Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in one week
Mar 31st, 2015, 07:14 PM
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Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in one week
Hello,
I am planning a trip to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland with my boyfriend. We will leave from Montreal on may 23 in the morning by car and I was thinking if it would be possible to spend a few days in Nova Scotia (2 or 3 days) and then go to Newfoundland. We have to go back to Montreal in Mai 29 because we have our flight to Brazil from there. What do you think? And, if I have to choose, which one you suggest?
Thank you!!
I am planning a trip to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland with my boyfriend. We will leave from Montreal on may 23 in the morning by car and I was thinking if it would be possible to spend a few days in Nova Scotia (2 or 3 days) and then go to Newfoundland. We have to go back to Montreal in Mai 29 because we have our flight to Brazil from there. What do you think? And, if I have to choose, which one you suggest?
Thank you!!
Apr 1st, 2015, 02:49 AM
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You definitely have to choose, Nova Scotia is the only practical option given the short amount of time you have. Google maps estimates 12 hours of driving time from Montreal to Halifax, and that is without stops or complications. So that means two very long days of driving if you go straight through there and back, and only 5 days at your destination. That's probably about the right amount of time to do a quick circuit of Nova Scotia, leaving out Cape Breton and the Cabot trail which is the northern most scenic part.
What is it you are interested in seeing/doing? There are lots of ways you could spend your time exploring part of Canada without having to spend such long hours in the car.
What is it you are interested in seeing/doing? There are lots of ways you could spend your time exploring part of Canada without having to spend such long hours in the car.
Apr 1st, 2015, 03:34 AM
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not doable. if you want to do newfoundland, fly from montreal and rent a car.
if you want to drive to nova scotia, consider
montreal to moncton, nb (if you want a city) or shediac area (if you want the coast). stay the night.
next day drive to halifax visiting places along the way like truro
2 nights in halifax
drive to lunenburg visiting mahone bay and peggy's cove during the day. night in lunenburg.
drive to digby and spend the night.
back to montreal.
if you want to drive to nova scotia, consider
montreal to moncton, nb (if you want a city) or shediac area (if you want the coast). stay the night.
next day drive to halifax visiting places along the way like truro
2 nights in halifax
drive to lunenburg visiting mahone bay and peggy's cove during the day. night in lunenburg.
drive to digby and spend the night.
back to montreal.
Apr 1st, 2015, 06:05 AM
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Hi Renata,
Of these two, Nova Scotia is your only choice given your time frame, if you wish to drive from Montreal. And even that--it's a LONG way to Nova Scotia from Montreal; a lot of people stay overnight somewhere in between. I live in Montreal and have friends who do the drive; they find it a gruelling, boring (mostly trees, few vistas) day of driving even to get as far as Moncton, New Brunswick. If you were to plan of driving back this would give you 3 1/2 days in Nova Scotia (half of the 24th, the 25th, 26th and 27th; the 28th you should be starting the gruelling drive back to Montreal).
Frankly, I'd either fly to Nova Scotia or choose one of the many beautiful spots in Ontario or Quebec that are closer if you want a more enjoyable driving trip (Quebec City, Charlevoix, Tadoussac, Laurentians, Prince Edward County, Algonquin Park, Gaspesie, etc...).
Best wishes, Daniel
Of these two, Nova Scotia is your only choice given your time frame, if you wish to drive from Montreal. And even that--it's a LONG way to Nova Scotia from Montreal; a lot of people stay overnight somewhere in between. I live in Montreal and have friends who do the drive; they find it a gruelling, boring (mostly trees, few vistas) day of driving even to get as far as Moncton, New Brunswick. If you were to plan of driving back this would give you 3 1/2 days in Nova Scotia (half of the 24th, the 25th, 26th and 27th; the 28th you should be starting the gruelling drive back to Montreal).
Frankly, I'd either fly to Nova Scotia or choose one of the many beautiful spots in Ontario or Quebec that are closer if you want a more enjoyable driving trip (Quebec City, Charlevoix, Tadoussac, Laurentians, Prince Edward County, Algonquin Park, Gaspesie, etc...).
