jud compton

Need help for an itinerary to the Atlantic Provinces probably starting from Boston. We were looking at Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. <BR>Rail? Drive? Fly? We're very ignorant about that part of the world. Thanx for any suggestions.

Bob Brown

I can't help you much, Jud, but I will happily share with you what I know. Perhaps others can help fill in my gaps. <BR>We rented a car in Boston at Logan and drove. First we went up into New Hampshire and Vermont, then to Quebec, and then around the Gaspe Peninsula to <BR>New Brunswick. The Gaspe is slow going. We stopped to see the attractions listed in the guide book, but it took the better part of two days to make the circuit. Language is potentially a problem. We spent one night at St. Anne du Mont and a friend who is French called ahead for us. The other night was in New Carlisle, which was originally a Loyalist settlement, so some English is still spoken there. <BR>In Nova Scotia we visited several places including the Bell museum (of telephone fame) and spent the night at Cheticamp where we took a cruise to see small whales. One place we missed that I wish now I had seen in the fortress at Louisbourg. It gives a different slant on history -- from the French side. <BR>On the return trip, we drove along the Fundy shore and viewed the tidal flats and saw the effects of those 50 foot tides. The trip back to Boston was relatively slow. We took the route through Moncton and Calais where we picked up a route in Maine that led us eventually to Bar Harbor. Once we got on the Interstate, we moved along despite a heavy rain. If money is no problem for you, you might look into one of the ferry boats. There is one called the Bluenose that runs to a port on the southern end of Nova Scotia from Bar Harbor. <BR> <BR>Nova Scotia has a good website and the tourist bureau for the province puts out a very good tourist guide. I ordered mine over the Internet from the provincial website. We did not have time to take the ferry to Newfoundland. <BR>I cannot help you there. And we did not spend much time in New Brunswick. We did drive in from Quebec and crossed again on our way back to the States. <BR>Pleasent place; heavily forested in the areas we saw.

Danny

I have flown into Logan, rented a car, and driven up to and around the Maritimes. Driving is the only way to do it. There isn't any rail traffic in the Maritimes and buses are not frequent enough. I drove up to North Conway, NH for the factory outlet shopping. From there, I drove through mid-Maine via Bangor and Houlton to Woodstock, New Brunswick. The longest covered bridge in the world is just north in Hartland (about a 45 minute detour) but nothing much else in the area. Head south along the TransCanada highway. About 15 to 20 minutes south of Woodstock, you will go up a long hill which has a parking area on the left (it is just after a small sign for a road on the right for the Ritchie Road). Stop here for a moment and look back at the view of the river. It is the best spot along the St. John river for a photo op. Continue on to Fredericton, NB. This is a beautiful town with lots of old Elm trees. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery has one of the best Dali paintings in North America and take a drive down Waterloo row to see the old mansions. These houses are from families who made their 'old' money from running alcohol into the U.S. during the prohibition. Take the Trans-Canada to Moncton and there are a number of wonderful tidal effects to see. First, the tidal bore can be heard through most of the town twice a day (produced by a fast incoming tide). Hopewell Cape is nearby with the World's largest Flowerpots Rocks with trees on top carved by the tide. You will need to go back towards Moncton a bit to get across the bay and on towards Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia, Cape Breton is wonderful. The Cabot Trail is worth the trip. I have heard that Louisbourg is excellent but I haven't gotten down to that part of Cape Breton myself. This is the area where you could catch a ferry to Newfoundland if you choose. I haven't been but it is supposed to be a slice of Ireland in North America, very similar to the west of Ireland. Depending on the length of your trip, it might be better to see Prince Edward Island instead. They have a bridge now and the island is beautiful. Anne of Green Gables was set there. <BR>In any event, after Cape Breton, head for Halifax. The downtown is very nice. There are some wonderful restaurants in the wharf area. From Halifax, head for Peggy's cove. It is a little touristy but interesting. The drive along the coast goes through lots of villages. You should take the detour to Lunenburg. When you get to Yarmouth, you can take the ferry to Bar Harbor or continue around to Digby. I would continue around and go a bit past Digby to see Anapolis Royal and then take the ferry to St. John. St. John has the Reversing Falls which is an interesting effect but not very dramatic and it takes a while to see. The houses here are similar to Newfoundland. From St. John, follow the coast and stop in St. Andrews. There is a can't miss restaurant here beside the dock. I think it was called Fisherman's Wharf but my memory is a bit fuzzy there. Drive across at Calais and you are close to Campobello Island (FDR's summer residence). Follow the coast (old route 1) and there are numerous picturesque spots.

