Riding Fool Hostel

Top choice in Vancouver Island


One of BC's finest hostels colonizes a restored Cumberland heritage building with its rustic wooden interiors, large kitchen and lounge areas and, along with small dorms, the kind of immaculate family and private rooms often found in midrange hotels. Bicycle rentals are available from the excellent Dodge City Cycles out front.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Vancouver Island attractions

1. Cumberland Museum

0.09 MILES

A wonderfully quirky museum located on a row of false-fronted buildings that looks like a Dodge City movie set, with evocative exhibits on the area's…

3. Horne Lake Caves & Outdoor Centre

22.72 MILES

BC's best spelunking, a 45-minute drive from Parksville. Some caves are open to the public for self-exploration, though the excellent guided tours are…

4. Powell River Museum

27.38 MILES

The history of Powell River is illuminated at this local-focused little museum near Willingdon Beach. But it's not all about logging, pioneer days and the…

5. Alberni Valley Museum

27.49 MILES

Don't be put off by the unassuming concrete exterior: this is one of Vancouver Island's best community museums. Studded with fascinating First Nations…

6. Patricia Theatre

27.81 MILES

Canada's oldest continually operating movie house, this 1928 landmark (the second edition of an original constructed in 1913) still serves up first-run,…

7. Cathedral Grove

28.02 MILES

This spiritual home of tree-huggers is the mystical highlight of MacMillan Provincial Park. Located between Parksville and Port Alberni, it's often…

8. Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre

28.63 MILES

On Quadra Island in the Northern Gulf Islands. Provides fascinating insights into local First Nations communities.