Babbs

Hello all, hope someone can advise on our getting from NS to PEI, Newfoundland and Quebec. We will start in NS, a few days in Halifax then to Cape Breton Island for 3 days. I understand its 5 hrs from Halifax to North Sydney and from there very short ride to the ferry to Newfoundland. We originally thought we'd go to PEI from Halifax which is not too far but realized Cape Breton was supposed to be awesome. So we would like to go to PEI also but from Newfoundland? and then to Quebec province for the shortest drive I guess from Charlevoix and Quebec City and back down to USA. Question is what is best way to see all these areas, in what order to reduce driving. Maybe we should take a ferry, if there is one, from Newfoundland to PEI then on to Quebec??? Any advice is GREATLY appreciated. THANKS, Babbs

yrrebeulb

There is no ferry from Newoundland to PEI. The least amount of driving would be from Halifax to Cape Breton to take the Sydney ferry to Argentia, Newfoundland. The ride is about 16 hours and will put you on the Avalon Peninsula. You can return thru Agentia again or drive to Port Aux Basques and see the full island. You take another ferry from Port aux Basques to Sydney. You have to drive back the way you came in Cape Breton. You can drive to PEI from Nova Scotia and take the ferry back a different route to save on driving. There is no ferry from PEI to Quebec. You will have to drive thru New Brunswick by which ever route you choose. I suggest the Gaspe Peninsula as it it quite beautiful.

Tanya

It is about a 6-8 hour ferry ride from North Sydney to Port Aux Basques. I would recommend doing a midnight sailing, get a berth, and then you are ready to hit the road in the morning. It is about a 4-5 hour drive to the entrance of Gros Morne National Park. Across to St. John's is about an 8 hour drive from Deer Lake. You need at least one if not 2 weeks for Newfoundland.

Babbs

Thank you for your insight. Obviously I am not familiar with the area. I didn't realize it took so long by ferry to get to Newfoundland and wonder if we should go there now. Would you recommend it, maybe for another trip? Reading through the posts yesterday I realized that we should go to NB and see the tides. So maybe Bar Harbour, Nova Scotia -Halifax-Cape Breton, PEI, NB then on to Charlevoix and Quebec City? We have about 2 wks. Ferry or drive to NS from Bar Harbour? How long does ferry take? Thanks again so much for any tips. Cheers, Babbs

Babbs

Dear Tanya, Thanks for the tip. After reading the posts and yours maybe we should do Newfoundland another time. You're saying just for Newfoundland alone we need 1-2 wks?

kodi

HI, I'll jump in here! I totally agree that you need at least 2 weeks for Newfoundland. At the very, very least one week if you just wanted to visit one area.
I think you'd be wise to leave Newfoundland for another trip.

Enjoy your time in the other provinces.

Tanya

Newfoundland really deserves a separate vacation in itself. The region is huge and both coastlines very diverse!

We travelled recently from Lubec, Maine to Nova Scotia border, only stopping for lunch in St. Stephen and to stretch our legs. It was about 7 hours driving time.

Bar Harbour is a must! I would drive from Bar Harbour towards Saint John, NB crossing at Calais, Maine into Canada (St. Stephen). The crossing coming into Canada wasn't as busy as the one heading into the US (about a 4 hour wait) and probably longer now! About 20 minutes outside of Saint John there is a little place called St. Martin's. DO NOT MISS IT! Such a beautiful spot. There is a nice campground on the ocean where you can spend the night.

The next day, you can take the backroads into Fundy National Park. I would recommend you spend a night here. The park is absolutely breathtaking and lots to do. Depending on the tides, you could do Hopewell Rocks the next day on your way out of NB. It is about a 30 minute drive past the Park. Another spot between Alma (Fundy National Park) and Hopewell Rocks is Cape Enrage. Not sure if you want to drive a big RV up to the top, the roads are very narrow with lots of sharp curves - but the view is beautiful.

Head towards Moncton and from there I would take the Confederation Bridge to PEI. When leaving PEI, take the ferry to Pictou and you can head towards Cape Breton Island.

Babbs

Dear Tanya, thanks a million for the info. We are leaving in a week and I am a bit overwhelmed!

Tanya

Don't overplan! The best vacations happen when you discover the spots you haven't even thought about. What is magical to one person may not appeal to another. I am sure you will enjoy your trip and we will like to hear about it upon your return.

Babbs

Tanya,
That was the point of our getting the RV so we could just GO! So then I think we'll stick with the plan up until Cape Breton and then take it from there, maybe drive back to get ferry to PEI then onto NB, Fundy etc then to Quebec city area. Oh yea that's what I'm talking about!! Will post on our return. Cheers!