A week Nova Scotia/New Brunswick
 

My husband and I will have about a week (give or take a couple days) to spend exploring Nova Scotia and/or New Brunswick at the end of our trek up the New England Coast. Would also like to include PEI in there. Is one day in PEI enough? How best to divide out time? Halifax? Is St. Johns N. B. worth a stay? Fundy Natl. Park? Can we even fit all of that in? Don't mind the driving but don't want it to be the ONLY thing we do. Thanks for any input.

What time of year are you traveling? Do you have any special interests?

cheers

Jerry

Sorry...forgot to include that we will probably arrive end of September 2006. We love beaches, local culture, historical sites, anything water related, short hikes, and visiting good pubs and restaurants. Not into camping anymore but love nature.

Hello,

I've been a tourist to those provinces and, given the rest, I would say that you could devote just a day to PEI.

Be sure to save about $40 (not a typo) for the toll fare off the island on the big bridge.

Charlottetown is a reasonable small town, but you can proooooobably just drive through it once or twice to retain some sense of it. Otherwise, the island is flat and not outlandishly long... I'd drive the shores on the side of your choosing (for me, the national park on the coast due north of Charlottetown was pleasant even in March, when about 40 degrees - there was zero wind for some reason)

Enjoy the rolling hills and general flat look of PEI... but devote more of your trip to NS and NB.

I'd do 2 nights in Halifax... definitely do the Bay of Fundy (I've written at length on that subject here - do a search)

St. Johns - It is OK, but when I was in the area, I was eager for the tide-related sightseeing that lay just ahead.

A must is "Hopewell Cape" (and in a perfect world you'd find a way to see it first at low tide, and then at high tide). Do low tide first... cuz your mind would believe it if you couldn't get back for high tide (I don't know if the opposite is true).

Drive out to Peggy's Cove, maybe an hour from Halifax, to have lunch or dinner at the lighthouse one day.

If you're so inspired, drive up to Cape Breton and spend at least one night somewhere up there to make your trip less rushed.

Moncton, NB is OK, and if you time it right, the "Tidal Bore" is fun to watch from there.

I passed on the reversing water falls in St Johns.

Hope some of this helps.

Very much so,and thank you so much. I will definitley look for your Bay of Fundy info. Beth

I would suggest the following itinerary.

If you are driving up from Maine, take the Calais, ME border crossing into St. Stephen, NB. St. Andrews is a nice place to spend the night and is only 1 hour from the border. It is a seaside resort town with whale watching, sea kayaking, etc. You could then go to Fundy National Park and the Hopewell Rocks (province’s No. 1 tourist attraction) and spend the night in one of the nice cabins that are available - really nice scenery. Head to PEI, taking the Confederation Bridge and spend the night in Charlottetown. The next day you could visit the beaches and dunes and the historic properties then the next morning, take the ferry to Nova Scotia (http://www.peiferry.com/) and either spend the night in Picot or New Glasgow and head to Halifax the next day, or drive directly to Halifax (it's only a few hours). You would want to spend at least one full day in Halifax, great art gallery and historic properties, as well as restaurants.

When you are heading back to the US, you could drive back through Fredericton, NB (capital city) and up the Saint John River valley and cross back into Maine at the Houlton border and take the I-95 back home.

I live in New Brunswick and am quite familiar with NS and PEI, so if there's anthing special you want to know, drop me a line.

Thank you so much. Really helpful as I am clueless about the area. I am printing this out and when I get a little more organized would love to pick your brain a little, Old Maritimer! Thanks again... Beth