lisa

I did this trip in late Aug.-early Sept. of 1997. We did not get up to Newfoundland, but did go to Nova Scotia. Here was our itinerary for what it's worth. We flew into Boston Logan, rented a car, and drove up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine where we spent the first night at a wonderful secluded small hotel on the water called the Lawnmeer Inn (www.lawnmeerinn.com). Day two we drove up to Bar Harbor and explored Acadia National Park which was gorgeous and stayed in Bar Harbor overnight. Day three we took a morning ferry to Nova Scotia and drove to Halifax that afternoon, where we stayed 2 nights at another wonderful historic lodging called the Waverley Inn (www.waverleyinn.com). It is in a great location for walking all over the city. We adored Halifax. The botanical gardens were fantastic, and we had one of the best meals of our trip at a restaurant on the waterfront called Salty's (excellent seafood pie and garlic mashed potatoes). Day 5 we drove through Truro (stopped at a park there for a hike to Truro Falls, very pretty) on our way to the ferry to Prince Edward Island, and stayed that night and the next two nights in Charlottetown, PEI. We spent a lot of time driving all over the island while we were there (and visited the Anne of Green Gables sites too). We loved the scenery in PEI -- the pretty black and white churches, the red soil, golden fields, and the blue ocean made for some nice photos. Also, the fresh Malpeque oysters there are fantastic. Day 8 we left PEI and drove over the bridge into New Brunswick, and stopped for the night in St. John. Day 9 we drove down to Camden, Maine -- a beautiful little town we enjoyed a lot -- and stayed there overnight. Day 10 we drove back to Boston and few home. <BR>We really enjoyed the driving on the trip -- the scenery was very pretty. Only regret is that we didn't have time to make it up to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia which we've heard is gorgeous -- hopefully another time.

homes

<BR>You may want to consider flying into Manchester, NH or Providence, RI. The airfares can be dramatically less expensive, as well as the car rentals. Neither is far from Boston if you want to include that in your tour as well.

Patrick

You did not give an idea of how long you will be gone, so this is difficult. This is a reverse of what we did this summer, but I would suggest driving from Boston up to Bar Harbor, Maine and taking the super cat (high speed ferry) to Nova Scotia. We stayed at Digby one night, about an hour from Dartmouth where the ferry comes in. Then do the lighthouse route to Halifax. Definitely do the Cabot Trail. Next the ferry from Caribou, N.S. to Prince Edward Island for a couple of days. We stayed in Charlottetown for three nights and spent the two days driving around, one day East and one day West. Then across the bridge and on to St. John's, or better yet stay at either St. George or St. Andrews (which would be my choice). From there I would take the series of ferries across Deer Island and to Campobello, where you can drive back across to Maine. We only spent one day doing that round trip from St. John's but could have spent at least several days in that area. We were in the entire area from Quebec City to Bar Harbour for three weeks and if we had it do over again would cut out the Gaspe Peninsula and Fredrickton (in fact most of New Brunswick, except along the Bay of Fundy. Nova Scotia was by far the nicest of the whole trip. On advice of friends we did not go to Newfoundland, but if I had it to do over again, would have replaced Eastern Quebec (Gaspe) and most of New Brunswick with Newfoundland. Definitely drive. I got a lot of info from the Provinces' tourist bureaus, but best info came from AAA tour book.

Jack

We are going up there this summer too, have you found out about any good spots?

Douglas Gibbons

A common way to get to Newfoundland is to drive to North Sydney, ferry to Newfoundland ($62.00 for an auto + $20.00 per adult). This year a fast ferry will make the trip in about 3 hours to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia. It's easier than you think to do the trip. More info here: http://newfoundland.homepage.com and http://home.thezone.net/~gibbons Have a great trip. Doug.

Shane

Hi; <BR>I'm not sure how long you are going for but I can offer some approximate times it takes to travel between cities. <BR>Boston - Saint John, NB - 8 hours <BR>Saint John - Fredericton - 1 hour <BR>Saint John - Moncton - 1.5 hours <BR>Moncton - Halifax - 2.5 hours <BR>Moncton - Cape Breton - 3.5 hours <BR>from tip of island to Newfoundland ferry crossing - 1.5 hours <BR> <BR>These times are roughly based on driving 65 mph (110 kmh) and should give a good guesstimate.

elizabeth

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