Itinerary: Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia?
 

We are planning a trip from Florida in October. So far figure flying into Bangor is wisest. Renting a car...want to go to Bar Harbor/ Acadia and then on to Nova Scotia. We have 6 nights max. Can we get to Cape Breton? where should we stay in Bar Harbor and NS and Cape Breton? Prefer to NOT spend a lot of time in the car and prefer to spend MORE than one night in a location. Not sure if we are overly ambitous with our travel plans.
ALL SUGGESTIONS / EXPERIENCEs welcome.
Thanks!!

Everyone's style is different but this seems like a lot to me- At minimum 2 nights in Bar Harbor (We stay at the Atlantic Oakes, great views, we like the main building) for Acadia NP. It is a long drive north to Nova Scotia- I'm not sure about the mileage but it is a full day. Check the timing and schedule for the ferry to Cape Breton Island- Cape Breton Highlands national park is beautiful and you would need 2 nights there. Are you then flying back from Halifax? New Brunswick? Or do you need to drive back to Bangor? It might be best to limit your week to Maine or Canada.

It can be done in 6 nights, but you will probably feel rushed. It sounds like the trip you envision is incompatible with your desire to not spend lots of time in the car and stay more than one night in a location.

The ferry to Yarmouth can take a long time, about 6 hours, or you can take 'The Cat' ferry (http://www.catferry.com), which cuts that time in half. It is then a full day of driving to get to Cape Breton. You will want to do it in no less than 2 days, each way.

You may want to consider flying to Halifax (halfway to Cape Breton) or Sydney (most of the way to the Cape); then renting a car when you get there. The flights are not cheap, but then again, it is also expensive to take your car on the ferries (particularly The Cat).

I think you will have to decide which is more important - spending more than one night in a location and not spending a lot of tiem in the car --- versus --- seeing Cape Breton. While it would be possible with ferry to do a whirlwind trip as you describe, it would not meet your other specifications of lodgling and time in car.

Roads in Nova Scotia are fine - scenic, in good shape, etc. But they are not the big Interstates of Florida and so don't plan on making the mileage you would in the US south. Also, you will want to make some stops each day, not just cover miles.

Another option is to skip Bar Harbor, take the ferry from Portland. While it is a 12 hour ferry (overnight heading to NS, all-day heading back), it would not be time in car.

If you have a total of 6 days, Cape Breton is too far. I recommend skipping NS for such a short trip, beacause it's bigger than you think.

We took the ferry to Yarmouth, and spent 6 days driving around NS. CB was the highlight, but we vowed never again to spend so much time in the car.

You can easily spent your time enjoying coastal Maine.

I agree with Elberko. I have done both places and I thought Maine was awesome and out of the two places, would choose that again over NS.

Both Bar Harbor and Nova Scotia are among my favorite places on Earth. I've been to both twice. I agree that six days may not be enough time to see stuff adequately. Let's see:
Day 1: fly into Bangor and get settled into hotel. Probably have time to walk around Bar Harbor and have a nice dinner.
Day 2: Spend it at Acadia NP. Are you hikers? kayakers? bicyclists? It will be Oct. (earlier in the month the better) so the weather might be a bit rainy on some days.
Day 3: You could take the CAT ferry out of Bar Harbor but if the seas are rough they may not run. I just checked the website (catferry.com) and they only run through mid-October anyway. Be ware - even on calm seas it can be a bit of a wild ride. I enjoyed it but DH got seasick. It takes about 3 hours to get to yarmouth, NS. From Yarmouth its at least an 8 hour drive to the entrance of Cape Breton Island. It might be at least another 2 hours to your hotel depending on where you stay. It's a long drive, and you do waste that day in the car.
Day 4, 5, 6 can be spent in Cape Breton. I hear it's gorgeous, but I've never made it to that part of NS because I've always opted to go to visit relatives on PEI instead.

Other options are to fly directly into Halifax and make it a NS vacation.

It depends on what your main interests are - both places are great for hiking. Cape Breton is fantastic for Celtic heritage. Bar Harbor offers more of the regular conveniences of home (many restaurants, shopping).

We've stayed at the Atlantic Oakes twice, and it's good enough. The Bar Harbor Regency (holiday inn) has a good reputation. We're going this summer and will probably try the new Harborside Hotel and Marina. There are lots of nice B&Bs and there are many reviews here on this forum.

