crystalnpat

In your opinion, which would you consider a better trip and why?

Thanks

gannetmusic

What are your interests? What seaon?

Jerry

Flyboy

gannetmusic makes an excellent point. These trips are totally different experiences. Personally, I gravitate toward more urban experiences and they can be less weather dependent, too. That said, I enjoy Halifax very much and summer in the Maritimes can be a wonderful time.

laurafromtexas

They're both fabulous -- just very different from each other. Nova Scotia/PEI is wonderful mainly for its outdoor attractions -- gorgeous scenery ranging from the national seashore to lighthouses to the breathtaking Cabot Trail; peaceful and pastoral beauty; hiking and biking, kayaking; and whale watching. Plus it offers terrific Celtic music and culture. On the other hand, Montreal/Quebec City is enjoyed for its European feel. Montreal has a cosmopolitan air and Quebec more of a village environment. Montreal offers great shopping, dining, and nightlife, and Quebec offers a relaxing pace plus Montmorency Falls and the pastoral Ile d'Orleans with farmhouses, small shops, and cafes.

NorthwestMale

Wow, I love the question, and I've been to all four spots.

Something that some won't consider is that because Montreal and QC are more centrally located, it is more likely that you'll be able to get to them on another trip sometime. (Montreal is less than 400 miles from NY City, for example) Perhaps that means going to the Maritimes first.

If you take away the french factors in Montreal/QC then Nova Scotia is a hands-down winner, but the perceived "foreignness" to Montreal and QC means something to some folks.

Nova Scotia lets you get AWAY from society, and that is quite refreshing. The natural scenery there is awesome in many different areas and none of it is overrun by humanity.

Weather factors probably favor Nova Scotia during most of the year (be it the "harsh Canadian winter" or the heat of summer)

My favorite elements about the Montreal/QC trip would be the aforementioned driving around and seeing so many signs written in french (even though, in Montreal, it is difficult to find a true "language barrier&quot, the passage beTWEEN Montreal and QC... I like the drive up the St. Lawrence, and I'd take the smaller highway between the main highway/freeway on the north shore and the river.

QC is more french and you could find spots where communicating is a small challenge (though NOT a struggle). QC has some impressive scenery and the walled-off area of the city is touristy but fun.

PEI is gentle and off the beaten path. Your intro to PEI is a $38 toll bridge (you pay only on the way OUT) <perhaps the price has gone up by now?>

Rolling hills and sparsely populated areas surround you there. This is a haven for bicycle enthusiasts, and there is plenty of room for everybody all over the island. Charlottetown is the hub of activity there, and the many shoreline drives offer coastal scenery. Going to PEI on your Nova Scotia trip at least gives you the excuse to duck down to "Hopewell Cape" (below Moncton, in New Brunswick) and take a path I like very much (Truro to Parrsboro before cutting up toward Amherst)

The tides in the area are most amazing but are best witnessed and explored on the opposite side of the water from the Truro-Parrsboro path.

Nova Scotia is probably more enjoyable than Montreal-Quebec City for just the fact that it isn't really on the way to anywhere, and thus isn't overrun by those merely passing through.

Having said that, I think you won't go wrong opting for either choice.

wow

If in summer, go to NS/PEI for all of the reasons described by NWmale. I have to declare my bias though: I grew up in Cape Breton! If you are having such a tough time deciding why not do NS/PEI & Montreal "on the way back"....(where are you coming from??)