Best wishes, Daniel
Apr 1st, 2015, 10:58 AM
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Should/can we assume the OP is <i><b>from </b>Brazil??</i>
<b>IF</b> indeed you are <i>from</i> Brazil, and will be in Canada for some period of time, and have interest in such a side-trip, <I>then you really should just narrow your focus (for this leg) to <b>Nova Scotia only</b></i> and give the whole thing a whirl.
Travel to Nova Scotia is unique enough for people in North America, for it <b>not being <I>on the way</i> to anywhere</b>, but those from Brazil are never likely to get back for another chance at the area. And Nova Scotia and surrounds really are beautiful.
Renata, you don't saaaaaaaaaay whether you are able to <b>fly</b> one-way (coming back?) to Montreal.
For as much as I wanted you to at least give it a go, and <b>have an experience</b> to remember, the distance you'd need to travel is trending toward being too great, for a round-trip drive from Montreal.
(I plugged in just a couple of select important destinations (Hopewell Cape, Cabot Trail, and Halifax) and found it to be 2062 miles (35 hours of <b>driving time</b
to begin and end in Montreal by car)
<b>When cutting out the return leg from Halifax to Montreal</b> that cut it down to 1300 miles and 23 hours of <b>driving time</b>, which is still a minimum average of 4 hours a day in the car. (that part assumes you would <b>fly back to Montreal from Halifax</b
Even in that case the trip would be <I>mildly rushed</i>.
IF you cut it to the <I>bare bones minimum</i>, which to me would be akin to <b>Montreal-Hopewell Cape-Halifax-Montreal</b> <i>WITHOUT flying</i> it is <b>still</b> 1600 miles and 25 1/2 hours of <b>driving</b> across your 6 days..
But OK, if you were gonna give it a go, it would look something like this:
Day one: Drive from Montreal to Fredericton or Moncton, NB (which is 510 or 610 miles) (8 hours, 15 minutes, or 9 hours 40 minutes <b>of DRIVING time</b ... <I>aaaaaaaand you would <b>DO IT</b> in order to make something of the rest of your trip</i>.
So then you awake in Moncton on day two... knowing the <b>timing for LOW TIDE at Hopewell Cape</b> toward which you'd head, as a side trip, to walk on the sandy beach there with the tide out about as far as you've ever seen. (I already know that <b>Low Tide is at about NOON on Sunday, May 24</b
Then you'd leap back in the car, back-track toward Moncton, and then drive off toward Nova Scotia, ideally targeting <b>Baddeck for that 2nd night</b>.
(grand total for Moncton-Hopewell Cape-Moncton-Baddeck) <b>is STILL</b> 300 miles and 5 1/2 hours <b>of DRIVING time</b
I would book two nights in Baddeck, <b>where you would PRAY for clear, sunny weather</b> for a circuit of the Cabot Trail in between (which takes 4 1/2 hours <b>of DRIVING time</b> to go 190 miles from <I>Baddeck to Baddeck</i> (via Cheticamp and Ingonish)).
SO where are we:
Night one: <I>Moncton, New Brunswick <b>ideally</b></i>
Night two: Baddeck, NS
Night three: Baddeck, NS
Night four: Halifax, NS
Night five: Halifax, NS
... so that leaves <b>one more night</b> for you to <b>plot strategically along the 800 mile, <b>twelve hours of DRIVING time</b> between Halifax and Montreal.</b>
IF you lived in Vermont... maybe you'd think one way about this, but if you live in <b>Brazil</b>, this <b>IS</b> your main chance to see the area, and to make a <b>significant</b> side trip in eastern Canada.
Now perhaps 20 years go by, and your main memory of Canada is the reinforced awareness that it is <I>the 2nd-largest country in the world</i>.
But much of the scenery along that path is quite pleasant, and it is at least something to consider... (with ALL of the awareness you can gain, <b>before committing yourself</b
I guess we'll hold off on adding little <I>ideas</i> for doing anything aside from putting the pedal to the metal, until you determine whether or not you'll actually <b>go</b>.
