We are traveling from Florida and Dallas to see Whales, Fall colors and to experiance the Canandian coast. We only have 8 days to see the sights (not including flight days). My plan is this: <BR>Day 1- Fly into Bar Harbor arrive Sat Sept 23 4PM <BR>Day 2 – Drive to St Andrew (4hrs) Afternoon whale watch, stay between St Andrews and St John <BR>Day 3 – Drive/Tour Bay of Fundy area – Stay near Hopewell rock area <BR>Day 4 – More Bay of Fundy AM – Drive Sunrise Trail (4hrs) to Baddeck <BR>Day 5 – Tour Cape Brenton – Cabbot Trail, Cheticamp, whale watch <BR>Day 6 – Tour Cape Brenton Con’t <BR>Day 7 – Drive to Halifax AM (4hrs) – tour Halifax <BR>Day 8 – Tour Halifax AM – Peggy Cove to Lunenburg Afternoon <BR>Day 9 – Drive form Lunenburg to Yarmouth (3hrs) catch the 3:30 Cat to Bar harbor <BR>Day 10 – AM flight home <BR> <BR>I know it is alot of driving (are the times accurate in the Doers and Dreamers Guild?)but I am assuming it will be scenic. <BR> <BR>Is the Citadel in Halifax better then Louisbourg? should we try to do both? <BR> <BR>Is it difficult to book hotels at the end of September? Should I prebook all nights or can I book some as I go along. <BR> <BR>Thanks for your help! <BR>Aileen

Yes, it is a lot of driving with not much time for stopping and enjoying the scenery and activities along the way. But if you like to just drive and take in the scenery, then it can be done. I'm from Cape Breton Island and I know you will really enjoy it here. Louisbourg is a great Fortress to visit and it takes about a day to tour it properly. Lots to see & do there. Citadel may be done in 1/2 day. I prefer Louisbourg. You will want to spend more time on the Cabot Trail since there is so much to see & do there. Take the side trip to Meatcove and stop at Cabot's Landing, (a beautiful long, sandy beach), along the way. Definitely worth the trip. It may be hard to get accomodations as you go along especially on the island. You can stop at the Tourist Centre at Port Hastings as soon as you come over the Causeway and get them to make some reservations for you in Baddeck and Cheticamp too. If there's anything else I can help with on Cape Breton, just drop me a line.

We travelled to Nova Scotia in July. It is a beautiful place. People are very friendly and the scenery is something else. Your trip sounds very hurried. You should stop and smell the roses. There is so much to see and do. Halifax should take 3 days alone. Try visiting Digby instead of Yarmouth, it is a very clean and pretty spot. No problems getting hotels anywhere. Give yourself lots of time for the cabot trail, it can be very foggy and you can only travel it when the weather is clear. Baddeck is a tiny but pretty spot to stay at. If you go to Lunenburg, the lighthouse route alone will take hours if done properly <BR>The wheelhouse is a lovely spot to stay in Lunenburg. The diningroom has great food also. Try the Knot Inn for lunch or dinner. Enjoy yourself.

Your trip overlaps much of what we did last summer, and this part of the trip takes about the same amount of time we took for that area. I don't think the driving times are bad at all. One suggestion since you have allowed two days for the Cabot Trail, is to spend the night somewhere near the end so that you don't backtrack. You can do part one day, then circle around to do the rest the next. We stayed at the wonderful Keltic Lodge at Ingonish which we really enjoyed. I also agree that Digby was more interesting than Yarmouth. We actually drove from Halifax through Peggy Cove and Lunenburg to Digby in one day which seemed adequate, but that extra night along the way would be more liesurely. We spent our last night at Digby and had lots of time to drive down to spend an hour or so (more would have been redundant) in Yarmouth before catching the Cat to Bar Harbour.

I am not able to say which of the two forts is the better -- Halifax or Louisbourg. But if you can see them both because you get a different view of history. I found the driving times to be more or less accurate. They may be a little conservative, but you are not going up there for a speed contest. <BR> <BR>You will like it; but south Nova Scotia is not at all like Cape Breton Island. <BR>Enjoy!!

I like Br Harbor better than New runswick, and I was born in NB and have been back to visit many times. I'd spend a day at Acadia National Park in Maine before going to New Brunswick. <BR> <BR>I love driving, but I think your trip is too long in miles or too short in days. <BR> <BR>My predisposition is the skip the Fundy part, but I haven't been there for years. My grandmother was born in Hopewell Hill more than a century ago, but if time is tight, you can skip here neighborhood. <BR>Louisbourg beats the Citadel, but the Citadel is worth a few minutes. <BR>You can drive from Bar Harbor to Campebello Island (bridge) and then take a ferry or two back to the New Brunswick mainland. This is more fun than simply driving on regular roads. <BR>BAK