Drive or take ferry from Maine
 

We are planning a trip to Halifax and PEI and was wondering if it would be cheaper to drive their ourselves or take the CAT ferry from Maine? How long would a drive would it be? Also, should we start in Halifax or PEI? Which would be less crowded on the weekend?

Thanks for any help!

Why not a circle. Take the ferry one way, and drive the other way.

BAK

I do the trip fairly often from NYC. Where are you starting from?

Bar Harbor to Halifax is about 440 miles. 3/4 of it is freeway. So, maybe 7.5 hours.

If you take the CAT, it's about 3 hours on the ferry from Bar Harbor, then 301km or about 3 hours to Halifax. But you probably have to get there a little earlier. Also, if you're starting from somewhere other than Bar Harbor, your time saved is even less.

Difference in driving distance is about 260 miles (180 vs 440). Say your vehicle averages 26MPH, that's only 10 gallons of gas. Even at $3.5, you only save $35.

A vehicle on the CAT costs at least $95. $105 in summer, and more on certain departures. Adult fare is at least $53 + $10 security fees. Two adults and a car, and you're over $200. Each way.

You get my drift. It may be a fun experience, and some people may also really hate driving. But otherwise, its benefits for going to Halifax is slim. If your destination is closer to Yarmouth or SW Nova Scotia, then it may make a little more sense.

It all boils to time vs money. We're taking the CAT from Yarmouth to Bar Habor to save time. But it's expensive...$128 for each motorcycle with rider....and we're going with 4 bikes!

We did it in a circle last year (you can probably find my trip report by clicking on my name, if you are interested). I thought it was worth it to take the Cat one way to save the driving in a trip where there was a lot of it.

I would recommend Halifax on the weekend, because I think it is more likely that there will be stuff going on in the city, on a summer weekend. We were there during the Buskers festival, which means it was crowded but not unpleasantly so. Meanwhile you might prefer the less crowded beaches on PEI during the week.