<b>IF</b> indeed you are <i>from</i> Brazil, and will be in Canada for some period of time, and have interest in such a side-trip, <I>then you really should just narrow your focus (for this leg) to <b>Nova Scotia only</b></i> and give the whole thing a whirl.
Travel to Nova Scotia is unique enough for people in North America, for it <b>not being <I>on the way</i> to anywhere</b>, but those from Brazil are never likely to get back for another chance at the area. And Nova Scotia and surrounds really are beautiful.
Renata, you don't saaaaaaaaaay whether you are able to <b>fly</b> one-way (coming back?) to Montreal.
For as much as I wanted you to at least give it a go, and <b>have an experience</b> to remember, the distance you'd need to travel is trending toward being too great, for a round-trip drive from Montreal.
(I plugged in just a couple of select important destinations (Hopewell Cape, Cabot Trail, and Halifax) and found it to be 2062 miles (35 hours of <b>driving time</b
to begin and end in Montreal by car)<b>When cutting out the return leg from Halifax to Montreal</b> that cut it down to 1300 miles and 23 hours of <b>driving time</b>, which is still a minimum average of 4 hours a day in the car. (that part assumes you would <b>fly back to Montreal from Halifax</b
Even in that case the trip would be <I>mildly rushed</i>.
IF you cut it to the <I>bare bones minimum</i>, which to me would be akin to <b>Montreal-Hopewell Cape-Halifax-Montreal</b> <i>WITHOUT flying</i> it is <b>still</b> 1600 miles and 25 1/2 hours of <b>driving</b> across your 6 days..
But OK, if you were gonna give it a go, it would look something like this:
Day one: Drive from Montreal to Fredericton or Moncton, NB (which is 510 or 610 miles) (8 hours, 15 minutes, or 9 hours 40 minutes <b>of DRIVING time</b
... <I>aaaaaaaand you would <b>DO IT</b> in order to make something of the rest of your trip</i>.So then you awake in Moncton on day two... knowing the <b>timing for LOW TIDE at Hopewell Cape</b> toward which you'd head, as a side trip, to walk on the sandy beach there with the tide out about as far as you've ever seen. (I already know that <b>Low Tide is at about NOON on Sunday, May 24</b
Then you'd leap back in the car, back-track toward Moncton, and then drive off toward Nova Scotia, ideally targeting <b>Baddeck for that 2nd night</b>.
(grand total for Moncton-Hopewell Cape-Moncton-Baddeck) <b>is STILL</b> 300 miles and 5 1/2 hours <b>of DRIVING time</b
I would book two nights in Baddeck, <b>where you would PRAY for clear, sunny weather</b> for a circuit of the Cabot Trail in between (which takes 4 1/2 hours <b>of DRIVING time</b> to go 190 miles from <I>Baddeck to Baddeck</i> (via Cheticamp and Ingonish)).
SO where are we:
Night one: <I>Moncton, New Brunswick <b>ideally</b></i>
Night two: Baddeck, NS
Night three: Baddeck, NS
Night four: Halifax, NS
Night five: Halifax, NS
... so that leaves <b>one more night</b> for you to <b>plot strategically along the 800 mile, <b>twelve hours of DRIVING time</b> between Halifax and Montreal.</b>
IF you lived in Vermont... maybe you'd think one way about this, but if you live in <b>Brazil</b>, this <b>IS</b> your main chance to see the area, and to make a <b>significant</b> side trip in eastern Canada.
Now perhaps 20 years go by, and your main memory of Canada is the reinforced awareness that it is <I>the 2nd-largest country in the world</i>.
But much of the scenery along that path is quite pleasant, and it is at least something to consider... (with ALL of the awareness you can gain, <b>before committing yourself</b
I guess we'll hold off on adding little <I>ideas</i> for doing anything aside from putting the pedal to the metal, until you determine whether or not you'll actually <b>go</b>.
