lizdavematt

We will be holidaying from the UK late July for 3 weeks. (with our 17 year old son) We intend to see Toronto, Ottowa, Montreal etc. We are then thinking of PEI and Nova Scotia. What is there to do there and how long should we stay? Any suggestions for accommodation?

elberko

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I saw our other question about NS, and thought about posting, but I never know what would be useful to a very general question like this.

I think the most useful thing would be for you to think about why you are thinking of putting NS on your list?

We spent 6 days in NS, mostly in Cape Breton. I think it's mostly about natural beauty, and bigger than people expect.

Happy planning!
~Liz

Granadino

I would absolutely include Nova Scotia. It's worth at least 5 days. Take a circuite including Halifax, Hwy. 101 and Hwy. 103. Check out Trout Point Lodge (www.troutpoint.com), Prince George Hotel (www.princegeorge.com), and DesBarres Manor Inn (www.desbarresmanor.com)

ltt

i love ns and pei. i spent a week on pei and 3 1/2 on ns (could have used a few more days). i'd plan on at least 4 days in cape breton, 3 for the city of halifax and then figure out the rest once you've done more research. accommodations - you need to give us more details for us to be helpful. do you want a separate hotel room for your son? do you like cabins, b&b, basic motel or high end hotels with pools, room service etc. how much do you want to spend a night.

Retired_teacher

Build at least a week into your schedule for NS/PEI. Here's the link to the Nova Scotia tourism site, which you will find very helpful if you haven't already discovered it: http://www.checkinnovascotia.com/

Cape Brenton Island is the crown jewel of NS and you should allow a minimum of 3 days to explore it. Drive the Cabot Trail around the top of the island, spend some time in Baddeck, and tour the Fortress of Louisbourg for insight into the area's early history.

As for the rest of the island, a visit to Halifax is a 'must'. Stay in the city center near the Citadel and walk to the Maritime Museum. Drive along the south shore and be sure to stop in Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg to experience these scenic fishing villages. Overnight in Digby or Wolfville along the Bay of Fundy where you'll be amazed at the changes brought by the tides.

PEI is lower key and can probably be easily covered in 2 days. I'd suggest driving over by way of the Confederation Bridge and taking the ferry off to Pictou NS. Allow one day for the western side and stay up by North Cape. Return and explore the eastern coast the second day. My favorite memories of PEI in late July include discovering and eating wild blueberries through out the island, great seafood, and low key hikes along the coastline.

As an American, I found the people on both of these proviences to be warm and genuine. I'd suggest staying at some B&B accommodations to get a better flavor of the area and its people. In addition, the government owns and operates three resorts on NS which you might want to investigate: http://www.signatureresorts.com/ Although a bit pricey, you might want to seriously consider staying at the Keltic Lodge on Cape Brenton for its location and amenities. Regardless of where you decide to stay, I would definately recommend making accommodations in advance if you plan to overnight along the Cabot Trail as your options will be fairly limited.

wow

Great suggestions from Retired Teacher! But, just FYI & for your planning, Halifax is not on Cape Breton Island. It is on the mainland of Nova Scotia.

Retired_teacher

Oops....... I tried to indicate that I had finished with the info about Cape Brenton Island by changing paragraphs, but NS really isn't a island, is it? I should have said, &quot;As for the rest of the <font color="red">province</font>, a visit to Halifax is a 'must'.&quot; Thanks for catching my error, <font color="blue"><u>wow</u></font>

wow

Hi, Retired Teacher: I hate to be a pain, Teacher....but it is Cape Breton....not Brenton. LOL

Retired_teacher

Dear <font color="blue"><u>lizdavematt</u></font>, I truly apologize for the errors contained in my above posts. Most regulars on Fodors tend to be a mix of helpful individuals who try to give honest travel advice based on their own past travel experiences and I include myself in that group. Others treat this site as a chat line and often fail to consider the impressions that they may leave with new posters like yourself. Unfortunately, I have apparently angered <font color="blue"><u>wow<u></u></u></font> somehow either in the past or in this current post?

I believe that we would all be better served if she would concentrate her future efforts on a reply to your other post which deals with your Montreal to NS transportation question. Regardless, please come back to Fodors.... we're good people here!

ShadowM

It seems to me that you wish to see as much as you can in a short amount of time. However Toronto can be done in a few days depending on what you want to do. On your way to the East Cost you can follow the Trans Canada highway up to Ottawa then to Montreal.From there you can follow it to NS up to Cape Breton Island (very beautiful). I must say that if you make it to NS and go to P.E.I. take the ferry to PEI from NS (no cost) as it costs to leave the Island. It is not too expensive but it also depends on what you are driving. The confederation bridge is the best way to leave as a regular car should be about c$35.00 or so. Now I was last there in 2004 so prices might have gone up. Go to www.peiplay.com this should help you out. You can also call these provincial tourism and ask for a book
18006682746 Ontario
18772665687 Quebec
18005610123 New Brunswick
18005650000 Nova Scotia
18887347529 P.E.I.
Now I am not sure if you can use these numbers so if not try their web sites by typing in the &quot;province&quot;.com that should work if not let me know and I will see what info I can get to you.
Enjoy your trip. P.S. where do you depart from is it Toronto? It takes me 19 hours of straight driving with stops no sleep overs to get from Toronto to Summerside P.E.I. and from Toronto to Halifax about 20 hr or so. You might want to think about the driving time from point A-B and if you have to return to point A.

Granadino

The official Nova Scotia tourism web site is www.novascotia.com. It has lots of information and links.

cd

It has been a long time since we've toured Nova Scotia but what I remember the most is the 40foot tides of the Bay of Fundy, amazing! the beautiful and peaceful scenery driving Cabot Trail, and the tranquil fishing village of Peggy's Cove.