and also the busiest and more expensive because of this) as the weather is a bit warmer. Tofino never really gets hot though, but the weather is definitely nice to enjoy. November - February are the storm watching seasons to really get cosy! Make sure you check the weather forecast to ensure that you pack accordingly.
HOW TO GET HERE
If you are coming to Tofino it's likely you're either flying into Vancouver or Victoria airport and renting a car or taking a bus from there (however there is an airport in Tofino as well). Most people do Tofino as part of a road trip from Victoria or via Vancouver, and we would 100% recommend this. Not only would you get to enjoy Vancouver before, but Victoria and the spots along the route have the most amazing nature, sights, and stops to enjoy the road trip. However, if you are looking to just get from point A to point B, here are some options for transfers:
Vancouver to Tofino by Sea Plane: arrive in style straight to Tofino from Vancouver and avoid the hassle of ferry's, driving, and transfers.
To Tofino by bus: many of the ferries will either go into Victoria or Nanaimo and if you don't have a car, you'll need a way to get to Tofino from there! Plan ahead and book a bus transfer.
Once in Tofino, the most common ways to get around are likely your own rental vehicle (which I would personally recommend having especially if you are staying a bit outside the main town), biking, or walking. Even if staying outside the town on the further beaches, walking IS doable. Parking downtown isn't super easy, but also isn't impossible.
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With a full time job, there are twenty five days a year I want to FILL with travelling and have been doing so every year. We love to research, plan, and travel to new destinations around the world as much as possible. We travel at least twice per year and quite a bit for work, and love to share our favourite places along the way with everyone who wants it!