Apr 1st, 2015, 11:02 AM
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PS - customary use of the word <I>grueling</i> does not apply to the path from Montreal to Moncton, as these roads are not mountain switch-backs or coastal switch-backs or any such thing. They are long, straight, mostly scenic roads which are, for the most part, not heavily traveled. (I.E. you can count on estimated travel times being accurate barring some natural disaster that is unforeseeable)
Apr 2nd, 2015, 05:21 AM
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Hello,
Thank you very much for all the answers! Now I know I definitely have to choose.
Actually, I am from Brazil, and I will be in Canada (Montreal) for one month, but as my boyfriend will spend 3 weeks studying enlgish, this lets us with only the last week available to make a longer trip. We planned some short trips for the weekends (Toronto, Niagara Falls), but for this last week I wanted to do a differente trip, and searching on the internet these places seemed to be very nice.
Reading your suggestions, I am thinking that maybe we could start this trip one day before, on friday (may 22th) by noon, then drive to Moncton and spend this first night there. About flying, it's a good ideia to come back from NS...I will think about doing that. So it would be:
DAy 1 (may 22th): from Montreal to Moncton
Day 2 (may 23th): Moncton to Baddeck
Day 3 (may 24th): Baddeck
Day 4 (may 25th): Halifax
Day 5 (may 26th): Halifax
Day 6 (may 27th): Cape Breton (?)
Day 7 (may 28th): ?
Day 8 (may 29th): back to Montreal (maybe by plane)
What do you think?
Thank you!!
Thank you very much for all the answers! Now I know I definitely have to choose.
Actually, I am from Brazil, and I will be in Canada (Montreal) for one month, but as my boyfriend will spend 3 weeks studying enlgish, this lets us with only the last week available to make a longer trip. We planned some short trips for the weekends (Toronto, Niagara Falls), but for this last week I wanted to do a differente trip, and searching on the internet these places seemed to be very nice.
Reading your suggestions, I am thinking that maybe we could start this trip one day before, on friday (may 22th) by noon, then drive to Moncton and spend this first night there. About flying, it's a good ideia to come back from NS...I will think about doing that. So it would be:
DAy 1 (may 22th): from Montreal to Moncton
Day 2 (may 23th): Moncton to Baddeck
Day 3 (may 24th): Baddeck
Day 4 (may 25th): Halifax
Day 5 (may 26th): Halifax
Day 6 (may 27th): Cape Breton (?)
Day 7 (may 28th): ?
Day 8 (may 29th): back to Montreal (maybe by plane)
What do you think?
Thank you!!
Apr 2nd, 2015, 08:07 AM
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Wait, hold on... for I want to dwell just a moment on the idea of coming/going to <b>Montreal</b> to <I>study English</i>. (though in all fairness, I was <i>slightly disappointed</i> when in Montreal and overhearing <U>so much English</u> spoken casually in coffee shops and the like) (I'd rather it have been like my experience ordering pizza in <I>Riviere-du-Loup</i> from a woman who spoke <b>no</b> English, and me, <b>no French</b
OK, as to your revisions/updates...
Certainly you would <b>not</b> want to back-track to <I>"Cape Breton"</i> <b>after</b> <I>(already having been there</i> upon) your departure from Halifax.
Also, 610 miles <b>is a heck of a haul</b> (to get to Moncton) <b>IF</b> by chance you can't depart Montreal until noon (I know you said <I>"before noon")</i>.
<b>IF driving all the way, both ways</b>... those mentioned nights of Day 6 and Day 7 might be best targeted for the east side of <i>New Brunswick</i> somewhere, as you chip-away at the long trip back to Montreal. (perhaps Miramichi, NB and/or Rimouski, QC)
I really liked the pleasant drive along the St. Lawrence River, so to see that in daylight at a <b>non-hectic</b> pace would be peaceful.
