We didn't get as far as Nova Scotia, and we drove up from NY, so I can only help you with the Fundy Bay area. We also missed St. John since we had been in Alma, where we based ourselves for 2 nights to explore Bay of Fundy area. Highly recommend. Really nice town, very quiet, but you can get your lobster and you're right near the park. Easy to get to Hopewell Rocks too.

We had travelled from there down the coast and took the ferry to Deere Isle then the ferry to Campobello Island and crossed the bridge back into Maine and stayed in Lubec. It was a very enjoyable day and the ferry rides are fun.

Don't go in June if you want warm water! July is better & August is best. Could you go in August?

And, a bit of triva....The Atlantic Provinces are: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island & Newfoundland.

The Maritime provinces are NS, NB & PEI.

Sounds as if you want to concentrate on NB. I am biased toward NS so I wld highly recommend NS especially The Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island. Baddeck is a good place to begin a tour of the Cabot Trail.

The beaches in PEI are spectacular, the lobster "suppers" legendary and the terrain is excellent for biking. It is easy to access PEI from NS.

Should have said Newfoundland and Labrador.....

Thanks for the correction on the Maritime/Atlantic Provinces.

tmurphy, I did not mean to "correct". Just wanted to make the distinction & for all I know you cld have been considering NL as well!!!

I too am biased toward Nova Scotia, where my ancestors settled in the 1770s. I especially like Yarmouth, Chester, Halifax (all south shore locations) and Pictou County (on the Gulf side).

I have enjoyed driving through NB to reach NS but would not confine myself to NB alone. IMO it is the least attractive and probably the poorest of the 3 maritime provinces.

The Gulf shore is OK but not amazing. My favourite area is the north tip of that shore -- driving S from Quebec, you come out along the Restigouche River. But that is likely too far away for your purposes.

Along the Fundy shore and environs, I would recommend St Andrews and (inland) Fredericton. I have seen St John but thought it poor and crummy. From there we have taken the ferry across to Digby NS but it was a fogbound day and we saw nothing, alas.

If you have up to 10 days, you can certainly see PEI and/or some of NS.

PEI is a great attraction to us Canadians because of the red earth -- perhaps no great treat to anyone who has seen southern Virginia. (You can find the same colours on the Gulf shores of NB and NS and on parts of the Fundy shore.)

Charlottetown is a pretty and surprisingly sophisticated town. The north shore has a wonderful long ocean park. Really, driving just about anywhere is blissful on a sunny day, particularly in high summer when every ditch and hollow is filled with pink, purple and white lupins.

Bummer that the Yarmouth-Bar Harbor ferry service has been suspended.

You could have driven a loop 1.Bangor- 2.Fundy Shore- 3.Tour of NS ending in Yarmouth- 4.Bar Harbor/ Bangor

Ahhhhh, yes....the lupins! Beautiful, tedgale! I think they bloom around late June in PEI. You can also buy lupin seeds for home plantings (if they will allow you to take them across the border...if not, maybe ship them??)

Tedgale: Can you suggest a route for a two or three day tour of Nova Scotia. I would be coming from New Brunswick and scince there is no Maine ferry, I would have to return that way. I would like to see/drive thru Cape Breton.

Our friends own an 18 room inn in St Andrews,
www.rossmountinn.com Chris & Graziella Aerni.
They are wonderful people, the food is fabulous, (he is a chef from Switzerland) and the inn is so relaxing. We have
stayed there and can tell you first hand, you won't be dissapointed.
Tell them Sherri from Pa gave you the info...

Hi - First I'm just a bit curious about your assumption that it is better to rent a car in the U.S. I'm Canadian but have also lived in the U.S. and have travelled extensively renting cars in both countries. In my experience it is no more difficult to rent in one country versus the other. One reason I ask is if your main goal is to vacation in Canada, you could save time by flying into Canada (e.g. Halifax) and renting your car there.

There is much to see and do throughout Atlantic Canada ranging from "pleasant" to "spectacular". At the "spectacular" end of the scale, I believe that Cape Breton Highlands National Park (and the Cabot Trail drive through it) probably tops things, but this is at the farthest point from your entry at Maine and maybe a bit too much driving as part of a 7 to 10 day tour out of Bangor (although I've done it in past). Closer - St. Andrews, as mentioned, is a very nice tourist-oriented town and you could explore some of the Fundy Shore from there. The tides are more dramatic at Alma and Hopewell Rocks. Seeing the contrast between low and high tide is best; if that can't be done - visit these areas at low tide (tables are available online). PEI is famous for beaches along the North Shore which I must admit I have avoided because I am adverse to the crowds I hear are usually present during the summer months when I tend to vacation. There are some beautiful beaches along the Lighthouse Route of Nova Scotia (southwest of Halifax) although these tend to be cold for swimming. But this region is a popular vacation destination just-the-same with quaint fishing villages and charming historic towns. Halifax is a very nice smallish city with a vibrant Harbor district and a good base for daytrips to some of these historic towns (e.g. Lunenburg, Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay).

tmurphy: I have never done the Cape Breton trip that others are speaking of. I am more familiar with the route around the western half of the island. The thing to recall about NS is that there is virtually nothing in the interior of the province. It is a huge area of forest. So any tour you take will be along the periphery. If you travel from NB, you could descend to the Wolfville area and visit the Annapolis Valley, along the Fundy shore (remember to visit Annapolis Royal) then head to Yarmouth.

