vjulka

We are planning a visit to Nova Scotia in the first week of June. We will have to fly in to Halifax. Any help with places we should and can visit and things we can do within one week? More of site seeing than physical activities
We plan to rent a car/SUV. Is that the way to go around?

OceanBreeze1

Hello, vjulka,
B/f getting into your questions, I just have to ask: Why the first week in June? It''s still cold in NS in June. Just curious as July, August, Sept are the preferred times to visit NS. The weather is much warmer. June can be cold, cloudy, rainy and foggy.

OB1

ltt

you need to spend a couple of nights in halifax and then i'd head pictou and cape breton, louisburg and return to halifax. or go the aother direction and do mahone bay area, brier island, annapolis valley and back to halifax.

NorthwestMale

Hi Vjulka,

I have fielded many a unique set of interests in the NS area, and if you click on my name and search for the NS-related posts you'll find many ideas.

I'd say your priorities during a week in the area should include the Cabot Trail, and Hopewell Cape, NB. Design something with those in mind including a likely day trip from Halifax to Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove.

Time the trip to Hopewell Cape to correspond with <b>Low Tide</b>:

Here are Bay of Fundy Tide times:

http://www.bayoffundytourism.com/tides/times/

vjulka

Thank you. Maybe we should rethink this. Thought of June becasue we have some other events to attend in July Aug and Sept

OceanBreeze1

Well, you can still go to Nova Scotia in June but you wld significantly optimize your chances for good weather in July/Aug/Sept. I went to Cape Breton the first week in June for the past 2 years. It was cold, rainy and windy both times. Not going in June this year!!

OB1

Tanyalynn

Early June, you may find rural tourism spots still not open. Predicting weather for NS is like the playing the lottery. If that is the only time you have to visit, I would recommend Halifax and perhaps day trips from that location. Lots to do in the city. Day trips: Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg; Wolfville, Hall's Harbour; drive towards Eastern Shore, Fisherman's Cove. Seaport Farmer's Market in Halifax on Saturday mornings is worth a stroll.

If you wanted to tour Cape Breton Island, you will need at least 3 days. Again, a lot of the tourism spots probably won't be open (seasonal restaurants, etc.) Although Fortress Louisbourg is open, it isn't fully animated until mid June.

OceanBreeze1

Tanya,

Welcome Back! Where have you been? I have missed you.

This is your first post I have noticed under your new name.

OB1

canadian38

I'm from Halifax, and here are my recommendations for Nova Scotia (some have already been mentioned by others).

Halifax: Walk along the waterfront on the boardwalk, and take a sailing tour of the Halifax Harbour. You can take a tradiitonal sail boat, or you can take the Harbour Hopper, which is an amphibious craft, so first you drive around and get a tour of the city (with commentary by a guide), and then you drive into the harbour and get a boat tour as well! It's quite popular. I think it is a converted American military transport vehicle. You could visit the Citadel Hill historic British fortress. There are lots of historic properties near the waterfront as well. The city centre / downtown is this same area as well. The main streets are Barrington, and Spring Garden. The Public Gardens are really beautiful! There is the Pier 21 museum, which is where many people immigrated to Canada (if that interests you). Halifax has a great nightlife, lots of nightclubs and also bars to just sit, talk and eat.

South Shore: This would make a great day trip from Halifax. You could stay down there if you want, but it's also very possible to make a day trip and come back to sleep in Halifax. Visit the scenic Peggys Cove (it's about halfway from Halifax to the South Shore), then go to Mahone Bay (a very nice town) and then finally visit Lunenburg. It's a really picturesque town. The fishery museum is good, and if it's there, you can see the Bluenose II (the boat on the 10 cent coin - I'm assuming you are not from Canada). You could go whale watching here too (and probably anywhere else in the province on the coast).

Annapolis Valley: Again, another day trip, or you can stay the night. Visit the towns of Kentville and Wolfville, and you can also see Windsor on the way from Halifax (it's the birthplace of hockey). There is an Acadian historic site in Grand Pre and you can see the world's highest tides at the Bay of Fundy. Just past the town of Canning, there is an excellent look off, unsurprisingly called The Look Off, where you can view the whole valley. It really is a great view! There is a zoo in Aylesford, and historic forts in Annapolis Royal.

A day trip to the South Shore would involve less driving than going to the Valley. I don't really consider either to be very far, but since you'll likely be driving to Cape Breton, you may want to consider the South Shore. Peggys Cove and Lunenburg make it well worth it.

Cape Breton: You'd have to devote a few days to Cape Breton, I would think 3 is a good amount, but I highly recommend it. There is the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, which is the main part of the world famous Cabot Trail. It may be one of the best places you ever visit! Some good places to at least stop for lunch and take a quick look are Cheticamp and Baddeck. Sydney is also nice, but I would devote more time to the scenic places. Lastly, you should definitely visit the Fortress of Louisbourg. It's a replica of a French fort that was built here.

I would structure my days like this:
1 Arrival, Halifax
2 Halifax
3 Day trip: South Shore or Annapolis Valley
4 Driving, Cape Breton
5 Cape Breton
6 Cape Breton, back to Halifax
7 Halifax, Departure

If your arrival and departure days are not part of your week, i.e. you have 7 full days to explore, I would add one more day in Halifax, and take both recommended day trips.

Tanyalynn

Thanks OceanBreeze! Yes under a new name, changing service providers proved to be a challenge