Can you provide more info?

How long do you have for the trip? What is your budget? Are you planning to rent a car and drive from Montreal to Halifax, or take trains and/or buses part of the way? Are there any things that are must-sees you already know about (you mentioned fall colours, for example)?

Is there a particular reason you are flying into Montreal? It is 1,200 km by road from Halifax!

Great!
Just a reminder that Canadian Thanksgiving is Monday, October 8 this year (2012). So reserve your flights and hotels as early as possible b/c that weekend will be very busy and some things will be closed.

From where are you flying when you say you are thinking of flying "into Montreal"? Then do you plan to fly from Montreal to Halifax? The reason I ask is this: If you want to visit Cape Breton, you may want to consider flying Direct/Non-stop from Toronto to Sydney which is located on Cape Breton Island. Both Air Canada & Westjet have "Seasonal" direct, non-stop flights (2 hours)(Seasonal: May-October).

We can talk about itinerary once you have figured out from where you will be starting.


OB1

If you want to see the maritime provinces I suggest you fly in to Halifax or Moncton.
The fall colours on the Cabot Trail are usually spectacular, usually early October.

I would also suggest that if you are interested in local flavour that you include some of the concerts or after parties from the Celtic Colours Festival.
http://www.celtic-colours.com/

Also if you google Celtic Colours tours, many companies seem to offer bus trips from as far as Ontario that tour through Quebec to Cape Breton.

I am coming from Oregon so we would fly out of Portland.
We had thought we would spend a couple of nights in Montreal, then take train to Quebec City and spend a couple of nights. We would have 2 weeks.
Thanks for reminder about Canadian Thanksgiving.

After Quebec City don't have a plan on the best way to proceed. Maybe 2 weeks is not enough time to see the Maritimes and both Quebec City and Montreal.
I do want to see the usual tourist things- Peggy's Cove, Bay of Fundy etc

Ocean- I read in a post that you have spent a lot of time in Cape Breton - how many nights would be best to spend there.

If the other women who said they were interested both come along we could rent a car and do some driving.

I really did not realize that it was 1200 miles to Halifax -

I wonder about doing a tour between Quebec City and the Maritimes?

Hi,

I'm a travel writer with a blog called bostoncanadatravel.com so you can find useful information for your upcoming trip. Nova Scotia in my opinion is a great road trip kind of place, because there is so much natural beauty to be seen. If you want to include Cape Breton, you'll have to add quite a bit of time, as you have to take a ferry and it's a very long drive.

So you have to decide if you want to do Northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, or Southern Nova Scotia. If you're flying into Halifax, you're pretty much right in the middle, so you can decide to go either way.

If Southern Nova, you should definitely go to Lunenburg, a UNESCO heritage site, and Digby, famous for its scallops. Then there's the White Point Beach Resort which is stunning.

I'm not so familiar with Northern Nova Scotia, but I've been told it's much more driving, more natural beauty and smaller rural towns than in the south.

Hope this is helpful!

Jeanine Buckley
http://www.bostoncanadatravel.com

sunbum - Montreal to Halifax is 1,200 km (so only 750 miles—but still a good distance!)

jb, Take a ferry to get to Cape Breton? What the heck are you talking about? Perhaps you are thinking about Newfoundland! One does not have to take a ferry to get to Cape Breton Island from mainland Nova Scotia.

sun,
To really enjoy Cape Breton, at a leisurely pace, I would suggest a minimum of 4 days. Whatever you decide, factor in a "fog day"/rain day!

OB1

Hi sunbum

One option is if you're interested is the overnight train from Montreal (or Quebec City) to Halifax on VIA Rail. It's a lovely ride (if you go sleeper class) and gets you into Halifax late in the afternoon...not inexpensive though.

Just a thought, Daniel

Hi Sunbum, I live not so terribly far from you, and I love Nova Scotia, and have been to all of the spots you seem to have in your sights. Something that not everyone else can appreciate is the extreme 'remoteness' of Nova Scotia to you and I.

With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense to dig down and make this THE trip where you cover the Maritimes considerably/fully, given how uncommon/unlikely it would be to get back there. Among Nova Scotia's most prominent highlights is that it is not on the way to anywhere and thus it isn't overrun by society.

The fact that you are inspired to fly into Montreal and out of Halifax assures that your mentioned "two weeks" really is plenty of time to know a great sense of the Maritimes and eastern Quebec.

I can't think of any reason not to go right with your initial instinct that way, so lets start with that idea:

(gonna begin on the 1st since somebody up there suggested "early October" for fall colors in NS)

SO... Fly to MTL on 10/1

Eh, 3 nights in MTL is probably right - just cuz it's MTL

2 nights in Quebec(city)... and on the path there from MTL, I love the path along the St. Lawrence on Hwy #138 between Trois Rivieres and QC. If you soon tire of that, the bigger freeway is very close-by for faster transit.