From Yarmouth, you would head for the South shore, passing through the French-speaking part of NS and visiting Shelburne (where Demi Moore filmed The Scarlet Letter) and Barrington and Liverpool and Lunenburg and Chester on the way to Peggy s Cove and finally, Halifax.

From Halifax you could return to NB

mat54 After more reading and forum responses I must agree that it would be better to fly into Halifax. From there we plan to go to Cape Breton than take the ferry to PEI for a couple of days, drive over the bridge to NB to see Hopewell Rocks then drive back to Halifax. Should we rent the car and stay at a airport hotel or find a place in Halifax before going to Cape Breton. We would like to tour Halifax before our return flight. We are planning 10 or 12 days for our trip

Thanks
Tom

I'm guessing that your question is based on your flight landing later in the day. I've only flown into Halifax once and didn't stay near the airport, but my memory is that it's a distance away from the city and I am guessing there isn't much to do in the aiport vicinity. If you're heading straight for bed though, it might make sense to stay there. But there would be more to do in Halifax downtown. If driving all the way to Cape Breton upon landing is too far (about 3 1/2 to 4+ hours depending on where you're staying in Cape Breton), another option might be to start heading in that direction and stay somewhere like, perhaps, Pictou for the first night? (about an hour or so from Halifax airport).

Ten to 12 days out of Halifax will allow you to take a nice tour of the 3 provincies and see many of the highlights - especially if you leave time during your later Halifax stay for a day-trip down the "Lighthouse Route" to see Lunenburg, Peggy's Cove (which won't take long) and perhaps Mahone Bay. I'm glad you will be able to fit in Cape Breton.

There may be a NEW airport hotel that wd be pleasant to stay at -- but as of a few years ago, when I had to stay at the airport, the only airport hotel was a dump. Not unclean or anything sordid. Just crummy.

Many options in the direction of Cape Breton, as mat54 says.

The main roads in the Atlantic are fabulous: new, fast and empty.

("Paving" is a well-established pre-election activity in NS. As in: "If it moves, pension it; if it doesn't, pave it.")

Anyway, they're a pleasure to drive, even after a long flight.

It sounds like the OP has his essentials down.

I'd suggest printing out the tide information for various spots in the area, for the exact window of time you'll be on your trip.

click on my name and scan back on past threads/posts for details.

When driving from Moncton, NB back to Halifax, I'd recommend going down to Parrsboro from Amherst or Springhill and driving along the Fundy shore on Hwy #2.

there are 2 new hotels at Halifax airport...a Hilton Garden and a Holiday Inn Express both new in the last few years...enjoy the Maritimes!!

We stay @ The Hilton Garden Inn @ Hfx airport & it's fine. They have a shuttle from/to the airport (about 5 minutes).
I don't like their dining room which is basically in the lobby & very bright. They do have a dining room adjacent to the one in the lobby but they hardly ever use it...why I do not know.

If you are arriving at the Halifax airport in the evening and heading to Cape Breton the next day, I would recommend staying either at Briarwood B&B in Elmsdale 10 minutes north of the airport or heading 30 minutes further north to Truru where I would recommend Suncatcher B&B just north of the Town. If you do stay in Truro, have supper at Murphy's which I think has the best fish and chips (or fish and salad) in Nova Scotia. It's getting close to supper time and my mouth is watering thinking of it!

Talking of beaches, the beaches on the west coast of cape breton Island are every bit as good as those on PEI and there are NO crowds (and the water is equally warm).

Cheers

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Paradisefound: I might reconsider going to PEI for a couple of days if the beaches and water are as you say.

Looks like gas is around $1.10/litre which is approx $4.00/gallon US.

Any suggestions on where to rent a car at Halifax airport?

Here are a few ideas from what we did in

Nova Scotia:http://www.notabletravels.com/destinations/Canada/Nova%20Scotia/Nova%20Scotia.html

New Brunswick: http://www.notabletravels.com/destinations/Canada/St.%20Andrews%20By-the-Sea/St.%20Andrews%20By-the-Sea.html

To rent a car, check out CarRentals.com; it consolidates all of the major players in one spot, so you can compare them. We use it a lot; you can book online and take the printout with you. We, too, are arriving at night (9:00), so we're staying at the airport Holiday Inn Express (good reviews on Trip Advisor) and taking its airport shuttle in the morning to get our car - that saves you an extra day of car rental, and you can unwind in the pool after your flight!