Husband and I are planning our first trip to NS and PEI. We will be flying in to Portland ME , renting a car and spending about 2 weeks to visit both areas. Looking for advice on taking the ferry from St John to Digby vs driving the whole way and if driving, from Moncton, thoughts on visiting PEI or NS first. Thanks.

2b,

When is this trip planned? Why flying into Portland, ME and not Halifax or Charlottetown?

Did you see this post regarding PEI, I posted a lot of information about island.

Halifax and PEI

Tom

Visiting family in Maine on our way to and from Nova Scotia.

2B,

I sent you a private message.

Regarding PEI, everything is open on the island mid June to August as the weeks go by in September tourist locations start to close as summer help returns to school. You can get a feeling for the island in about 3-4 days.

Enjoy your trip.

Tom

The best advice is:

Don't take the ferry.

The Bay of Fundy is all about THE TIDES... the most emphatic areas for those tides are way up at the [northeast] end of the bay... and to take the ferry is to miss out on them.


NOT only that, but upon debarking the ferry... then you're in DIGBY... miles and miles away from most everything you should be seeing on your first trip to the area.


Digby is a cutesy little fishing village... and maybe you'd stop there for seafood, or something, IF life caused you to be passing by, ... AND IF you could easily FIND PARKING on the nearby streets there.

You can duplicate that all over the maritimes.


Furthermore, as you are based for (some time) in Portland, ME... your drive to Halifax/Cape Breton is less significant than that of people beginning their trips from major population areas of the US or Canada.


I get that a ferry can be a novel thing to people who don't live around water, and that they want to find any reason at all to take it... but it doesn't make sense.


*it really could be worse... you COULD be taking the ferry from Maine to Yarmouth, NS... then you'd be even more absurdly remote to most of what's appealing about the maritime provinces.

So just keep driving... pass through Fundy National Park on the way in, and toward Hopewell Cape, where you should visit at LOW TIDE... and witness the power of the highest tides in the world.

Then perhaps consider a night spent at the lighthouse at Cape D'or ... where you will find the only place on earth where three distinct tidal forces crash into one another every day in routine fashion.

Watch the tide come in at Parrsboro, IF the timing is suitable (it probably never is - based on fate).


Then consider that as much water flows each day between Parrsboro and Cape Split (across the bay) as flows through ALL of the rivers on earth COMBINED during the same 24-hour period.

Nova Scotia is odd in its layout, AND with infrastructure limited by so little demand by people to travel through it. During a good-sized visit, you'll likely criss-cross on land all over the place, but there are plenty of options for a first-ever visit to suggest sticking to those motions on land and not opting for a ferry that doesn't really get you anywhere.

Annapolis Royal is nice... and if you evolve to want to go there, fine... but a first-ever visit should have priorities aplenty that rank above that.


Lastly, if you click on my name, you'll find a number of Nova Scotia threads with random people having various ideas to which I've responded. Maybe some of them will click for you, and maybe they will contain detailed ideas.


Have fun!

We use the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick to get to PEI. Below is some information on the bridge and a great view and trails Before crossing the bridge, definitely stop and check it out.

The Confederation Bridge is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the mainland province of New Brunswick. Opened May 31, 1997, the 12.9-kilometre (8.0 mi) bridge is Canada's longest bridge and the world's longest bridge over ice-covered water. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_Bridge

Tolls apply only when leaving Prince Edward Island (when travelling westbound).

https://www.confederationbridge.com/

Before crossing the bridge on the New Brunswick side, stop at Cape Jourimain Nature Center for a great view of the bridge. You can drive or walk under the bridge the view is beautiful. The nature center has interesting displays and also walking trails. See map link.

https://www.capejourimain.ca/

Map https://maps.app.goo.gl/UU6WpF6d2hA9p5V28?g_st=ic

When you are done crossing the bridge, the first stop is the visitor center. After visiting the visitor center go to Marine Rail Park for information on the bridge construction and another view of the bridge. Now it’s time to experience beautiful PEI!



Map https://maps.app.goo.gl/vSpoMQ4bzXKTbYvW6?g_st=ic