A Taste Of The Maritimes: Halifax, Saint John, Charlottetown & More

Arrive at Halifax Stanfield International Airport and transfer independently to your downtown hotel. The Roadbook you received has all the information needed for your holiday/trip/journey. The remainder of your day is at leisure for exploring this bustling oceanside city. The city has a wonderful boardwalk, with lots of restaurants, bars, shops, and boutiques. Famous Pier 21 is home to the Canadian Museum of Immigration and the Maritime Museum, both worth a visit. Alternatively, enjoy dinner at one of several seafood restaurants or try the city’s interesting music scene in a downtown bar.

Overnight Halifax

Halifax is located on one of the world’s largest natural harbors and bears all the hallmarks of both a modern and historic city. You can discover its proud maritime heritage in museums and along the waterfront area, which includes the restored Historic Properties. Independently visit the Citadel that has guarded the city since the 18th-century, the Public Gardens or even sail on a harbor cruise aboard the Bluenose II.

Overnight Halifax

Drive along the Lighthouse Route to the fishing community of Peggy’s Cove. This picturesque fishing village is surrounded by bare granite and coastal barrens with trails leading to its famous lighthouse. Continue along the coast and stop in the port of Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a visit to the renowned Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic before arriving in Western Shore, its shoreline dotted with delightful seaside communities, including Chester and Mahone Bay.

Overnight Western Shore

Enjoy your day to fully appreciate the quaintness of Mahone Bay or see more of Lunenburg, it is less than fifteen minutes away. If you visit the Oak Island Municipal Museum you can find out how this small island is rumored to have been a site of buried treasures for centuries.

Overnight Western Shore

Take the scenic, cross-country drive linking the rocky south shore with the lush Annapolis Valley. Relish the amazing views as you traverse extensive woodlands dotted with lakes. Take time to explore the wilderness of Kejimkujik National Park along the centuries-old Mi’kmaq canoe routes or follow the hiking trails into its forested heartland. Time permitting, we suggest you drive to Annapolis Royal, rather than directly to Digby. It is an enthralling seaside town and home to Canada’s oldest National Historic Site. From here the drive to Digby is just 45 minutes, a worthwhile diversion.

Overnight Digby

Enjoy a ferry ride across the Bay of Fundy to Saint John, famous for the world’s largest tides. Arriving in In Saint John, check into your hotel and take the day to explore the downtown area. A vibrant, visitor friendly culture reverberates around this small town. Restaurant patios offer beautiful views and fresh ocean breezes to spend the day relaxing.

Overnight Saint John

A second day at leisure in St. John to visit one of the small museums and galleries in town or take a trip to the famous Reversing Falls – a trick of the tide that reverses the water’s current. It can be interesting, but only if you happen to be there at the precise time of the water changing direction. Alternatively, Irving Nature Park is nearby the urban center, a delightful wooden park with groomed trails and fabulous views of the Fundy coastline.

Overnight Saint John

Today’s drive is full of breathtaking scenic moments as you make your way towards Fundy National Park. We suggest leaving early to enjoy time in the park before you move on to Hopewell Rocks. Ideally, you want to see the over twenty free-standing sea stacks, also called flowerpots, at low and high tide. The transition takes six hours and tide times are posted on the web. Planned carefully, you can do it and still visit other places before or in between. At low tide you can walk the ocean floor and get up close to these stacks with names like Elephant, Dinosaur or ET. You might consider dinner in Shediac, the lobster capital of the world is just 21 minutes from Moncton where you are staying for the night.

Overnight Moncton

Before leaving Moncton, we suggest a stop at Magnetic Hill. Put your car in neutral and experience the illusion of being pulled up hill by a magnetic force. The Northumberland coast of New Brunswick has a rich British and Acadian heritage, which is yours to discover if you choose to travel on the route that passes through the architectural gem of Dorchester and visit the French fort of Beausejour at the Nova Scotia provincial border. About half an hour later you arrive at the Confederation Bridge and cross into Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province, where you arrive in the charming city of Charlottetown an hour later.

Overnight Charlottetown

Today’s journey takes you past Orwell Corner Historic Site to board the ferry across the Northumberland Strait to Nova Scotia. Drive through tranquil scenery and small communities that continue to celebrate Nova Scotia’s Scottish, Indian and Acadian identities. Continue into Cape Breton Island through the magnificent highland scenery that surrounds Bras d’Or Lake, and drive to the delightful resort community of Baddeck. An excellent local museum is dedicated to the life and works of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.

Overnight Baddeck

Driving the Cabot Trail into the highlands of northern Cape Breton is one of the absolute scenic highlights of this trip. The trail runs past lochs and glens settled by Scottish Highlanders and along breathtaking coastlines settled by Acadians. Meander through the rugged Cape Breton Highlands National Park, enjoying stunning views of sea-swept headlands, steep cliffs, and tranquil beaches. Hiking trails lead into the interior of the park where magnificent vistas appear at each turn. Return to Baddeck through the lush Margaree Valley.

Overnight Baddeck

A day of leisurely travel across the heart of Nova Scotia. You can stop for lunch in either the small town of Truro or Antigonish for a taste of peaceful Maritimes life. Continue to Halifax where you might visit places you did not see at the beginning of your trip or enjoy one last splendid seafood dinner.

Overnight Halifax

Travel back to Halifax Stanfield International Airport for your flight home or stay in the city if you plan to extend your trip.