Good luck - let me know if you have any other questions!

A couple of years ago my husband and I drove from South Carolina to Cape Breton and had a wonderful trip. I pulled out our itinerary and find that we spent two nights at Bar Harbor, one at St. Andrews, two in Charlottetown, three in Baddeck and one in Moncton on the return trip. St. Andrews was one of our favorite stops, but since it is only 160 miles from Bar Harbor, you will need to travel farther in a day. But I warn you, it is a LONG drive if you go straight through to Baddeck. You could cover Baddeck in one day, but it would be risky. Our drive on the Cabot trail was unforgettable, both for the scenery and HEAVY FOG. We were fortunate, because we had several breaks in the weather and still had a beautiful trip, but it is conceivable that you could be completely fogged in, and that would be too bad. We barely touched Nova Scotia and would love to go back, but even though we are retired, it is hard to get away for more than a month at a time. You will find many places that you want to see. The entire summer would be just about right! You can see that we thought the entire area was pretty close to heaven.

Assuming that you would be returning to Bangor, that would be doable on your last day.

Here's a solo road trip I took 15 months ago, and I'll comment later on.

Day 1. RI to Saint Stephen, NB (on US/Canada border), with short detour to the Eastern part of Acadia Nat'l Park (Schoodic Peninsula)

Day 2. Brief stop at St John, Fundy Nat'l Park, Moncton (enough time for an oil change), Fort Beausejour (in Aulac), and O/N at Antigonish, NS.

Day 3. Cross into Cape Breton Island, and drive the whole Cabot Trail w/side trips to Meat Cove, which is practically end of the road, and stay in Sydney, NS.

Day 4. Drove by Glace Bay & Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island; then back to mainland, take Route 7 along Southern coast to Halifax.

Day 5. Halifax Tour & rest.

Day 6. West to Peggy's Cove (Swiss 111 memorial, etc), Mahone Bay, Lulenburg; then go N. to Annapolis Royal. Back to NB and O/N in Fredericton.

Day 7. Back to RI.

Now, this trip was done in November, with hardly any traffic, and I drove fast. It was basically a driving trip, and not so much about sightseeing. Most of the attractions except those in Halifax were closed that time of the year. But my point is that NB and NS are not very large provinces, and places are relatively close by (compared to say Texas, where I live right now). You also don't need to drive from RI, which adds many hours of driving.

I say 6 nights is doable from Bar Harbor. Just don't stop at the less interesting places like Saint John or Moncton. Spend your time on the magnificent Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, and in Halifax. The Ferry to Yarmouth doesn't save you time to go up to Cape Breton, but is quite expensive.

My husband and I took the cat ferry to Nova Scotia from Bar Harbor a few years back in late September. It seemed that we were the only passengers that did not get seasick. It was a relatively rough ride due to wind and rain.

Good advice from rkkwan. You just need to pick and choose what you really want to see. His itinerary looks good and would be ideal for someone who travels for the scenery instead of activities. You won't have much time for hiking, sea kayaking or whale watch tours. If you want to do those types of things, you will need to cut down on the miles and settle into one or two places for the entire trip. You can see much more if you stay in a different location each night, but need to remember that weather can be a problem!

I had this itinerary set just like you Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia, flying into Bangor from SW Fla. Then did the logistics crunch, and decided to save Nova Scotia for next year. Too much trouble with a rental car and such, Next year we will fly into Nova Scotia. This year we will spend 4 nights in Bar Harbor, 3 Portland, then 3 nights in Camden, leaving from Bangor. FYI Judy

I have not been to Bar Harbor but did take the 12 Scotia Prince ferry from Portland to Yarmouth in 1992 in connection with a home exchange in Bedford, NS (outside Halifax).

You really cannot do Bar Harbor and Cape Breton in a 6 day trip. We spent 2 weeks in NS and PEI driving around (and we did a lot of driving) and only hit the highlights. I would just spend my time driving around Maine.

You might want to consider visiting Campebello Island and the FDR home there on the Maine-New Brunswick border. I haven't been there myself, but it is still on my list if I get up that way again.

Finally, NS is a lot bigger than it looks on the map--and the distances take a long time to drive too.