SO, we awaken in QC on the 6th:

While some of me is drawn to the unfamiliar-to-me path further along hwy #138 on the NORTH side of the river, I wouldn't dare it myself unLESS I fully MASTERED the ferry transport from St. Simeon across to Riviere-du-Loup. IF you research that fully, and feel confident about getting across, then go for that path (I simply never looked into it - I went across to the south side, and liked some of the quaint towns along the path to Riviere-du-Loup there).


So lets say you wake up on the 7th in Riviere-du-Loup

On this day I want you to boldly make an effort to reach Moncton, NB (after 5 1/2 hours of driving, and 358 MILES).

You can lunch and/or sightsee in Fredericton, NB along the way.

On the 8th you awaken in Moncton, NB... and you arrange your day so that you go down to Hopewell Cape, NB at/near to low tide so that you can go down and walk waaaaaaaaaaay out in the sand, which will be covered in dozens of feet of water 6 hours later.

Low Tide at Hopewell Cape on October 8, 2012 is at 12:44pm local time (FYI - laugh)

(Fundy tide tables: http://www.lau.chs-shc.gc.ca/cgi-bin/tide-shc.cgi?queryType=showZone&language=english&region=5&zone=30 )

So you'd mope around Moncton that morning and not be rushed by an 11:00am-ish drive down to Hopewell Cape.

IN MY perfect world you would still be able to endure a 281-MILE, 5-hour drive to Baddeck, Cape Breton, NS that afternoon/evening.

To do so would be helpful in assuring the best possible opportunities for sightseeing the next day. Stay TWO nights in Baddeck, NS (you'll be ready for a bit of rest, after lots of driving for 2 consecutive days). Most importantly this affords two chances at The Cabot Trail in clear weather.

At the first sign of a sunny, clear day, you high-tail it for the Cabot Trail. A circular trip involves 185 miles and 4 1/2 hours to get back to Baddeck. IF the first day is foggy, then you go and visit Sydney and Louisbourg on that day, and then pray for clear weather on the 2nd day! (and, um, good luck with that).

SO, October 10 you awaken in Baddeck, and if you are wiped-out at that point, you might even be able to afford another night there time-wise.

Otherwise, you head back down south and west toward Truro, and then south to Halifax. While some of the Atlantic coast has plenty of appeal, the path from Antigonish due south to the eastern shore along Hwy #7 is a considerably slow go with plenty of twists and turns.

However, IF indeed you got an early start from Baddeck, and were inclined to try that path, you could justify it.

(the Baddeck-Truro-Halifax path is 220 miles / 4 hours, FYI)

(the Baddeck-Antigonish-Ecum Secum (Yay Ecum Secum!!!)-Halifax path is 250 miles, FIVE hours, 20 minutes)

IF it is already October 11 (extra/3rd day in Baddeck), then you still have 3 or 4 nights to go. I would envision each of those in Halifax, with a certain day trip to Peggy's Cove (eat by the lighthouse)... Lunenburg... and in MY ideal world, another day trip to see the fantastic Fundy Tides from the NS side.

If you and your two single lady friends are hikers by any chance... you might consider the impressive hike to Cape Split, NS. You drive to/past Scots Bay, NS... and as far out as you can go before you have to park your car. Then you hike for a 5-hour round trip, and halfway through that you find yourself on a windy bluff, overlooking the water far below you, with the world's highest tides roaring all around.

If inclined to do so, perhaps one of those last nights (of the 11th, 12th or 13th) someplace other than Halifax... maybe Pictou, NS... others suggest Annapolis Royal.

At any rate, you'd be positioned in/near Halifax for your flight home on what would be the 15th, in my little skit here.

Allow some time in central Halifax, and the harbor there... perhaps even taking the passenger ferry across the water to Dartmouth just for kicks (and maybe even in the thick fog).

Hope this gets you thinking...

wow- very helpful - thank you all

While I do like many of NWM's suggestions, I wld recommend allowing 2 full days for The Cabot Trail. Leave from Baddeck in the morning. Proceed around the Trail in a counter-clockwise direction (my own personal preference but others prefer clockwise). Stay in Ingonish that night. Continue on the next day to complete your tour of The Cabot Trail ending in Baddeck. Or, stay in Ingonish for 2 nights and enjoy the area.

Just to clarify: I mean stay in Ingonish for 2 nights ( instead of just one) and then continue on the next day to complete your tour of the Cabot Trail ending up in Baddeck.

OB1

thanks everyone- looks like the people I was planning to do this with have baled on me for this year so will file this away and hopefully do next year - appreciate all your input-

sun,
or you cld go solo!

I could go solo but not so much fun and have to foot the whole expense myself- I have one more possible opportunity- a lady who grew up in Cape Breton- she is checking her schedule- maybe will work out- and she is an expert on the area.

I really want to go!!

I wish you well in finding a travel companion. And nothing like a local to show you around!