Considering Atlantic Canada's geographic make-up, the best way to get around is arguably by car. When you're ready to book a trip to Atlantic Canada, keep one mantra in mind: the earlier, the better. These provinces by land is smaller compared to Ontario, the province where I live. and Tourism Nova Scotia to share our experiences in their regions. I'd play around with a distance tool like http://maps.google.ca to see what your "on the go" time would be compared to "actual visiting/sightseeing" time would be and make some choices about your destinations. Imagine if this bridge didnt exist and my friends and I had to ferry with our rental car. I would bring a soft-shelled cooler to fill with fruit, veggies and other healthy snacks along the way. There is a new "hybrid" B&B style which advertises "self-catered breakfast" which means that the B&B operator provides the "ingredients" but the B&B guest makes their own breakfast, often in a kitchen specifically for those guests. Pick a good base that has lots to offer in the area, and get a chance to really enjoy what the area has to offer. ), possibly do the Alexander Keith's brewery tour (#11 top attraction), Maritime museum of the Atlantic (#5 top attraction - explains naval history of the Atlantic states great museum) and maybe the Citadel hill point pleasant park public gardens. RV trip to the Maritimes - Canada Forum - Tripadvisor For Halifax stay downtown, that way you can easily walk to almost everything.Places like the Marriott harbour front by historic properties is a good location and you might get lucky with a water view. Note: even B &Bs in the Maritimes are not cheap in high season, but they do offer breakfast and you don't have all the ''taxes'' hotels tend to add. Copyright 2014-2023 Discover Holidays Inc. All rights reserved. Nova Scotia is the largest province out of the three by land in the Maritimes region. I am a "Caper" and will be returning for a visit the end of July. 1. Day 1,2 we booked a hotel in the waterfront downtown to check out museums and just drive. New Brunswick will be draining SUV Need help with sites to see and where to stayAppreciate any help you can provide. Canada Itinerary 2 - Best of the Maritimes. Beautiful beach and very interesting landscape and plants. For the Nova Scotia portion of your trip hotel my choices are; (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? For NS, I'd suggest somewhere on the South Shore. Where can I learn more about the South Shore. 5 Awesome Doughnut Shops in Vancity Food Around Vancouver! Go tailor-made! It's not fun spending all one's time in a (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Driving from the US or the rest of Canada, youll pass through the often overlooked province of New Brunswick, with plenty of world-class diversions of its own: the gritty, revitalized port of Saint John (never St John, and not to be confused with St Johns, Newfoundland), the Acadian Coast and the Bay of Fundy, whose taper creates tidal surges of up to 12m. Planning a three week trip to the Maritimes - Halifax Forum How safe is the boat? I would not go to Newfoundland. Read More, Coming in June for 4 weeks with granddaughter plane on ding the Maritime provinces, Your email address will not be published. You pass by hundreds of hundreds of white and yellow birch trees and the road winding to avoid the small bodies of water. A festival underway in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I know this is a very simple draft which i look to build on , the reason is we are pretty open to suggestion. In the next number of minutes that it takes to read this article, we're betting we can lend an experienced hand in planning your dream trip to Atlantic Canada. Plan your trip | I amsterdam Answer 1 of 12: My husband, 20 month old daughter, and I are planning on getting our first glimpse of the Maritimes at the end of June to July for about 10 days. Our trip involved only the Canadian Maritime provinces (NB, PEI and NS) and to be honest, this was still a little rushed for the 16-day window we had to work with. We booked a car in Halifax and got a smoking executive deal with National (my husband used to travel a lot for work. In (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? A massive search operation has been launched to find a submersible with five people on board that went missing during a trip to view the wreckage of the Titanic, officials said Monday. Please also feel free to reach out to me (Tara Cannon) directly in the comments, or message me on Instagram or Facebook. From that central location, we visited Charlottetown, discovered the world of Anne-of-Green-Gables around Cavendish, and explored P.E.I.s stunning National Parks. I would like to spend at least one week in Halifax, one week in P.E.I and Cape Breton and either the last week in New Brunswick or Newfoundland (flying back home from either final destination). I want to see the best tourist spots and don't want to spend all our time in a vehicle. Thoughts on Thrifty car rental on Halifax airport? Where can I learn about Nova Scotia's Northumberland Shore. Then follow the 103 highway to Yarmouth, up to Annapolis, then Wolfville to Dartmouth. hoping to plan a trip to NB. It stretches more east than Prince Edward Island. First, leave a bit of flexibility in your itinerary, because the provinces are full of these little unexpected surprises. It is a nice ferry ride to Quebec City with great views and you can walk to lots of great restaurants. Send me occasional travel tips and exclusive offers. