We're doing a road trip to PEI and Nova Scotia in September. We'll have 4 nights on PEI and then 5 in Nova Scotia. Our focus there will be Cape Breton (we've already been to Halifax, Digby, Lunenburg, etc. on a previous visit).

Here's my question - I wondered about staying in either Pictou or Antigonish for our first night in NS? Another possibility is Cheticamp. Then maybe Neil's Harbour for the next night? We're then planning on 3 nights in Baddeck before starting the drive back to Toronto.

Thanks in advance.

We're doing a similar trip in a month - 5 nights PEI, 5 nights Cape Breton.

In PEI, we're staying at a cottage near Montague (we know the Island well having lived in Charlottetown for over 2 years and found a great, quiet location). From there, we'll take the ferry to NS and head to Cheticamp for 2 nights, then to Baddeck for 3 nights.

Is your first stop in Nova Scotia just to sleep or will you be sightseeing the next day? I think that'll affect the choice of first stop. How many days are you allotting for the drive out? We live in Gatineau (across from Ottawa) and we're doing the drive in 2 days.

We're planning on taking 2 days to get to PEI. We'll stop in Quebec City the first night, then I'm thinking of stopping in Fredericton. We've been to Quebec City several times before, also Fredericton once before. From Fredericton, we'd drive over to PEI for 4 nights.

It's more driving than I like to do, and we may end up leaving Toronto on the Friday night and maybe going as far as Kingston. Then it's a much shorter drive to Quebec City. (Mind you, leaving Toronto on a Friday night is not necessarily a good idea - traffic can be brutal!) However, once we get to PEI, I know driving distances will be fairly short, so we can relax.

I kind of like the idea of spending the night in Pictou when we leave PEI. Then we could drive to either Cheticamp or Neil's Harbor for a night. Neither would be that far to drive. Then back to Baddeck. But I guess I'm open to suggestions.

If you do leave Friday night and make it up to Kingston, you could go further than Quebec City the next day, to Rivière-du-Loup or even Edmundston. From there, you could make it to PEI the next day.

As for whether to stay in Pictou, it depends on what time you're arriving. Will you be taking the ferry from Woods Island? If you're arriving in the evening, it might be a good idea. If not, you could make it up to Cheticamp.

Take a day and explore Pictou and the surrounding area. You can also opt to take Confederation Bridge back and travel towards Pictou via the Sunrise Trail. There are a couple of spots worth stopping along here including Jost Winery, Tatamagouche Village (Sunrise Mercantile, Sara Bonnyman Pottery, Raven Gallery, etc.), Lismore Sheep Farm.

i loved pictou. great little town and if you like a beach, the caribou/munroes provincial park is between the ferry and pictou. beautiful spot.

i did not enjoy cheticamp. i had to ask for some directions in town on two separate occassions and found the people VERY unhelpful.

I recently returned from a two week trip to NS, NB and PEI, of which I spent three days in Cape Breton Island. I stayed two nights in Baddeck, driving the entire Cabot Trail in one very long day, stopping at the Salmon Museum along the Margaree River, at some of the galleries, in Cheticamp and several places in Cape Breton Highlands National Park before returning to Baddeck. Clearly the most scenic part of the trail is the west coast of the national park, and it was a spectacularly sunny and clear day. There was also some nice scenery on the east coast but frankly it was getting late so I decided not to spend as much time there. Be prepared for a very long day if you plan to make any stops or hike any of the trails in the national park. From there I went to Glace Bay to see the Miners' Museum (retired miners take you on tours of the coal mines beneath the ocean surface - the miners' stories are especially interesting) and Louisbourg, where I stayed overnight. The Louisbourg Fortress was outstanding - I spent about 6 hours there - and well worth a detour. Glace Bay and Louisbourg may all be accessible as day trips from other points in CB, but you may find it more convenient to spend one night closer to Louisbourg if you plan to visit there.