heyjude2919

We'll be in Halifax from 9am to 6 PM off of a cruise ship. Is that time enough to rent a car and visit Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay and Lunenburg? If so has anyone done this and has a route and time frame I would love to hear from you. Thanks to alll fodorites. You all have been so helpful.

Percy

yes you have time .

Rent the car, a map comes with it and the Rental Agency will be happy to marked out the route for you .

All three are quaint places , take a picture of those three chuches as you come into Mahone Bay

heyjude2919

Thanks so much for your quick reply. Another question for you or anyone else....It appears that Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg are in opposite directions. Which way would be best to go first? And is traffic in Halifax bad?

Percy

By 9 Am you have missed the morning traffic

They are not really in opposite direction !

Just take highway 103 out of town and exit by Fox Point to go to Peggy's Cove.

Don't worry the place is well marked on the highway.

Walk around here a bit ...go to the Lighthouse and then head backtoward the highway and take the Scenic Road along the Ocean to Mahone Bay

Don't worry , there are those nice green signs along the road that will say "Exit for Mahone Bay and Luenburg"

You won't miss it.

Walk about in these two towns and have lunch in Lunenburg, there are nice tea houses here.

Then it is back to Halifax but you have time to cut across and go to Wolfville if you want and then back to Halifax.

Aristotle

Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg are west of Halifax. There are few roads in NS and it is hard to get lost. Stop at Peggys Cove first and then Lunenburg. Both are wonderful, but there are more things to do in Lunenburg so be sure to leave time.
While in Lunenburg, go to Blue Rocks for a really great sight. Mahone Bay is a great place to stay, but not as interesting as the other places. Also remember that Halifax is a city not to be missed, esp. along the waterfront. You will probably have plenty of time, but it is a great place and you can easily lose track of time.

heyjude2919

Percy and Aristotle, Thank you so much. I think this will be much better than taking an excursion from the ship and way less expensive.Do either of you know if there is a car rental near where the ship will be docking?

heyjude2919

Fforget my last question. I found Enterprise online near the terminal.

Percy

I agree with Aristotle, there is lots to see in Halifax , like he mentioned ,along the waterfront.

If your lucky you can get a boat ride on Blue Nose II. ( I did !)

Then there is Citadel Hill.

If you are along the waterfront ,you must try Blueberry Grumble ..to die for !!!

Have a nice time

heyjude2919

Percy, I looked up Wolfville, and found that there is a hike about 2 hours to Cape Split where you can really see the change in tides. Do you know anything about that? I'm discovering that one day isn't really enough to see everything. Maybe we should not try to go to Lunenburg but go to Wolfville instead and hike after visiting Peggy's Cove. Any thoughts? And I do want to walk along the waterfront in Halifax before returning to the ship.
PS You have given us great advise before when planning trips.

Aristotle

I would wonder if you have enough time to go across NS to Cape Split and see any thing else. Distances are a bit deceptive. Actually I would explore Halifax in the time alotted. 9 to 6 sounds like a good bit of time, but it shrinks when you realize that you won't be off the ship right at 9 or come back at 6. You might go to Peggy's Cove first thing and back to Halifax for the later day, or to Lunenburg, but you can't do it all. Lunenburg is charming, but in some ways similar to Halifax. I'd choose Halifax.

heyjude2919

Have you heard or or been to Ovens National Park that is 20 minutes from Lunenburg. There is a sea cave hike there according to the website. I think I have decided that you are right and going toCaoe Split is impossible. I guess i'll rent the car and try and hit Peggy's Cove first and then zip to Lunenburg hoping to get back to Halifax in time to walk the waterfront. Or if we don't get oiff the ship right at nine we may have to just do Peggy's Cove and Halifax and skip Lunenburg. Would anyone suggest skipping peggy's cove to do Lunenburg? Thanks.

Percy

You better skip cape Split!

If you go to Peggy's Cove , and Mahone Bay and then Lunenburg that is enough.

You will more than likely have lunch in Lunenburg.

You want to have time to walk about the quaint town and browse.

I cannot argue with what Aristotle is saying. I like Halifax and you can see many places here also.

I wish you had more time !

heyjude2919

Me,too. Thanks

Aristotle

As I recall, Ovens was not impressive enough to replace any of the other places. As to the other places, my preferences are: 1. Halifax, 2. Lunenburg 3. Peggy's Cove and 4. Mahone Bay. Since you need to go through Mahone Bay to get to Lunenberg, it's a freebie. While planning, remember that travel in NS is not all that fast, and it is a pretty large place. So be a bit conservative when planning. And the real answer is to cruise on the Fundy Prince from Portland and spend a week in Nova Scotia. You won't regret it.

heyjude2919

Thanks Aristotle, I'll leave Ovens and Cape Splet until another tripbut try to do Peggy's Cove, lunenburg, and Halifax waterfront this time. Thanks again to all. You don't think we should do it in the reverse because of fog in the morning?

Aristotle

If you go to Lunenburg first, you will be somewhat inland. If you've looked at a map, you know what I mean. The road to Peggy's Cove curves along the coast. Also you will be in a better position to alter your plans if time becomes a factor.

heyjude2919

Thanks to all. We did rent a car in Halifax. It was not a problem, but while we were waiting for our car, people arrived wanting to rent and were told that if they didn't have a reservation there was nothing available. Just thought I might share that with anyone who is planning on renting a car. Book ahead of time. We did get to Peggy's cove first. It was terribly foggy but still lovely. We really enjoyed Lunenberg and wished we had longer there. My husband especially enjoyed the museum. We were back in plenty of time to walk around Halifax. So thanks to all.

traveling

This is great info. I am going to Halifax and Sydney and St. John week of Sept. 17. Any suggestions on the "must see" "must do" places in Sydney or St. John? I am traveling with my 25 yr old daughter and am willing to rent a car and do excersions on our own. We are avid photographers and hikers (not too strenuous) and love being outdoors. Will the leaves be changing by that time?

skoupithi

We tried this with a rental car from Halifax and the signage was great until Mahone Bay. Got to Lunenburg ok, but on the drive back we got lost and it took a lot of time (not to mention tension).