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to include Cape Breton or Newfoundland, but vowed to do them on a later trip. Start in Halifax. ( I remember those days very well ). It has been very helpful. My friends and I took turns driving (and napping at the back seat) and we definitely drove quite hefty miles on these provinces. In the morning, during the day, and at night. In the end, our trip would include planes, trains (in the form of a unique hotel stay), automobiles and even ferries as we made our way through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Although we arrived into Nova Scotia, our plan was to immediately leave that province and enjoy it near the end of our trip. When to go: April, May and June for the best of iceberg season.Where to go: St.Anthony for icebergs, St.John's for culture and Fogo Island for endless views.What to enjoy: Whale watching, coastal hiking, heritage sites, icebergs and lively nightlife in St.John's. the ferry from Pictou to PEI, from Digby to Lunenberg? But a visit to the biggest maritime museum in the world will leave one in complete awe. I don't think we'll have time for Newfoundland and Labrador, but we would like to visit NS, NB, and PEI. Or, follow Nova Scotia's Cabot Trail one of the most striking coastal drives in the country. as well as Wood Islands P.E.I. It is a long but doable two day drive from Toronto to Nova Scotia. Discover the Maritimes and Newfoundland | Turo We had quite a few of them on this trip and it just felt too rushed. I really wish I could do every one of our trips twice so I could get it perfect the second time. Note: One of the first things we needed to learn from a planning and research perspective (as lifelong west-coasters) was that The Maritimes only refers to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. In NB we are only planning on visiting the southern part (i.e Moncton, Hopewell and possibly Saint John). Go whale watching in the Bay of Fundy. Wondering if anyone can suggest . - WordPress Theme by Kadence Themes. Day 1: Land in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Maritime Itinerary - 10 days - Fodor's Travel Talk Forums Halifax to Pictou is two hours but make sure you leave early enough to make whichever ferry crossing you take- if it's on a Friday- all of the runs will be crowded. Most locals really think of it as the best part of the summer. The Perfect One Week Itinerary To Get The Best of The Maritimes By Car Fishing, beachcombing, and whale watching are popular attractions you'll want to make time for during your maritime road trip. Day 1 (Halifax) Fly into (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Read More, A family-friendly guide to Reykjavik, Iceland. perhaps a couple of days in NB, and a couple in PEI, and leaving Nova Scotia for another trip. Where can I learn more about Cape Breton? 2. How to explore Canada's Maritime Provinces Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia With much shorter flights from the UK and Ireland compared with the west, you can often fit more into one trip. Having been to all Maritime provinces, and done so one at a time, we find this works best for us. We certainly want to do a whale watching. If I were doing this with a 20-month old, I wouldn't want to be driving every day. Cabot trail cheticamp Inverness ingonish baddeck skyline trail hike louisbourg. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-110526841', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Halifax . You might want to consider one of the inland nature areas like The Southern Nova Scotia Biosphere Reserve (Keji combined with the Tobeatic). Though just a small part of the province, Nova Scotia is often recognized by its capital city of Halifax. Where can I learn about the Bay of Fundy? Five Islands is another great park to stay at. It was nice to know that its doable by car though the destinations seemed like a stretch it was quite relaxing. Charlottetown, the capital, is super cute with colonial architecture and the colourful seaside houses on the island. By spending one week in Halifax do you mean Halifax or do you mean mainland Nova Scotia? Re: 2 week road trip in the Maritimes. In-depth, easy-to-use travel guides filled with expert advice. I have a real gift for packing so many activities into a day that I suck the enjoyment right out of it. My husband, 20 month old daughter, and I are planning on getting our first glimpse of the Maritimes at the end of June to July for about 10 days. From Port Hood you can drive up the west coast of (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Eastern Canada Ontario & Quebec Road Trips, get in touch with one of our travel designers, Rocky Mountain Vacations to Escape to Post-Pandemic, Grand Canadian Train Journey Vancouver to Halifax, Circle Tour by Train Through the Canadian Rockies, Winter Snow Train to the Canadian Rockies. Route 20 is congested and there is lots of construction. Enter Canada by Design. and Saint John, N.B. Thank you so much, Thinking of planning a trip to the maritimes this summer. Where can I find Trip Reports from previous travellers? Our RV trip questionnaire can help! In essence, it's the road trip of a lifetime. What we did it spend most of our time close to the capital Halifax and the surrounding area. Where to stay?? Actually, for NS we needed so far three trips, to see most of it. You have enough time to spend an extra night in PEI. Disclosure: On this Maritimes trip, I worked in conjunction with Tourism New Brunswick, Tourism P.E.I. One of the most frequent questions we're asked when planning a trip to Atlantic Canada is what the differences are between the provinces and which have the most to offer travelers. Prince Edward Island (PEI) was linked to the mainland by the whopping Confederation Bridge in 1997 and possesses one of the regions most enticing culinary scenes. Visiting some top museums, restaurants, pubs, beaches, lighthouses, towns, seeing the amazing architecture, meet locals and share a pint or two, etc. Also, what would a trip to the Maritimes be without spending time at the beach. Can someone help me with a general itinerary??? Particularly if you want to stay in old Quebec. One close to the waterfront or Barrington street is good location. Read More, Everything you need to know about booking a NYC family photographer! Your itinary is very ambitious and grueling to go through three provinces and all of those miles in that time period with a little tike in tow- you will certainly see the Maritimes. Thanks again. Partial expenses were covered by these entities and their tourism partners. Nova Scotia is best seen if you stay in a variety of places, it saves backtracking and saves