Another scenic option for the first night <I>after Halifax</i> might be the Nova Scotia side of the <I>Bay of Fundy</i> <b>(Digby, Annapolis Royal, etc)</b>. (but that doesn't exactly put you any nearer to your eventual path back to Montreal)
Oh, and if you are <I>researching</i> on the internet, be sure to <I>(convince yourself that you should prioritize that trip to <b>Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick</b> by looking at photos).</i>
You <b>know</b> you are <i>somewhere</i> when you see a sign like <b>this</b> upon arrival! http://www.inspired-ramblings.com/wp...de-warning.jpg
Here are the tide times:
http://bayoffundytourism.com/tides/times/
And you should really spend some time there at home learning about the <b>Bay of Fundy</b> tides!! Have you ever seen rivers <u>turn around and flow UPstream on a <I>predictable basis</i></u>??? (Look up "Tidal Bore" to study that phenomenon... "Moncton" is a good spot to see it, and you'll want to find a schedule for that, in case it is convenient to see when you're there)
IF I were in your shoes right now, debating about the one-way plane trip, I would first <b>price one-way rental cars from Montreal to any of a handful of places in far-eastern Canada</b> (Halifax, Fredericton, NB, Moncton, NB)... <b>and combine those costs with the <U>airfares</u> from the respective places</b> <i>for knowing that you have the relative luxury of flying back from ANY of them (just to seek the best rates possible)</i>.
Now it might cost too much, when combining one-way airfare AND the cost of one-way car rental... so you might get right back to the round-trip car ride.
Hope this helps a little bit.
OK, as to your revisions/updates...
Certainly you would <b>not</b> want to back-track to <I>"Cape Breton"</i> <b>after</b> <I>(already having been there</i> upon) your departure from Halifax.
Also, 610 miles <b>is a heck of a haul</b> (to get to Moncton) <b>IF</b> by chance you can't depart Montreal until noon (I know you said <I>"before noon")</i>.
<b>IF driving all the way, both ways</b>... those mentioned nights of Day 6 and Day 7 might be best targeted for the east side of <i>New Brunswick</i> somewhere, as you chip-away at the long trip back to Montreal. (perhaps Miramichi, NB and/or Rimouski, QC)
I really liked the pleasant drive along the St. Lawrence River, so to see that in daylight at a <b>non-hectic</b> pace would be peaceful.
Another scenic option for the first night <I>after Halifax</i> might be the Nova Scotia side of the <I>Bay of Fundy</i> <b>(Digby, Annapolis Royal, etc)</b>. (but that doesn't exactly put you any nearer to your eventual path back to Montreal)
Oh, and if you are <I>researching</i> on the internet, be sure to <I>(convince yourself that you should prioritize that trip to <b>Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick</b> by looking at photos).</i>
You <b>know</b> you are <i>somewhere</i> when you see a sign like <b>this</b> upon arrival! http://www.inspired-ramblings.com/wp...de-warning.jpg
Here are the tide times:
http://bayoffundytourism.com/tides/times/
And you should really spend some time there at home learning about the <b>Bay of Fundy</b> tides!! Have you ever seen rivers <u>turn around and flow UPstream on a <I>predictable basis</i></u>??? (Look up "Tidal Bore" to study that phenomenon... "Moncton" is a good spot to see it, and you'll want to find a schedule for that, in case it is convenient to see when you're there)
IF I were in your shoes right now, debating about the one-way plane trip, I would first <b>price one-way rental cars from Montreal to any of a handful of places in far-eastern Canada</b> (Halifax, Fredericton, NB, Moncton, NB)... <b>and combine those costs with the <U>airfares</u> from the respective places</b> <i>for knowing that you have the relative luxury of flying back from ANY of them (just to seek the best rates possible)</i>.
Now it might cost too much, when combining one-way airfare AND the cost of one-way car rental... so you might get right back to the round-trip car ride.
Hope this helps a little bit.
Apr 2nd, 2015, 07:00 PM
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you need to get a better map or look at googlemaps.ca. baddeck is on cape breton. so you are going there, leaving, and going back!!! if you leave montreal at noon and drive to moncton, you will arrive there around midnight and that is if you don't stop much. that's ok for some...others don't like driving at night on unfamiliar roads. rethink your plan.
