Is a week on PEI too long?
 

Planning a week to PEI. Never been to maritime CA, so wondering if I should split time between PEI and Nova Scotia. Would prefer to rent a home on the coast rather than stay in a hotel, but of course, that means a week or longer rental minimum. Your thoughts?

When are you coming?

Early June... most likely

It's still cold in early June.

I believe I read May-June to have an average high of 14C. Am I wrong?

I don't know what he "average high" is. But early May is a lot colder than early June. And, for me, early June is cold. Definitely too cold for the beach but maybe you don't care about the beach.

I do care about the beach... as a place to stroll and enjoy fresh air not for sunbathing or whatever other beach activities people do. Too cold? How about other sites and such? Is a week about right or should I spend a few days on PEI and a few on NS?

Considering that your priority is not to swim in the ocean, June will be perfectly fine. Before deciding to go in June you should probably check on the PEI Tourism Web site for the attractions you might be interested in, and double-check if they will all be open at the time of your visit. It is usually safe after the Victoria Day weekend (3rd weekend of May), but some operations might open at the end of June only.

As for length of stay, it depends. If I was from far away and wasn't planning on coming back to the Maritimes for a long time, I would probably split my time between two provinces. But if you are interested in covering the entire island, a week would work.

Something to consider: I believe June is considered a shoulder season there, and some cottage owners might allow for a stay shorter than a week at that time.

Happy Travels!

Check out Anne's Windy Poplars cottages in Cavendish. Clean and close to the beach/national park area. You can rent bikes at the bottom of the road and explore the national park that way. She will rent in off season by the day.

Seems to me it woulkd be a shame to miss so much that's good in the maritimes while walking along the same stretch of chilly beach for the tenth time.

BAK

A week in PEI in early June is a long time (at least for me it wld be too much....July/August/even early Sept would be fine but not early June.)
I would spend the week in Nova Scotia.....fly to Halifax, rent a car & explore the South shore of NS then head toward Cape Breton for the remainder of the week, then back to Halifax to fly home ( where is home for you? I mean from where are you flying?)

Or, perhaps 1 or 2 days in PEI if you really want to spend some time there but not an entire week.

What makes July and August worthy of a week? I am flexible with my travel dates, but wouldn't wait just for warmer weather. We are from middle America, and I can't really guess that this would or would not be our last visit to the area. We've traveled many times to places we love, but since this is our first visit to the area, maybe we should make a broader loop. We just hate wasting vacation time packing and unpacking many times when we've only got a 7-10 days to enjoy.

Hi - I totally understand what you're saying about wanting to avoid constant packing and unpacking. That being said - tell us what appeals to you about PEI. If you're not particularly into swimming beaches or Anne of Green Gables, I'm wondering whether you might want to focus on Nova Scotia for your first experience of Atlantic Canada. But if we understand better what your vision is, we can get more specific about sights, attractions, destinations.

It depends. A week is probably sufficient to cover Prince Edward Island. Even in June and September there are lots of activities in the Charlottetown area.

I also understand the packing and unpacking. When on vacation I like to rent a home, cottage, apt and use that as my base. PEI has many wonderful places to visit in one week. The north west has an awesome windmill museum where differnt styles of windmills are being tested. They also harvest kelp in the old fashion way there-clydesdale horses! The island has MANY interesting small museums(Heritage Museums). The museums range from history of the Accadians where part of the island speaks French to Anne of Green Gable and a bottle house museum. There is also a certificate you can earn by visiting the lighthouses-and there are many!--and each one is a museum in itself. I am not sure if the harness racing is opened yet in Summerside when you are planning your visit. The musical Anne of Green Gables and Anne & Gilbert are terrific! The School of Pipers & Keltic Dance School in Summerside is also fun. Walking the beaches and exploring can take up hours everyday and the sunset in Cavendish is truly amazing! PEI mussels are to die for as well:)