Wonders of the Maritime Provinces in Canada

Day 1

Traveling day to Halifax, Canada.

Day 2

From Halifax, we start with a short scenic drive over to Peggy’s Cove. Known for its iconic lighthouse, we will trek along the beautiful coastline, taking in the scenery and wildlife. This is the perfect introduction to our adventure in the Maritimes Provinces. We will continue our drive along the rugged Atlantic coast to Lunenburg, a port village renowned for its historic waterfront displaying bright-colored buildings, and the first British colonial settlement in Nova Scotia outside of Halifax. We can have an early dinner in Lunenburg or can return to Halifax for an evening at leisure.

Day 3

Visit the Halifax Public Gardens in the morning. After lunch, we will tour the Citadel National Historic Site to witness 300 years of history with spectacular views of the harbor.

Day 4

A relaxing day to enjoy the waterfront, visit the market and have a wonderful lobster dinner. Take a harbour tour at 5 pm.

Day 5

Say a temporary goodbye to Halifax and prepare to travel by car for approximately two hours to Caribou to ride the ferry to lovely Prince Edward Island.

Following lunch, we will check into our lodging at the provincial capital of PEI, Charlottetown, for a four-night stay. After settling into our hotel, we will walk to Victoria Park, where we will be able to see some of the city’s most impressive houses along the waterfront. We will follow the old boardwalk until we reach Peake’s Wharf and we may be lucky enough to catch live music where we will have dinner.

Day 6

Following a morning at leisure, we will set out to discover Prince Edward Island, known as the home of "Anne of Green Gables." With that said, we will visit the Green Gables Heritage Place, the old farmhouse immortalized in the novels, and Cavendish Beach. We will cap the evening with a performance of "Anne of the Green Gables — The Musical." This adaptation of PEI’s much loved classic book has been performed in PEI since 1965, making it the world’s longest running annual musical.

Day 7

We will explore on foot the charming capital of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, a city brimming with history and culture. This is a perfect time for a leisurely day in the city of coffee, nature and shopping. We will walk Victoria Row, one the prettiest streets with its Victorian red-brick buildings, cobbled streets and shady trees. We can explore cafes, have a drink, taste their amazing local seafood and whatever our hearts desire.

Day 8

Our last day on the island, today we will walk on the boardwalk, then take a 30-minute walk across the city to the Charlottetown Farmers' Market for lunch. The market is known for featuring food producers from across the island. In the evening, we will catch a traditional lobster dinner, a must have experience on PEI.

Day 9

Check out and be ready to cross the Confederation Bridge to the province of New Brunswick. We will spend two nights in Moncton. We will visit the Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park (35 minutes from Moncton) to witness the greatest tidal shift in the world. Every six hours, the tides shift between low and high tide, changing from 35 to 42 feet. This incredible natural phenomenon can truly be appreciated when experiencing first-hand. Based on the tide changes, we may choose to visit the park in the afternoon to see the high tide and walk the ocean floor at low tide when we return the next day.

Day 10

We will visit the Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park again to experience the power and magnitude of the world’s highest tides. We will walk on the ocean floor at low tide. Hopewell Rocks has three primary access points to the ocean floor.

Main Deck offers a large metal staircase complete with a spacious viewing platform. Guests can descend the 99 stairs to the ocean floor and, after exploring, can boast bragging rights to having climbed the 101 steps back to the top.

For those who are not a fan of stairs, venturing a little further towards North Beach grants you access to a ramp with benches strategically placed along the incline. Although the ramp is suitable for wheelchairs, many find the ocean floor to be too challenging to navigate on wheels.

Finally, the treasures of Demoiselle await those who walk the trail leading south from behind the Interpretive Centre. This ocean floor access requires no stairs or ramps as the trail gently descends to sea level. No matter which ocean floor access point you choose, the shoreline can be fully explored at low tide. Your stroll will be relatively easy until reaching the ledges. Many use the ledges as a turnaround point, but our more adventurous guests may choose to clamber over this outcropping of limestone rock. Caution must be used as the ledges are often slippery and can shift under foot.

Day 11

We will check out to drive to Saint John, the second largest city in New Brunswick and the port of Bay of Fundy. In the late afternoon, we can head down to a place where we can enjoy the sunset while we dine by the boardwalk in uptown.

Day 12

Following breakfast, we will drive to the Saint John City Market at 47 Charlotte St. We will walk the market, perhaps sample some maple syrup and taste some Canadian candy such as chicken bones, pal-o-mine or dulse, to name just a few. Then we can walk through Kings Square, checking out the Imperial Theatre and its surroundings, and grab lunch at the deli.

Day 13

Time to take another ferry ride to return to Halifax. The crossing is approximately two hours and 15 minutes. Enjoy the last afternoon walking the Halifax promenade.

Day 14

Return home.