I will be going to NS, NB and PEI June 15-29. My original plans were as follows:

Day 1: Arrive in Halifax about 7 pm
Day 2: Visit Halifax
Day 3: Drive to Lunenburg via Peggy's Cove.
Day 4: Drive to Annapolis Royal
Day 5: Take ferry to Saint John (leaves Digby 1 pm, arrives SJ 4pm).
Day 6: Visit Saint John (Uptown, Reversing Falls, and possible day trip to either Fredericton or St. Andrews)
Day 7: St. Martins, Fundy NP, Hopewell Rocks, overnight in Moncton.
Day 8: Drive to PEI, overnight in Charlottetown.
Day 9: Visit PEI NP, return to C'town.
Day 10: Drive to Cape Breton Island, Overnight in Baddeck area
Day 11: Drive Cabot Trail (or at least part of it)
Day 12: Finish Cabot Trail, Louisbourg
Day 13: Sherbrooke Village
Day 14: Return to Halifax
Day 15: Fly home in the morning

With this itinerary, I would be passing through Hopewell Cape in the late afternoon, which unfortunately is very close to HIGH tide.

After reading some of the pros and cons of Saint John, and finding out that low tide at Hopewell is about noon time, I am considering spending only 1 night in SJ, and then visiting Hopewell and Fundy NP in a clockwise loop from Moncton. That way, I can get to Hopewell in the a.m. during low tide.

Questions:
1. If I left Moncton in the morning and visited Hopewell Cape and Fundy NP, should I plan to return to Moncton the same evening (late is OK, because there will be lots of sunlight) ... or should I plan to spend a night somewhere near the park, e.g., in Alma?

2. When I drive from SJ to Moncton, is it worth going through St Martins, or should I just take the TCH (in other words, will the scenery at St Martins duplicate that at Fundy and Hopewell)?

Also,
3. When driving from Moncton to PEI via the bridge, is it better to go via Shediac or via Sackville.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

From Saint John to Alma, the secondary road which will take you through St. Martins is a nice drive. St. Martins is a lovely spot but you don't need to spend a lot of time. Good picture opportunity with covered bridges, etc. Not at all like Hopewell Rocks. Your other option would be to stop at Fundy (Alma) for the night giving you time to explore the National Park and the next day visit Cape Enrage (in my opinion, more spectacular than Hopewell Rocks) and then the Rocks on your way to PEI.

i would definitly take saine john out of the itinerary. it was a very disappointing city to me and the reversing falls were not worth the time. when you pay to go to hopewell rocks, it allows you entrance for 24 hours. in my opinion, i'd try to go at high tide just to see it. only need to plan on an hour or so for that. then return for low tide allowing yourself a few hours to explore. fundy national park is really beautiful.

I would probably skip Saint John as well...really it is a port city and very industrial...St. Andrew's is a lovely little town, fairly touristy...and your drive along the coast is probably around the same...Fredericton, on the otherhand is really beautiful, the downtown area is on a river, and I just love it...I am a little biased, as I am from F'ton, but I think it is more worth a visit then Saint John or Moncton.

Hi JustWandering,

Make sure to leave early on Day 4 because it will be pretty long... Try to make it to Annapolis Royal for suppertime, they have nice restaurants there. As an evening activity in Annapolis, the graveyard candle tour is well done (http://www.tourannapolisroyal.com/graveyard.html)

Day 5-6; if you decide on a day trip to Fredericton from Saint John, you might as well overnight in Fredericton on Day 6. Not having to drive back south to Saint John would save you some driving time (that would eliminate St. Martins from your itinerary though)

On to your questions:
1. You can definitely do the loop Moncton-Hopewell Cape-Fundy Park in a day.

2. St. Martins is a nice stop for pictures, but considering your schedule, I think I would take the fast track to Fundy Park.

3. Moncton-PEI Bridge - through Sackville will be quicker (highway); through Shediac will be slower (closer to the shore, going through small villages, etc. - not that scenic i find). Sackville is a nice place for a stop, it's a small university town with nice waterfowl park. Just before the PEI bridge, if you get off at the Cape Jourimain nature centre, there are great views on the bridge.

Have a pleasant trip in the Maritimes!

If you are up in the air about Saint John, just check out the link for the uptown (aka tourist) area. Shops, history, restaurants. The only 'industrial' place you will see is the Paper Mill at the Reversing Falls. Not a reason to skip this city, in my opinion
http://www.tourismsaintjohn.com/file....cfm?section=1

I agree with the previous post. Saint John has lots to offer if you want to spend a day/evening. Good dining, music and lots happening along the waterfront.

If I may jump in with a question, does anyone have a recommendation of a nice lunch spot near the Confederation Bridge?

Thank you all for your suggestions. I have returned from my trip and, based on your suggestions, I stayed only one night in Saint John. I arrived on the ferry around 4 pm and went to the Reversing Falls (it's right near the ferry terminal and it was high tide) and then headed for my "hotel" (actually, a studio apartment in a historic mansion, owned by Chipman Hill Suites, in the Uptown district). After checking in, I walked around Uptown for about 2 hours. There was a lot of interesting architecture and quite a few interesting places to eat as well. Unless you want to go to some of the museums, that was probably enough time.

The following morning I went back to see the Reversing Falls at low tide. I agree that the falls are not that impressive, but it is kind of neat to go there twice and see the difference between high and low tides if the times are convenient and you are interested in that sort of thing. From there I went to St. Martins (a nice little "town" with interesting sea caves along the shore), drove through Fundy NP and walked along some of the short trails near the visitors' center and Wolfe Point, and stayed overnight at a B&B near Hopewell Rocks. I spent a good part of the following day at Hopewell Rocks (make sure you get there around low tide) and decided to quit early and spent the night at Moncton, just an hour or so further. I highly recommend the microbrewery in downton Moncton, just east of the city hall - great beers and great hamburgers (by this time, I needed a break from seafood).

From there on, my trip was pretty much as I originally planned. The weather was kind of cool and cloudy but I was fortunate that the two sunniest days were the ones where I drove the Cabot Trail (I drove the entire 300 km, returning back to Baddeck, in one long day, stopping many times along the way), and the day I visited Louisbourg (outstanding). I also recommend the Miners Museum in Glace Bay. Retired coal miners take you on tours of the coal mines located beneath the ocean surface. The mines are interesting and the museum has some interesting exhibits, but the miners' stories are even more interesting.

Hi Just_Wandering, thanks for taking the time to let us know how your trip went! I'm happy you had a good time. And we love the Pumphouse Microbrewery too