driving. Which Halifax hotels: Charge for parking? You could spend 10 days just visiting Nova Scotia. We will be mainly focusing on Nova Scotia with 1-2 days in PEI . You might want to stop at Keji Seaside Adjunct to break up this trip. Driving through beautiful scenery in New Brunswick. Once you have a better look at the various provinces and communities and attractions come on back with your rough agenda and we can help you fine tune your plan. Last week for example the B & B in Port Lorne was 120.00 a night, with a four course breakfast! We have a lot of accomodations that would suit your family here. Cape Chignecto Provincial Park and Cape Breton Highlands National Park would be the two highlights for camping and outdoor activities, after that you can check out the other provincial parks depending on the time you have left. To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. Have free Wi-Fi? India and Russia plan to revive the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime route: - 12-day travel time, 30% less than existing route - Stakeholder meeting in Sept to work out details - Offers trade opportunities in construction, pharma, energy, mining, and technology Show more. Sorry for the late reply - I was having problems with my computer. Known for its world-class dining, musical performances and museums, this is where many of our tours start and end on a circle trip through the region. Summer 's compact high season runs from early July to early September. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. We would like to fly to Halifax from Toronto. Coastal drives are my absolute favourite and seeing the Atlantic ocean beside me was breathtaking. The trip from Digby to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? First Trip to the Maritimes - Nova Scotia Forum - Tripadvisor INTRODUCTION Embrace the beauty of the Canadian Maritimes on this 10-day Atlantic Canada road trip through spectacular coastal scenery, charming fishing villages and magnificent national parks. Have free Wi-Fi? That said, our flight was a little late and we did not get into Halifax until about 2:30am EST. We'll be starting from Toronto and plan to end up in Nova Scotia. 14 days will get you around the Maritmes but with a fair amount of "in the (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The small population here means the roads are pleasant and uncrowded, and to make trip-planning even easier we always include a car rental on your self-drive in Atlantic Canada. Use Rough Guides' trusted partners for great rates. We were even lucky enough to find ourselves celebrating Canada Day on Halifaxs lively boardwalk. You can also click on the link or map for more detail. I have an itinerary and was just wondering how it sounds and what anyone. I think there's a short drive from Alma to St. John's to take the ferry. But there are a wide variety of hotels downtown that are good options. I've seen it happen time and again. Do come back and let us know more about your specific interest and we will try and assist you in planning your summer vacation to the Maritimes. These places don't have a ton of accomodation, therefore, I sincerely recommend reserving in advance. 3) I tried to figure travelling times and took those into consideration when planning the itinerary but I'm not sure if they're exact. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-74991732', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');flights or takes up a lot of time for ferry etc. We took your advice and decided NOT to go to NFLD on this trip. The range of possible itineraries in eastern Canada is practically endless (you could do a kayaking itinerary, or a French-towns itinerary, for example), but I've focused on a few of my favorite places in this chapter. But let's start at the beginning before we dive into the details A whale shows its tail off the coast of Brier Island in Nova Scotia. There is at least one whale watch boat that leaves directly from Digby, and that would save you some time--instead of going out to Digby Neck like our group did. We are thinking of planning a trip this summer 2022. The site for the provincial parks is http://www.novascotiaparks.ca. Book your 2023 Canada Train or Road Trip with Canadas leading Vacation Specialist by Jun 30 and enjoy up to $6000 (per couple) in Savings. On about day 10, my kids asked if we could stop at a grocery store to get some baby carrots and cucumbers (something that had never happened before, and has never happened since). PLAN AN RV TRIP Map your route, find new adventures and explore Canada. I've looked at guidebooks and reviewed past topics on this forum and have some ideas as to where to go, including a very rough itinerary, but I'm still feeling a little lost in the planning stage. I realize NFLD is a place you could easily spend three weeks there alone, but we are planning on going back to NFLD next year. Now I'm actually considering going in September since some of you have mentioned how nice it was to visit the Maritimes at that time of year. A trip to Atlantic Canada packs a big punch, and all four provinces promise postcard-perfect scenery, eclectic culture, friendly people and that signature fresh seafood. Planning a trip to Amsterdam? We went to a parade here in Vancouver and she seemed to enjoy the bagpipers and the spectacle (she also enjoys kids concerts with all the music). Here are the links to our Top Questions. One of the largest draws? You would be better off financially, and in terms of driving, to stay in the smaller, more charming areas. Read More, Discover the magic of Red Mountain Ski Resort in Rossland, B.C. Open to ideas here as we plan to checkin at Moncton only in the evening. Your comment has been submitted for moderation. Its the largest and wildest provincial park in the province of Nova Scotia. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-6968071', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Lunenburg- which would be through the Valley to the South Shore will run you at least 3 hours depending on how many cars are on the single lanes roads that run throughout the Province.